Ice Musings: April 2011

Saturday, April 30, 2011

World Championships: Free Dance

Guignard/Fabbri, ITA: 37.15 TES + 33.07 PCS = 70.22 Total: 120.02 and into 1st place

They are in very sparkly red and gold costumes and are performing to March with Me
Some very dramatic posing at the top
Two sets of twizzles, good speed and well timed together with a catch foot on the first set
Nice deep edges from her in the footwork and they have good timing on the steps
Firs lift has several position changes and ends in a rotation lift but it doesn't seem like he has her high enough in the hold
Awkward hunched over position for her in the dance spin; lots of skids and hops in the transitions between the positions in the dance spin
A nice entry into the second lift but I'd like to see her keep an eye on her free legs in these transitions
Interesting hydroblade move from them
Awkward musical cuts and it seems that another piece of music was just inserted in the middle of the original
The music is really building in this step sequence but their steps and performance quality don't have the same intensity
Nice entry into the final rotational lift with him holding her just by her knee

Huang/Zheng, CHN: 36.08 TES + 34.76 PCS = 70.84 Total: 123.01 and into 1st place

They are skating to Singing in the Rain, she's in a pink dress and he has a sweater vest
They're opening with a step sequence and have some nice speed but it looks very stiff and everything is very placed, especially their arms and legs
Nice arch lift with him in a spread eagle position
He puts his foot down early on the first set of twizzles, they do 3 sets total
Jump twist into a lift with many changes of position--very Zoueva/Shpilband-esque
She needs more stretch through her leg positions in this roational lift
A few awkward transitions between positions in the dance spin and it gets slow toward the end
Her arm is held out to side and in a fist through the beginning of this step sequence
Nice lift with her in a Biellman position as he hydroblades
They have some really nice qualities but really need to work on the finishing touches to bring their programs up

Coomes/Buckland, GBR: 38.93 TES + 35.61 PCS = 74.54 Total: 126.29 and into 1st place

They are wearing tan African inspired costumes and skating to the Broadway Lion King Soundtrack
Nice over the head entry into their rotational lift with a lot of speed
Twizzles slightly off on unison with a bit of a gap between the sets
Nice stretch for her through the dance spin and some interesting positions
Nice lift with him in a hydroblade and her balancing on his back in a catchfoot position
Nice upside down lift with her on a handstand on his knee and switching into a rotational lift that seamlessly changes position in the rotation--a real highlight of the program
Their height difference is really evident in this step sequence; they have some nice steps and edges and their movements flow better than the other teams
Their program is building along with the music and to a nice conclusion
Really nice ending lift in a high point of the music

Walden/Edwards, GBR: 38.28 TES + 31.51 PCS = 69.79 Total: 116.52 and into 4th place

They have new costumes for this event for their Goodbye Lenin program since the old ones shrunk in the wash
They open with a one arm rotational lift which is nicely done
Interesting twizzle with the leg extrended straight out but some problems with timing; they complete three sets
Straight line lift with her legs extended straight in front of her and into a curve lift
She has really nice stretch through her legs and they're also very long so she gets some nice positions in the dance spin; excellent seamless transition out of the dance spin
This footwork seems really slow and her free arm is really placed instead of flowing natrually
They have a lot of through the leg moves in their program
There are a few places in the 2nd step sequence that its not clear if their free leg is supposed to be straight or bent
They really show off their strength in the lifts as she's often in positions that require a ton of ab strength but they all start to look the same by the end

Reed/Japaridze, GEO: 37.15 TES + 33.52 PCS = 70.67 Total: 120.11 and into 3rd place

They are skating to The Messiah Will Come Again in all black costumes: she has a fringe skirt and boots that go up to her knees
Nice stretch from him in the camel position of their dance spin; good speed and centering and a good transition throught he position change
Nice lift with her legs wrapped around him as he is in a spread eagle position
Lift with him on one leg and she extended parallel to the ice
Their twizzles were slightly off
Straight line lift with her legs extended straight in front
Their step sequence seems kind of slow and doesn't really fit the music
Rotational lift with her in a Biellman position
Some shimmying and hip shaking for them into the final step sequence
They seem to be letting go more here and getting into their music and program

Heekin-Canedy/Shakalov, UKR: 40.70 TES + 36.69 PCS -1.00 = 76.39 Total: 128.70 and into 1st place

They are skating to Edith Piaf
She is wearing a black and pink dress that moves so well over the ice
Rotational lift with her hunched over her leg; not really an attractive position
Nice hydroblade entry into the dance spin but slightly awkward transition throught eh position change and really slow at the end
She needs more stretch through her free leg in the step sequences
Nicely timed on both sets of twizzles
Spread eagle with her leaning back toward the ice on a nice musical highlight
Lots of hydroblades in the transitions from them
They have a really nice on ice presence but it just seems like they're a little tentative and don't have the power through their moves to really get across the ice
Nice rotational lift with her leg wrapped around his head; I wish she'd go for these lifts a little more and really finish the line

Tobias/Stagniunas, LTU: 39.68 TES + 38.17 PCS = 77.85 Total: 131.01 and into 1st place

First Shpilband/Zoueva team of the day skating to Les Mis
Twizzles very close together, may have gotten off at the end of the first set
She has a really nice arabesque
They have a nice connection with each other in this first step sequence and nice speed on the ice with some good choreography
Nice lift where he lifts her up by one leg and she goes over his head
Nice positions in the dance spin with good transitions and speed
I like the attack behind this second step sequence although she could straighten her free leg more in places
Nice position in the split lift with him in apread eagle position
Gorgeous hydroblade lift with her in a Biellman position
Finished before the music

Reed/Reed, JPN: 41.64 TES + 37.83 PCS -1.00 = 78.47 Total: 133.33 and into 1st place

They are skating to Ain't No Sunshine and Think
She's in a red asymmetrical dress and he's in black
Flip into lift with her parallel to the ice over his knee and him in a pread eagle
Started a little far apart on the twizzles; they complete three sets
I feel like this program is a little too sexy for a brother/sister team and it's a little uncomfortable in places
Nice rotational lift with her sitting on his shoulder
Nice step work sequence but she seems to drop her head a lit
Nice positions in the dance spin with slightly awkward transition between positions and really losing speed at the end
This step sequence seems a little tight and placed when it should be a little freer especially with the music
Rotational lift with one arm hold and she's in a catch foot position
Looks like he may have fell getting into his ending pose

Zhiganshina/Gazsi, GER: 44.13 TES + 41.29 PCS = 85.42 Total: 140.95 and into 1st place

Love her tutu and arm poofs!
They are music box dancers who come to life it looks like
Nice twizzles with good unison
I like the positions they're choosing to do which keep the character of the program and work with the tutu as well--ie not smashing it against his body
It may be partly the music but this step sequence seems really slow and it's unclear if they are keeping the stiff arms or more flowy
Straight line lift with her face down and legs straight out but an awkward exit out of it
Awkward transition in the dance spin and no speed at all, looks like she has trouble getting out of it
She needs to straighten her free leg in the step sequence; the music is picking up speed but they aren't
Rotational lift with her in a hunched over position; a few teams have done this lift today and it hasn't looked good on anyone yet
He takes a bobble through some transitional footwork
Upside down lift with him holding her by the leg and on one foot

Carron/Jones, FRA: 41.55 TES + 41.64 PCS = 83.18 Total: 140.86 and into 2nd place

They are skating to a Gershwin Medley
She is in a gold sparkly costume, he has a gold tie
Really cool entry into their first lift which is stationary and rotational with her legs held out
Twizzles seemed a little out of control for him but they keep the unison
Step sequence seems painfully slow but she does a good job of using her arms to keep the movement flowing
Rotational lift with her in a catchfoot position
Flip into a spread eagle position for him and she's arched back with her foot hooked over his shoulder
She needs to straighten her free leg through the step sequence
This step sequence seems better timed and has a nice flow
Nice speed in their dance spin with a good transition between positions
Rotational lift with her in a flat position

Cappellini/Lanotte, ITA: 44.58 TES + 45.07 PCs = 89.65 Total: 153.77 and into 1st place

They are skating to Umbrellas of Cherbourg; she i swearing a pretty shade of blue with a dark blue shrug and also has blue earrings and a necklace
Three sets of twizzles, nicely timed, her arms look a little stiff
Nice straight line lift with her extended out over his legs
Rotational lift her wrapped around his shoulder
They have a very nice flow through their step sequence and her arms look freer here
Nice lift with her leg wrapped around his head and arched back
A big ice spray into a transitional shoot the duck
Nice positions on their dance spin and good transitions but very slow
Overall I'd like to see a lot more power and speed from them throughout the program and a little more abandon through the movements

Chock/Zuerlein, USA: 45.65 TES + 44.74 PCS = 90.39 Total: 151.86 and into 2nd place

He is wearing a lot of of foundation today
They are skating to Cabaret and it really suits their personalities perfectly
Nice twizzles with music accents and good unison and speed
Nice movements throughout this step sequence and it goes with the music so well
Nice positions in their dance spin with great flexibility from her but no change of direction
Another nice step sequence from them; the elements are all there but they just dont have the same level of difficulty as the top teams
Nice entry into the upside down lift which seems to come out of nowhere
Upside down lift with him skating backward on one leg and only her leg is holding her up
Good performance from them but (it may have just been the camera angles) it seemed to lack some of their usual energy

Crone/Poirier, CAN: 45.69 TES + 44.43 PCS = 90.12 Total: 151.13 and into 3rd place

They are skating to Eleanor Rigby
It looks like someone attacked their costumes with a can of spray paint--not sure what it adds to their program and the accent on his crotch is distracting
Nice positions on the dance spin, good transitions, good speed
Upside down lift with her holding her leg and he on one leg
This step sequence is nicely put together and really flows across the ice
He looks really wild in the twizzles and may have stepped down early; her free leg in the second set was wild as well
Curve lift with him in a spread eagle and she standing on his thigh and leaning back
She looks a little hunched over in this second step sequence and really tight through the movements
Cartwheel into a rotational lift
They seemed kind of bobbly today in a few places, but I preferred their performance today than during the rest of the season

Ilinykh/Katsalapov, RUS: 42.47 TES + 46.52 PCS = 88.99 Total: 154.50 and into 1st place

They are skating to Don Quixote and she is wearing a gorgeous black and gold tutu
She has crazy long legs and the tutu really shows them off
Nice lift with him on one leg and her in an arched catch foot position
Nice speed on the twizzles but he really struggles through the second set and looks really unstable
She really uses her arms and legs to her advantage through this step sequence and they have really nice edges
One armed roatational lift with her in an arched catch foot--their lifts are really basic but they are a young team and this is an area they really have room to improve and grow
Bobble getting into a really difficult lift but they hang on--they both have all their weight leaning to one side and her leg is hooked over his shoulder and she is leaning over the side
My feed died so I missed the end of their program

Weaver/Poje, CAN: 48.51 TES + 46.74 PCS = 95.25 Total: 160.32 and into 1st place

They are skating to Moulin Rouge
Nice step sequence from them to start their program
Twizzles were good but really slowed down at the end
Nice dance spin positions, slightly awkward transition on the change of direction
Lift that starts with her on the ice, one armed hold, her in catch foot position and she's almost perpindicular to the ice
Cartwheel into a spread eagle lift with her arching back
Lift with him skating backwards on one leg and her legs extended straight out in front of her
This step sequence is nice but some parts seem choppy
Rotational lift with her in an arched catch foot position
Nice final rotational lift with change of position
Nice clean program for them--not an obvious mistake in sight for the first time this season

Pechalat/Bourzat, FRA: 43.00 TES + 51.57 PCS -2.00 = 92.57 Total: 163.54 and into 1st place

They are skating to a Charlie Chaplin Medley
Nice lift with him on one foot skating backwards and her leaning on his leg--simple but effortless
Nice step sequence; there are a few places she could stretch more through her free leg
3 solid sets of twizzles; she gets very close to him at the end of the last one but they get out of it ok
Nice lift that winds up and down but a little awkwardness getting out of it
One armed rotational lift with her in a catch foot position
A bad fall for both of them getting into a lift--that could cost them the podium
Really slow in the dance spin, especially through the change of direction
Such a shame about the falls marring an otherwise solid program

Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS: 45.79 TES + 48.56 PCS = 94.35 Total: 160.23 and into 3rd place

They are skating to Melody of the White Nights
Her hair has such a finished look with the french braid into the bun and the flower
Nice unison on the twizzles, but got off on the third set
Flip into a straight line lift with her arched back and the arch in her back is gorgeous
Looks like a few bobbles/wild moments in this step sequence
Nice position changes throughout this lift
Good speed into the dance spin and great use of her arms in the layback position; starting to lose speed at the end but great exit
This second step sequence looks really tight as well
Nice position changes in the rotational lift including one where she looks like shes sitting on his arm and extended to teh side
An overall good program but I just don't find anything particularly memorable about it

Shibutani/Shibutani, USA: 48.14 TES + 48.77 PCS = 96.91 Total: 163.79 and into 1st place

They are skating to Smile and Lets Face the Music and Dance
So much speed in their dance spin, great transition, and beautiful layback position for her
Beautiful flow through their first step sequence
Effortless combination lift that ends in a nice rotational lift
This team has been said to have the best twizzles in the world and they do 3 sets of lighting fast perfectly unison twizzles
Nice twist around to him holding her in front
Their performance is not as joyful as I've seen before--they've got to be super nervous! But they're still doing a wonderful job
Nice edges and clean steps from them in the 2nd step sequence
They seem to really be getting into the program here at the end, big smiles!
Nice one arm rotational lift
Charming program and very clean!

Virtue/Moir, CAN: 51.21 TES + 56.29 PCS = 107.50 Total: 181.79 and into 1st place

This dress and hair style actually make Tessa look kind of chunky which she is not
Twizzles in a circle very clean
Their program is so unique as they're doing a samba
Nice step sequence for them but the music sounds like it's been slowed down
Through the lift that stopped them at 4CCs with her wrapped around his head
Cartwheel into an upside down one arm hold
Nice lift with him skating backwards on one leg and she literally wraps around his body and changes position
Great connection between them in the second step sequence
Good positions in the dance spin but it seems a little slow
Off the music a little bit in some transition moves
Rotational lift with her wrapped around his head in a catch foot position
At the end here it doesn't have the attack I'd normally expect from them

Davis/White, USA: 53.78 TES + 57.73 PCS = 111.51 Total: 185.27 and into 1st place

She's back in the Forever 21 dress and her hair is up, which she normally wears down for this program
She has passion and attack written all over her face for this tango program
First lift with her wrapped around his leg as he skates backward on one foot
Step sequence was so clean and so well done
Twizzles so fast and so together; you can see Igor pumping his fists by the boards
Effortless entry into a lift with her standing on his leg
Great tango legs through this transitional section
Really difficult position for her in the dance spin with nice transitions and an excellent exit
Rotational lift with her wrapped around him and then with her upper body extended over hte ice
So much edge quality in the step sequence, no ice sprays at all
Final split rotational lift
In my opinion, that should take the title: It was so much more polished than Virtue and Moir

Davis/White, USA: 53.78 TES + 57.73 PCS = 111.51 Total: 185.27
Virtue/Moir, CAN: 51.21 TES + 56.29 PCS = 107.50 Total: 181.79
Shibutani/Shibutani, USA: 48.14 TES + 48.77 PCS = 96.91 Total: 163.79
Pechalat/Bourzat, FRA: 43.00 TES + 51.57 PCS -2.00 = 92.57 Total: 163.54
Weaver/Poje, CAN: 48.51 TES + 46.74 PCS = 95.25 Total: 160.32
Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS: 45.79 TES + 48.56 PCS = 94.35 Total: 160.23
Ilinykh/Katsalapov, RUS: 42.47 TES + 46.52 PCS = 88.99 Total: 154.50
Cappellini/Lanotte, ITA: 44.58 TES + 45.07 PCS = 89.65 Total: 153.77
Chock/Zuerlein, USA: 45.65 TES + 44.74 PCS = 90.39 Total: 151.86
Crone/Poirier, CAN: 45.69 TES + 44.43 PCS = 90.12 Total: 151.13
Zhiganshina/Gazsi, GER: 44.13 TES + 41.29 PCS = 85.42 Total: 140.95
Carron/Jones, FRA: 41.55 TES + 41.64 PCS = 83.18 Total: 140.86
Reed/Reed, JPN: 41.64 TES + 37.83 PCS -1.00 = 78.47 Total: 133.33
Tobias/Stagniunas, LTU: 39.68 TES + 38.17 PCS = 77.85 Total: 131.01
Heekin-Canedy/Shakalov, UKR: 40.70 TES + 36.69 PCS -1.00 = 76.39 Total: 128.70
Coomes/Buckland, GBR: 38.93 TES + = 74.54 Total: 126.29
Huang/Zheng, CHN: 36.08 TES + 34.76 PCS = 70.84 Total: 123.01
Reed/Japaridze, GEO: 37.15 TES + 33.52 PCS = 70.67 Total: 120.11
Guignard/Fabbri, ITA: 37.15 TES + 33.07 PCS = 70.22 Total: 120.02
Walden/Edwards, GBR: 38.28 TES + 31.51 PCS = 69.79 Total: 116.52

Friday, April 29, 2011

World Championships: Short Dance

Virtue/Moir, CAN: 37.94 TES + 36.35 PCS = 74.29
Davis/White, USA: 37.36 TES + 36.40 PCS = 73.76
Pechalat/Bourzat, FRA: 36.93 TES + 34.04 PCS = 70.97
Shibutani/Shibutani, USA: 36.14 TES + 30.74 PCS = 66.88
Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS: 34.51 TES + 31.37 PCS = 65.88
Ilinkyh/Katsalapov, RUS: 34.58 TES + 30.93 PCS = 65.51
Weaver/Poje, CAN: 35.43 TES + 29.64 PCS = 65.07
Cappellini/Lanotte, ITA: 34.50 TES + 29.62 PCS = 64.12
Chock/Zuerlein, USA: 33.93 TES + 27.54 PCS = 61.47
Crone/Poirer, CAN: 31.85 TES + 29.16 PCS = 61.01
Carron/Jones, FRA: 30.28 TES + 27.40 PCS = 57.68
Zhiganshina/Gazsi, GER: 29.14 TES + 26.39 PCS = 55.53
Reed/Reed, JPN: 30.00 TES + 24.86 PCS = 54.86
Tobias/Stagniunas, LTU: 28.50 TES + 24.66 PCS = 53.16
Heekin-Canedy/Shakalov, UKR: 28.86 TES + 23.45 PCS = 52.31
Huang/Zheng, CHN: 27.71 TES + 24.46 PCS = 52.17
Coomes/Buckland, GBR: 26.79 TES + 24.96 PCS = 51.75
Guignard/Fabbri, ITA: 28.21 TES + 21.59 PCS = 49.80
Reed/Japaridze, GEO: 28.29 TES + 21.15 PCS = 49.44
Walden/Edwards, GBR: 26.35 TES + 20.38 PCS = 46.73
Turoczi/Major, HUN: 26.00 TES + 19.41 PCS = 45.41
Mysliveckova/Novak, CZE: 23.80 TES + 23.22 PCS = 45.02
Hurtado/Diaz, ESP: 25.64 TES + 19.34 PCS = 44.98
Frieling/Rumi, ISR: 24.14 TES + 20.29 PCS = 44.43
Elsener/Roost, SUI: 22.93 TES + 18.65 PCS = 41.58

Yuna Kim, KOR: 32.97 TES + 32.94 PCS = 65.91
Miki Ando, JPN: 34.20 TES + 31.38 PCS = 65.58
Ksenia Makarova, RUS: 32.53 TES + 29.09 PCS = 61.62
Alissa Czisny, USA: 31.33 TES + 30.14 PCS = 61.47
Alena Leonova, RUS: 31.55 TES + 28.20 PCS = 59.75
Carolina Kostner, ITA: 30.52 TES + 30.23 PCS -1.00 = 59.75
Mao Asada, JPN: 27.92 TES + 30.74 PCS = 58.66
Rachael Flatt, USA: 28.13 TES + 29.09 PCS = 57.22
Kiira Korpi, FIN: 25.83 TES + 30.26 PCS -1.00 = 55.09
Kanako Murakami, JPN: 28.51 TES + 26.35 PCS = 54.86
Mae Berenice Meite, FRA: 31.05 TES + 22.21 PCS = 53.26
Sarah Hecken, GER: 29.44 TES + 23.29 PCS = 53.73
Cynthia Phaneuf, CAN: 25.11 TES + 27.51 PCS = 52.62
Amelie Lacoste, CAN: 28.95 TES + 23.03 PCS = 51.98
Elene Gedevanishvili, GEO: 24.87 TES + 26.74 PCS = 51.61
Joshi Helgesson, SWE: 27.31 TES + 22.94 PCS = 50.25
Ira Vannut, BEL: 28.71 TES + 20.52 PCS = 49.23
Cheltzie Lee, AUS: 27.34 TES + 20.86 PCS = 48.20
Bingwa Geng, CHN: 26.24 TES + 21.65 PCS = 47.89
Elena Glebova, EST: 24.33 TES + 21.95 PCS = 46.28
Jenna McCorkell, GBR: 24.01 TES + 21.98 PCS = 45.99
Juulia Turkkila, FIN: 25.60 TES + 20.10 PCS = 45.70
Irina Movchan, UKR: 27.00 TES + 18.68 PCS = 45.68
Viktoria Helgesson, SWE: 21.89 TES + 23.51 PCS = 45.40
Sonia Lafuente, ESP: 23.34 TES + 22.25 PCS -1.00 = 44.59
Karina Johnson, DEN: 24.90 TES + 17.29 PCS = 42.19
Bettina Heim, SUI: 19.12 TES + 19.11 PCS -1.00 = 37.23
Dasa Grm, SLO: 21.06 TES + 16.57 PCS -1.00 = 36.63
Belinda Schonberger, AUT: 19.74 TES + 16.99 PCS -1.00 = 35.73
Viktoria Pavuk, HUN: 15.10 TES + 19.60 PCS -1.00 = 33.70

2012 Worlds Slots

Mens

3 Slots
Japan (=)

2 slots
Canada (-1)
Russia: (+1)
Czech Republic (=)
France (=)
United States (-1)
Spain (+1)

Belgium, Italy and Sweden will all lose one slot and go down to one entry.

Direct entry into the short program
Canada: 1
Japan: 3
Russia: 1
Czech Republic: 2
France: 2
USA: 2
Spain: 1
Kazakhstan: 1
Germany: 1
Ukraine: 1
Belgium: 1
Italy: 1
China: 1

Ladies

3 slots
Japan (=)
Russia (+1)

2 slots
USA (=)
Georgia (+1)
Finland (=)
Italy (=)
South Korea (=)

Canada and Sweden will lose one slot and go down to one entry

Direct entry into the short program
Japan: 3
Korea: 1
Italy: 1
Russia: 2
USA: 2
Finland: 1
Georgia: 1
Germany: 1
Canada: 1
France: 1
Sweden: 1
China: 1
Belgium: 1
Australia: 1

Pairs

3 slots
Germany (+1)
Russia (=)

2 slots
China (-1)
USA (=)
Canada (=)
Japan (+1)
Italy (+1)

Direct entry into the short program
Germany: 2
Russia: 3
China:1
USA: 2
Canada: 2
Japan: 1
Italy: 1

Dance

3 slots
USA (=)
Canada (=)
Russia (+1)

2 slots
France (=)
Italy (=)

Great Britain, Hungary and Israel will lose their second slot and go down to one entry.

Direct entries
USA: 3
Canada: 3
France: 2
Russia: 2
Italy: 1
Germany: 1
Japan: 1
Lithuania: 1
Ukraine: 1

World Championships: Pairs Free Skate

Savchenko/Szolkowy, GER: 72.94 TES + 71.93 PCS = 144.87 Total: 217.85
Volosozhar/Trankov, RUS: 70.14 TES + 70.24 PCS = 140.38 Total: 210.73
Pang/Tong, CHN: 61.71 TES + 68.41 PCS = 130.12 Total: 204.12
Kavaguti/Smirnov, RUS: 61.36 TES + 64.46 PCS -1.00 = 124.82 Total: 187.36
Bazarova/Larionov, RUS: 62.29 TES + 61.20 PCS -1.00 = 122.49 Total: 187.13
Yankowskas/Coughlin, USA: 59.75 TES + 57.43 PCS = 117.18 Total: 175.94
Duhamel/Radford, CAN: 61.52 TES + 52.68 PCS = 114.20 Total: 173.03
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN: 56.18 TES + 51.13 PCS -1.00 = 106.31 Total: 163.17
Takahashi/Tran, JPN: 50.09 TES + 52.85 PCS -2.00 = 100.94 Total: 160.10
Berton/Hotarek, ITA: 52.60 TES + 46.92 PCS = 99.52 Total: 157.15
Evora/Ladwig, USA: 53.84 TES + 49.43 PCS -2.00 = 101.27 Total: 155.91
Hausch/Wende, GER: 49.50 TES + 47.25 TES -1.00 = 95.75 Total: 149.65
Zhang/Wang, CHN: 52.73 TES + 42.40 PCS = 95.13 Total: 147.38
Dong/Wu, CHN: 46.83 TES + 41.63 PCS = 88.46 Total: 137.75
Kadlecova/Bidar, CZE: 46.79 TES + 40.52 PCS = 87.31 Total: 132.51
Zabijako/Kulbach, EST: 46.32 TES + 35.89 PCS = 82.21 Total: 126.56

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

World Championships: Pairs Short Program

Montalbano/Krasnopolski, ISR: 21.63 TES + 15.80 PCS = 37.43 and into 1st place

They are skating to a James Bond theme
Throw triple salchow with a two footed landing
Double twist
She has really nice extension
Side by side double axels were off on timing and she turned out of her landing
She could use more stretch through her air position in this lift
A little off on the timing on their side by side spins but some nice positions and good distance between them
This music seems really slow and its affecting the pace of their footwork; they also seem to just be going through the motions and not really putting anything behind their steps
Really flat death spiral position, needs more arch

Duhamel/Radford, CAN: 34.77 TES + 24.06 PCS = 58.83 and into 1st place

Nice entrance into a high triple twist but a little crashy on the landing
She turns out of their side by side triple lutzes but really hangs on to avoid a fall
Nice lift with a flip exit
Nice entry into their throw triple lutz--her air position was crazy but she somehow stuck the landing
They seem a little tight today, especially her in this footwork sequence; the music and the movement demand more freedom and flow
Nice death spiral position but her free arm is in a slightly awkward position
Nice speed in their side by side spins, great positions, and very together
His nose is really bleeding at the end of the program, looks like she elbowed him on the twist; possibly broken and he has a large bag of ice in the kiss and cry

Martini/Kiefer, AUT: 20.79 TES + 14.55 PCS = 35.34 and into 3rd place

They are skating to Once Upon a Time in the West
Their costumes are nice but they don't scream Western program at all to me
Really low double twist with a crash on the landing
She two foots and turns out of their throw triple
She has a nice air position in the lift but I'd like to see more flexibility through her back in the catch foot variation
Gorgeous arabesque spiral from her
A nice variation of the upside down death spiral from her
Nice side by side spins, good timing, but really far apart from each other and getting very slow toward the end
One arm variation on their side by side double flip
This footwork is pretty basic but they have some nice weaving around each other and they're doing a lot of it in a dance hold
They seem really tired here at the end

Zhang/Wang, CHN: 31.00 TES + 21.25 PCS = 52.25 and into 2nd place

Nice triple twist with a clean catch
Triple toes were nicely done
Nice throw triple loop with a solid landing but lack the height you expect from the Chinese
She looks a little wild in the transitions between some of these spins, good timing, but seem far away from each other
Nice air position for her in the lift and a really difficult position change with her parallel to the ice
I'd like to see a lot more attack through this footwork to really sell the tango vibe
Nice death spiral position but he lowers her at the end and she's virtually laying on the ice

Dong/Wu, CHN: 28.57 TES + 20.72 PCS = 49.29 and into 3rd place

They are skating to Red Violin
They start the program by skating so far away from each other that the camera loses both of them
Triple toes were well timed and landed well
Nice triple twist with good height but he didn't really catch her before her feet hit the ground and it looked two footed
Nice throw triple loop but not a lot of height
She could stretch through her knees more in these lifts and really extend her leg line
The step sequence has nice mirroring but seems painfully slow
Nice death spiral position with a change of hand
Good side by side spins but she sickles her foot in the camel position which disrupts the line

Zabijako/Kulbach, EST: 25.74 TES + 18.61 PCS = 44.35 and into 4th place

They are skating to a Middle Eastern composition
They're starting off with their footwork
A lot of repetitions of the Egyptian arm held throughout all these steps, not a lot of variation in the upper body; very slow and no power
Double twist, he catches her awkwardly but away from his body
He puts a hand down on the side by side toes
Nice throw triple loop
She needs a lot more stretch through her air position but the lift was solid
They are traveling a lot in the sbs spins and are far apart from each other
She only gets about half way down in the death spiral

Kadlecova/Bidar, CZE: 26.02 TES + 19.18 PCS = 45.20 and into 4th place

This is a fairly young team but they look really relaxed on the ice
Nice double twist but she throws her head back in the entry
Nice throw triple salchow--they're the same height so he has to really crank it in the prep to get her around
Nice side by side loops
She could use a bit more stretch through her back on the lift
Nice death spiral position but I'd like to see a stronger exit out of the element
Nice speed on the side by side spins and good unison; nice flexibility through the y position
Nice step sequence but I'd like to see some more power behind it
Solid skate for this team

Volosozhar/Trankov, RUS: 37.43 TES + 32.92 PCS = 70.35 and into 1st place

They are skating to Carmina Burana
Super high triple twist with a clean catch
Beautiful side by side triple toes with a nice landing
Great air positions for her in the lift especially the position change where her leg is bent but not held
Really nice throw triple loop with a solid landing
Nice positions in these side by side spins, great speed and nice flexibility; a little far apart though
She seems a little hesitant in places in this step sequence but otherwise really nice; some really nice choreographic moments in the sequence as well
Really pretty death spiral position with change of arm but she gets a little close to the ice at the end
Overall a phenomenal program and they had the home crowd on their feet

Canac/Bonheur, FRA: 24.33 TES + 19.59 PCS = 43.92 and into 7th place

Side by side triple salchows--he turned out of his
Nice double twist with a clean landing
Throw triple loop went straight up and down and she didn't get any distance
Nice death spiral position
Their side by sid spins are well timed, positions are nice
This is a latin program and there is no speed, power or fire in this step sequence
Really nice position for her in the lift with great flexibility

Malakhova/Kenchadze, BUL: 16.77 TES + 14.33 PCS -1.00 = 30.10 and into 10th place

They are skating to Pirates of the Caribbean
She puts a hand down and then stumbles out of their opening triple salchows
Double twist with a clean catch
She two foots the landing and turns out of the throw triple toe
Really long entry into the death spiral, she's almost flat on the ice and they only do a couple rotations
She has super long legs and a decent air position in the lift, but if she had a bit more flexibility in her back this could be an amazing position
Really off on the side by side spins
Not a lot in this step sequence content wise and they spend a lot of it on opposite sides of the rink

Bakirova/Kamianchuk, BLR: 20.43 TES + 17.77 PCS = 38.20 and into 8th place

She needs more stretch through he legs throughout transitional movements
Nice double twist with a clean catch but could have more height
Side by side double axels were good
Throw double was fine
Nice air position for her with a one arm hold and he sets her down with one arm
They lose their unison on the side by side spins when they change position but always catch back up to each other
There isn't a lot of power and speed through the step sequence and they need to be deeper into their edges
She has a really awkward death spiral position with her head looking up at him and at one point her hip is resting on the ice

Evora/Ladwig, USA: 30.99 TES + 24.65 PCS -1.00 = 54.64 and into 3rd place

They are skating to Sing, Sing, Sing
Ladwig was going to compete in the boot that broke at 4CCs but the delay allowed him to break in a new pair
Nice triple twist with a decent landing
She falls on the side by side triple toes
Throw triple was really solid and she had a nice ride out in her landing
Nice speed in their side by side spins and good unison but a little far apart; both need more stretch through both their legs in the upright position
This stepwork sequence is good but still not as much power as some of the top teams will have
Good death spiral position with a change of hold
Nice air position for her in the lift with a good flip exit

Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN: 31.33 TES + 25.53 PCS = 56.86 and into 3rd place

They are skating to Zorba's Dance
Triple twist didn't have a ton of height but a clean catch
She has to hang on to the landing of their side by side triples but she doesn't put her foot down
Nice air position for her with a nice stretched out split position
Nice throw triple loop
Her butt is a little high in the upside down death spiral position
The crowd is getting into their step sequence and they are turning on the performance
Their unison is really off on the spins; both need a lot more stretch through their legs in the upright position

Kemp/King, GBR: 25.05 TES + 19.09 PCS = 44.14 and into 9th place

Double twist; looks like she hits the ice before he really catches her
Double salchows were good
Low landing on the throw triple loop but she hangs on to it
Really pretty death spiral position
In the exits from the elements, she gets her leg up really high in arabesque, but it's way to the side instead of behind her
Not a lot of upper body movements or power in their step sequence
They lose the timing on their side by side spins in the transitions but catch back up
Good air position for her in the lift

Bazarova/Larionov, RUS: 36.10 TES + 28.54 PCS = 64.64 and into 2nd place

They are skating to music from the Secret Garden
He puts a hand down on their side by side triple toes
Nice high triple twist with a clean catch
Really pretty throw triple salchow with a really nice landing from her
She's almost on the ice on her side in the death spiral
Nice timing, great position variations and flexibility in their side by side spins
Beautiful lift especially the position chnage with the one hand hold on her hip and she lays on her side and leans over
A really nice step sequence with good edge quality; I'd like them to connect with each other a little more though

Berton/Hotarek, ITA: 32.46 TES + 25.17 PCS = 57.63 and into 4th place

Nice speed into their side by side triple toes and a good landing for both of them
Double twist with not a lot of height
She has a nice air position in the lift and they do a flip exit
Decent unison on their side by side spins
Good death spiral position
I'd like to see more passion and attack in this step sequence but the steps themselves are fine
Huge throw triple loop at the very end of the program; a little forward on the landing but she hangs on

Hausch/Wende, GER: 30.96 TES + 23.94 PCS -1.00 = 53.90 and into 7th place

They are skating to El Tango de Roxanne
I really love her dress and think it's pretty unique for pair skating
Nice side by side triple toes to open the program
The triple twist goes out instead of up and as a result they have an awkward, crashy landing
Looks like her feet get out from under her on the throw triple and she takes a fall
Nice footwork but I'd like to see more passion and connection between them
Good death spiral with a change of hold
She could use a bit more arch and stretch through the lift
Good unison on their side by side spins, could use more stretch through the upright position

Pang/Tong, CHN: 40.09 TES + 33.91 PCS = 74.00 and into 1st place

Nice side by side triples
Beautiful triple twist with a clean one arm catch
Really nice throw triple loop
Good unison on their side by side spins with a good distance between them; may have lost their centering a bit in the middle
Decent air position, but she could use more stretch through the split variation
Nice edge quality in this step sequence and some really nice choreography
Beautiful arch in her death spiral position with a nice exit out of the element

Savchenko/Szolkowy, GER: 39.12 TES + 33.86 PCS = 72.98 and into 2nd place

Unfortunately I think her outfit has become more tacky with each competition
Huge throw triple flip to open the program
Really nice triple twist
Good side by side triples
Nice air position for her in the lift and a nice one arm hold
Death spiral seemed a little slow and looked like they had trouble with the hold change
This is a nice step sequence and they really turn it on in the second half
Their spins are very fast but they lose a little bit of unison; both need more stretch in both legs in the upright position

Yankowskas/Coughlin, USA: 32.93 TES + 26.83 PCS -1.00 = 58.76 and into 6th place

Other skaters take note: this is how a tango should be performed!
Really nice triple twist with a clean catch
Beautiful throw triple salchow
She steps out of her triple toe but otherwise they were nice
REally nice air position and interesting variations in position
Good unison in their side by side spins
She has great nuances in the step sequence and makes great use of her hands; they also have a great connection with each other
Nice death spiral position
Solid performance for them in their first trip to Worlds

Takahashi/Tran, JPN: 33.57 TES + 25.59 PCS = 59.16 and into 5th place

They are skating to Feeling Good by Michael Buble
Opened with nice side by side triple salchows
Big double twist with a clean catch
Nice unison on their side by side spins but both need more stretch through both legs in the upright position
Beautiful arabesque spiral from her
Nice throw triple toe
This step sequence is really well timed with the music and there are some really nice elements in here
In her first air position she has one leg in front of the other and needs to work on evening that out
Nice death spiral

Kavaguti/Smirnov, RUS: 31.83 TES + 31.73 PCS -1.00 = 62.54 and into 5th place

These costumes are heinous and aren't doing anything for either of them
She was forward on the landing of the side by side triple toes but hangs on
Low landing on the throw triple loop but hangs on to that as well
Good triple twist
Good death spiral position
A little lack of unison in parts of the side by side spins
He takes a spill in the step sequence and slides into the boards; takes him a second to get back into it
Good speed through the final lift and a nice flip exit out of it

Pang/Tong, CHN: 40.09 TES + 33.91 PCS = 74.00
Savchenko/Szolkowy, GER: 39.12 TES + 33.86 PCS = 72.98
Volosozhar/Trankov, RUS: 37.43 TES + 32.92 PCS = 70.35
Bazarova/Larionov, RUS: 36.10 TES + 28.54 PCS = 64.64
Kavaguti/Smirnov, RUS: 31.83 TES + 31.73 PCS -1.00 = 62.54
Takahashi/Tran, JPN: 33.57 TES + 25.59 PCS = 59.16
Duhamel/Radford, CAN: 34.77 TES + 24.06 PCS = 58.83
Yankowskas/Coughlin, USA: 32.93 TES + 26.83 PCS -1.00 = 58.76
Berton/Hotarek, ITA: 32.46 TES + 25.17 PCS = 57.63
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN: 31.33 TES + 25.53 PCS = 56.86
Evora/Ladwig, USA: 30.99 TES + 24.65 PCS -1.00 = 54.64
Hausch/Wende, GER: 30.96 TES + 23.94 PCS -1.00 = 53.90
Zhang/Wang, CHN: 31.00 TES + 21.25 PCS = 52.25
Dong/Wu, CHN: 28.57 TES + 20.72 PCS = 49.29
Kadlecova/Bidar, CZE: 26.02 TES + 19.18 PCS = 45.20
Zabijako/Kulbach, EST: 25.74 TES + 18.61 PCS = 44.35
Kemp/King, GBR: 25.05 TES + 19.09 PCS = 44.14
Canac/Bonheur, FRA: 24.33 TES + 19.59 PCS = 43.92
Bakirova/Kamianchuk, BLR: 20.43 TES + 17.77 PCS = 38.20
Montalbano/Krasnopolski, ISR: 21.63 TES + 15.80 PCS = 37.43
Martini/Kiefer, AUT: 20.79 TES + 14.55 PCS = 35.34
Malakhova/Kenchadze, BUL: 16.77 TES + 14.33 PCS -1.00 = 30.10

World Championships: Mens Short Program

Brian Joubert, FRA: 34.37 TES + 36.92 PCS = 71.29 and into 2nd place

He is skating to Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Turned out of his opening quad toe
Some of these choreographic moves have nothing behind them and just look like he's going through the motions
Nice triple axel
Nice flexibility through his upright spin sequence
Triple lutz, no combo
Nice positions in his combination spin and a nice low sit spin but he could have a bit more speed
Nice one foot section in his footwork sequence, but the music builds and his steps don't seem to build with it
Nice final sit spin but still a little slow

Adrian Schultheiss, SWE: 29.63 TES + 30.78 PCS -2.00 = 58.41 and into 16th place

He is skating to Scuba
Triple + triple toe combination was nicely done
Step out on his double axel and he looked tilted in the air
Fall on the triple lutz
Nice positions in his upright spin and he goes right into the combination spin with nice flexibility through the triangle pose
This footwork seems painfully slow but I think that has more to do with the music at this point in the program, there's also not a lot of excitement or performance quality
Could be lower in these sit positions in his final spin and stretch more through his free leg

Patrick Chan, CAN: 51.48 TES + 41.45 PCS = 93.02 and into 1st place

Beautiful opening quad toe + triple toe combination
He looks very relaxed
A little wobbly on the landing of the triple axel but he hangs on to it
He needs to straighten his working leg through some of these positions in this spin
Nice triple lutz with a solid landing
Very nice low sit spin position, but he has his leg bent coming out of it
Really nice camel position and a nice stretched out position
This step sequence is really put together with the music and Patrick is turning on the performance; very nice edge quality

Takahiko Kozuka, JPN: 39.83 TES + 37.79 PCS = 77.62 and into 3rd place

He is skating to a soul medley
He looks a lot looser through this opening section than I've seen him in the past
Nice triple lutz + triple toe with really solid landings
Really off in the air in the triple axel and he pitches forward on the landing and puts his hands down but he hangs on to it
Nice triple flip
Good position in his camel spin into a nice bent leg variation
This footwork is nicely done with a lot of intricate turns and is nicely done with the music; he's starting to bring out the performance as well which you don't always see from him
Nice low sit position with great speed in his final spin

Kevin Van der Perren, BEL: 35.73 TES + 33.61 PCS -1.00 = 68.34 and into 10th place

He is skating to Art of War
Fall on his opening quad attempt and I'm not sure he'll get credit for the rotations either
Nice height and landing on his triple axel
Nice triple + triple toe combination
Good speed through his combination spin and nice flexibility
He could use more stretch through this donut position in his camel spin
I'd like to see him deeper into his knees through this footwork and to be looser through his upper body
Nice low sit spin with good arm variations

Michal Brezina, CZE: 41.10 TES + 36.40 PCS = 77.50 and into 4th place

He is skating to Japanese Kodo drums
Opens with a huge triple axel
Turns out of the final jump in his triple + triple combination
Not sure if he turned out of his final triple or if that was choreography
He could use more stretch through the catch foot position in his camel spin and the spins seemed slow
The steps in the footwork sequence are nice but there isn't a whole lot of power or upper body movement behind them
Nice position in his sit spin with a good stretch through his free leg but these spins seem slow

Daisuke Takahashi, JPN: 39.33 TES + 40.92 PCS = 80.25 and into 2nd place

He is skating to a Latin selection
He is one of the only skaters that performs all the way through his program
Really nice triple + triple toe to open his program
A bit tight on the landing of his triple axel but otherwise nice
Nice positions in his upright spin and good speed
Nice triple flip
Good position through his camel spin but he could use more stretch through the donut position
Into the step sequence and the crowd is going crazy, he really uses his whole body throughout and really gets into the character of the music
Good stretch through his final combination spin and good speed

Tomas Verner, CZE: 39.62 TES + 37.32 PCS -1.00 = 75.94 and into 6th place

He is skating to Singing in the Rain
This is one of my favorite short programs this season and is packed full of interesting choreographic details
Fall on his opening quad toe
Nice triple axel but a little tight on the landing
Really tight on the landing of his triple lutz + triple toe and he hops to save the landing
Nice step sequence and spins, really well done with the music
Really low sit spin position and good speed

Artur Gachinski, RUS: 42.45 TES + 35.89 PCS = 78.34 and into 3rd place

He is skating to Pink Floyd music
Quad toe + triple toe combination nicely done to open his program
Nice high triple axel
Triple loop and hopped around a lot on the ending to hold on to it
Nice sit spin position but slow
Nice step sequence and he's really putting a lot of movement behind his steps
Could use more stretch through the donut position in his camel spin
Nice bent leg postion in his camel spin and good flexibility into the y position
He bends his legs a lot in between spin positions and I'd like to see cleaner transitions

Samuel Contesti, ITA: 28.62 TES + 35.97 PCS = 64.59 and into 17th place

I love when skaters enter the ice already in the character of their program
His program theme is similar to Ryan Bradley's long in that he plays a composer in a humorous manner
Triple flip + triple toe combination
Really botched the entrance to that triple axel--looks like he didn't get his leg wrapped in tight enough/fast enough and he only did a double and it was wild
Really low on that triple lutz but he got all the rotations in even if the landing wasn't great
Nice stepwork sequence with some good variety but not as difficult as some of the other ones we've seen
This camel spin is painfully slow but the position is nice
Very camel spin heavy here at the end of the program

Nobunari Oda, JPN: 43.37 TES + 38.44 PCS = 81.81 and into 2nd place

Stepped out of his opening quad toe
Really nice triple axel
Good fast camel spin but it looks like he's losing his centering on the ice, nice donut variation
Triple lutz + triple toe combination; I love how deeply he lands in his knees
Nice sit spin variations and great speed
Looks like a bobble in his step sequence and he almost had to put a hand down; he also looks really tired here
Great speed through his sit spin into the change foot

Patrick Chan, CAN: 51.48 TES + 41.54 PCS = 93.02
Nobunari Oda, JPN: 43.37 TES + 38.44 PCS = 81.81
Daisuke Takahashi, JPN: 39.33 TES + 40.92 PCS = 80.25
Artur Gachinski, RUS: 42.45 TES + 35.89 PCS = 78.34
Florent Amodio, FRA: 40.46 TES + 37.18 PCS = 77.64
Takahiko Kozuka, JPN: 39.83 TES + 37.79 PCS = 77.62
Michal Brezina, CZE: 41.10 TES + 36.40 PCS = 77.50
Tomas Verner, CZE: 39.62 TES + 37.32 PCS -1.00 = 75.94
Brian Joubert, FRA: 34.47 TES + 36.92 PCS = 71.29
Denis Ten, KAZ: 39.23 TES + 31.77 PCS = 71.00
Richard Dornbush, USA: 38.25 TES + 32.29 PCS = 70.54
Ryan Bradley, USA: 38.83 TES + 31.61 PCS = 70.45
Ross Miner, USA: 38.02 TES + 32.38 PCS = 70.40
Javier Fernandez, ESP: 35.77 TES + 33.39 PCS = 69.16
Kevin Van der Perren, BEL: 35.73 TES + 33.61 PCS -1.00 = 68.34
Peter Liebers, GER: 36.51 TES + 31.22 PCS = 67.73
Anton Kovalevski, UKR: 34.23 TES + 30.93 PCS = 65.16
Samuel Contesti, ITA: 28.62 TES + 35.97 PCS = 64.59
Kevin Reynolds, CAN: 34.00 TES + 31.36 PCS -1.00 = 64.36
Nan Song, CHN: 35.56 TES + 28.22 PCS = 63.78
Joey Russell, CAN: 30.90 TES + 30.79 PCS = 61.69
Jorik Hendrickx, BEL: 31.96 TES + 28.78 PCS = 60.74
Paolo Bacchini, ITA: 30.77 TES + 29.19 PCS -1.00 = 58.96
Kim Lucine, MON: 31.81 TES + 28.00 PCS -1.00 = 58.81
Adrian Schultheiss, SWE: 29.63 TES + 30.78 PCS -2.00 = 58.41
Viktor Pfeifer, AUT: 29.01 TES + 28.67 PCS -1.00 = 56.68
Min-Seok Kim, KOR: 31.33 TES + 24.86 PCS = 56.19
Alexander Majorov, SWE: 23.27 TES + 30.97 PCS = 54.24
Maxim Shipov, ISRL 26.64 TES + 24.46 PCs -1.00 = 50.10
Misha Ge, UZB: 22.80 TES + 26.81 PCS = 49.61

World Championships: Ladies Preliminary Round

The top 12 (bolded) have qualified for the short program.

Mae Berenice Meite, FRA: 56.88 TES + 42.00 PCS = 98.88
Joshi Helgesson, SWE: 49.82 TES + 42.88 PCS -1.00 = 91.70
Sonia Lafuente, ESP: 48.50 TES + 42.67 PCS = 91.17
Ira Vannut, BEL: 51.75 TES + 39.54 PCS -1.00 = 90.29
Amelie Lacoste, CAN: 41.51 TES + 45.53 PCS = 87.04
Juulia Turkkila, FIN: 45.02 TES + 42.47 PCS -1.00 = 86.49
Karina Johnson, DEN: 41.92 TES + 36.60 PCS = 78.52
Dasa Grm, SLO: 44.22 TES + 33.20 PCS = 77.42
Elena Glebova, EST: 36.80 TES + 40.33 PCS -1.00 = 76.13
Irina Movchan, UKR: 41.63 TES + 35.33 PCS -1.00 = 75.96
Belinda Schonberger, AUT: 40.83 TES + 35.02 PCS = 75.85
Bettina Heim, SUI: 36.33 TES + 37.41 PCS -1.00 = 72.74
Roberta Rodeghiero, ITA: 37.03 TES + 35.80 PCS -1.00 = 71.83
Sabina Mariuta, ROU: 38.04 TES + 30.59 PCS = 68.63
Min-Jeong Kwak, KOR: 30.14 TES + 37.61 PCS = 67.75
Birce Atabey, TUR: 39.55 TES + 27.56 PCS = 67.11
Mericien Venzon, PHI: 35.60 TES + 32.34 PCS -1.00 = 66.94
Lejeanne Marais, RSA: 33.74 TES + 32.25 PCS = 65.99
Hristina Vassileva, BUL: 31.33 TES + 33.93 PCS = 65.26
Melinda Wang, TPE: 31.69 TES + 32.63 PCS -1.00 = 63.32
Clara Peters, IRL: 31.52 TES + 29.42 PCS = 60.94
Taryn Jurgensen, THA: 28.15 TES + 29.60 PCS = 57.75
Mary Ro Reyes, MEX: 28.77 TES + 27.22 PCS -1.00 = 54.99
Georgia Glastris, GRE: 24.91 TES + 27.47 PCS = 52.38
Marina Seeh, SRB: 26.68 TES + 27.52 PCS -2.00 = 52.20
Tiffany Packard Yu, HKG: 23.56 TES + 29.16 PCS -1.00 = 51.72

Monday, April 25, 2011

Yuna Kim's Short Program

This video was taken at official practice at Worlds yesterday.

World Championships--Mens Preliminary Round

The top 12 (bolded) qualify for the short program.

Takahiko Kozuka, JPN: 88.00 TES + 77.00 PCS = 165.00
Alexander Majorov, SWE: 74.56 TES + 62.08 PCS = 136.64
Michal Brezina, CZE: 67.87 TES + 65.00 PCS -2.00 = 130.87
Peter Liebers, GER: 69.95 TES + 60.94 PCS -1.00 = 129.89
Viktor Pfeifer, AUT: 63.14 TES + 60.08 PCS = 123.22
Paolo Bacchini, ITA: 61.51 TES + 60.78 PCS = 122.29
Joey Russell, CAN: 61.43 TES + 57.94 PCS - 1.00 = 118.37
Kim Lucine, MON: 59.06 TES + 58.72 PCS = 117.78
Maxim Shipov, ISR: 64.86 TES + 51.56 PCS = 116.42
Jorik Hendrickx, BEL: 53.5 TES + 57.14 PCS -1.00 = 109.59
Misha Ge, UZB: 54.39 TES + 55.00 PCS = 109.39
Min-Seok Kim, KOR: 50.25 TES + 49.42 PCS -1.00 = 98.67
Mark Webster, AUS: 48.84 TES + 48.00 PCS - 1.00 = 95.84
Justus Strid, DEN: 48.06 TES + 48.10 PCS -1.00 = 95.16
David Richardson, GBR: 47.42 TES + 46.78 PCS -1.00 = 93.20
Tigran Vardanjan, HUN: 48.50 TES + 42.66 PCS = 91.16
Mikael Redin, SUI: 44.31 TES + 48.48 PCS -2.00 = 90.79
Kutay Eryoldas, TUR: 43.46 TES + 43.14 PCS = 86.60
Stephen Li-Chung Kuo, TPE: 38.57 TES + 47.14 PCS = 85.71
Bela Papp, FIN: 40.47 TES + 44.00 PCS -1.00 = 83.47
Harry Hau Yin Lee, HKG: 46.09 TES + 36.30 PCS = 83.39
Vitali Luchanok, BLR: 37.81 TES + 43.70 PCS = 81.51
Sarkis Hayrapetyan, ARM: 38.27 TES + 40.98 PCS - 2.00 = 77.25
Georgi Kenchadze, BUL: 38.06 TES + 35.66 PCS = 73.72

World Championships--Dance Preview

Davis and White have won every event they have entered this season. There have been no competitors at their level, but they have continued to push themselves and they have an extremely demanding free skate. They've struggled with the levels on their Golden Waltz sequences but the extra time should have given them the ability to tweak their technique and get in extra repetitions. They are looking to win the first World Gold Medal in ice dance for the United States and have been working toward this goal all season. They have the 2nd best short dance, 1st best free dance and 1st best total score of the season.

Virtue and Moir have been out all season due to injury. They competed at Four Continents, but had to withdraw a few seconds into their free dance due to tightness in Tessa's quad. They say they are 100% healthy now and feel like a brand new team. Their short program is classic Virtue and Moir and is magical to watch. Their free skate is very different than what they have done before or what other teams are doing. It has a lot of promise but was sloppy at Four Continents. They've had an extra month of training to add the finishing touches, but I'm not sure they can catch up to the momentum that Davis and White have created. They have the best short dance score of the season.

Pechalat and Bourzat have made a remarkable jump this season including winning their first European title. They are not at the class of the top two teams but they have a nice lead over the rest of the pack. They seem to be truly enjoying their programs this season and they connection they have with each other and the story of their programs comes out on the ice. They also have home field advantage as they practice in the rink where Worlds is being held. They have the 3rd best short dance, and 2nd best free dance and total scores for the season.

Bobrova and Soloviev are another team that has come into their own this season as they have become the top ranked Russian dance team. They won their first European medal earlier this year and have stated that they believe the world podium is within their grasp. I was not a fan of their short dance and following the Grand Prix Final, they went back to the drawing board and brought a new short dance to Europeans. Their free dance is nice but it's also forgettable and in this field, it could leave them off the podium. They have the 4th best short dance and 3rd best free dance and total scores for the season.

The Shibutanis have made the biggest jump of the season, becoming the first team to win two medals in their first season on the Grand Prix. They climbed into second place at US Nationals coming very close to Davis and White's scores. They then went on to win a silver medal at Four Continents. Their programs are both enchanting and fit them like a glove. They've continually been climbing over teams this season, and I could see them making another big leap here. I'm not sure they're quite ready to be on the podium, but they should be in the final group at Worlds. They have the 8th best short dance, and 5th best free dance and total scores for the season.

Crone and Poirier started the season with a bang, earning a trip to the Grand Prix Final. However, their scores and placements have been dropping throughout the season and their seasons best scores were set way back at Skate Canada. Their short program doesn't seem to suit their personalities, the choreography and performance doesn't match the music, and I'm not wild about their costumes. Their free dance has been better received all season although some of the magic seems to be wearing off. They have the 7th best short dance and free dance and 6th best total scores of the season.

Ilinykh and Katsalapov had a slow but respectable start to their season coming off their Junior Worlds medal. They did medal at their second Grand Prix event and placed in the top 5 at Europeans. This team hasn't made quite the same splash as the Shibutanis and they have another Russian team that came up with them at the same time. They should do well here and have a shot at securing three spots for Russia in dance next season. They have the 9th best short dance, 6th best free dance and 7th best total score for the season.

Weaver and Poje have one of my favorite short dances of the season. They are an exceptionally elegant couple and have great lines on the ice. However, their free dance has never come together for them and they seem to let nerves get in the way and make mistakes that cost them placements and medals. They'll have to go through the qualifying round in which they'll have to perform their free dance. If they do well it could increase their confidence going into the competition, but if errors are made it could shake their nerves and effect their short dance performance. They have the 5th best short dance and 8th best total score of the season.

Absent from this event are Kerr/Kerr (4th best total score and European Silver Medalists) of Great Britain who withdrew due to injury and have since retired. Riazanova/Tkachenko (9th best total score) of Russia did not receive a place on the World team. Faiella and Scali (10th best total score) of Italy retired after Europeans and will also not be attending.

My podium predictions:

Gold: Davis/White

Silver: Virtue/Moir

Bronze: Pechalat/Bourzat

My USFSA Fantasy Team:

A) Davis/White

B) Shibutani/Shibutani

C) Guignard/Fabbri

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

O'Brien/Merriman, AUS: They finished 9th at Four Continents. They were 25th at Worlds last season.

Geil/Eisenbauer, AUT: They finished 10th in the preliminary round at Europeans.

Valadzenkava/Vakunov, BLR: They finished 13th in the preliminary round at Europeans.

Tremasova/Lichev, BUL: They finished 24th at the World Junior Championships. They were 15th in the preliminary round at Europeans. They placed 13th and 16th at their two JGP assignments this season.

Crone/Poirier, CAN (D): They won bronze at Four Continents. They finished 14th at the Olympics and 7th at the World Championships last season. They won bronze at the Grand Prix Final after winning gold at Skate Canada and silver at Skate America.

Virtue/Moir, CAN (D): Virtue and Moir are the reigning Olympic and World Champions. They sat out the Grand Prix season due to injury. They are the 2006 World Junior Champions. They are the 2006 and 2007 Four Continents Bronze medalists, 2009 silver medalists, and 2008 champions. They are the 2009 World Bronze medalists and 2008 silver medalists.

Weaver/Poje, CAN: Weaver and Poje finished fourth at Four Continents with personal best scores across the board. They are the 2007 World Junior Bronze Medalists. They finished 5th at the Grand Prix Final after winning silver at NHK Trophy and finishing 4th at Skate America.

Huang/Zheng, CHN: They placed 6th at Four Continents with personal best scores across the board. They placed 5th at Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard.

Mysliveckova/Novak, CZE: They placed 10th at Europeans. They finished 6th at NHK Trophy and 5th at Cup of Russia. They finished 16th at Worlds last season.

Good/Sorensen, DEN: They placed 24th at Worlds last season.

Carron/Jones, FRA (D): They placed 9th at Europeans. They finished 5th at Skate Canada and 4th at Trophee Eric Bompard. They finished 12th at Worlds last season.

Pechalat/Bourzat, FRA (D): They are the reigning European Champions. They won gold at Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won silver. They placed 7th at the Olympics and 4th at Worlds last season.

Reed/Japaridze, GEO: They placed 17th at Europeans. They finished 22nd at the Olympics and 21st at Worlds last season.

Zhiganshina/Gazsi, GER: They placed 7th at Europeans.

Coomes/Buckland, GBR (D): They placed 14th at Europeans. They finished 8th at NHK Trophy and Skate America.

Walden/Edwards, GBR: This is their first ISU competition. They are the reigning national champions.

Hoffman/Zavozin, HUN (D): They placed 8th at the European Championships. Zavozin used to compete for USA and won the World Junior title in 2005. They finished 4th in their Grand Prix debut at Cup of China, won silver at Cup of Russia, and placed 6th at the Grand Prix Final. Hoffman and Zavozin placed 13th at the Olympics and 10th at Worlds last season.

Nagy/Fejes, HUN: They finished 11th in the preliminary round at Europeans.

Frieling/Rumi, ISR (D): They placed 20th at Europeans.

Cappellini/Lanotte, ITA (D): They finished 5th at NHK Trophy. They placed 11th at Worlds last season.

Guignard/Fabbri, ITA (D): This is their first ISU competition. They are the reigning national silver medalists.

Reed/Reed, JPN (D): They finished 7th at NHK and Skate America. They placed 15th at Worlds last season.

Tobias/Stagniunas, LTU: They placed 12th at Europeans.

Bruhns/Westenberger, MEX: They finished 10th at Four Continents.

Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS (D): They are the reigning European Bronze Medalists. They are the 2007 World Junior Champions. They won silver at Cup of China and gold at Cup of Russia to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 4th. They placed 15th at the Olympics and 8th at Worlds last season.

Ilinykh/Katsalapov, RUS (D): They placed 4th at Europeans. They are the 2010 World Junior champions. They placed 4th at NHK Trophy and won bronze at Cup of Russia.

Hurtado/Diaz, ESP: They finished 9th at Junior Worlds and 15th at Europeans. They placed 10th and 5th at their two JGP assignments this season.

Elsener/Roost, SUI: They finished 19th at Europeans and 14th at the World Junior Championships. They finished 7th and 13th at their two JGP assignments.

Heekin-Canedy/Shakalov, UKR: They placed 11th at Europeans.

Chock/Zuerlein, USA (D): Chock and Zuerlein finished 5th at Four Continents. They are the 2009 World Junior Champions. They won bronze at Skate Canada and Trophee Eric Bompard.

Davis/White, USA (D): They are the reigning Olympic and Worlds Silver Medalists. They are the reigning Four Continents Champions. They are the 2009 Four Continents champions and 2008 silver medalists. They are the 2006 World Junior bronze medalists. They won gold at NHK Trophy and Skate America to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won gold.

Shibutani/Shibutani, USA (D): They won silver at Four Continents. They are the 2009 World Junior Silver Medalists. They won bronze at the NHK Trophy and Skate America.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

World Championships: Pairs Preview

Savchenko and Szolkowy have led the pack all season and won every event they entered. They seem to be back in top form. While I'm not crazy about their short program and think that it isn't very well put together, I think their free skate is to die for. It seems to suit their personalities and technical abilities perfectly and the high throw triple right at the end of the program is definitely a highlight. If they nail all their elements this should be an easy victory. They have the best short program, free skate and total score of the season.

Kavaguti and Smirnov were injured at the beginning of the season and only competed in one Grand Prix event. They lost their title at Russian nationals and then went on to lose their European title. I have never been crazy about them as a team and I don't think they have a vibe that really feels like they belong together. They also tend to go over the top on their programs which takes away from some of their biggest attributes like clean lines. They have the 3rd best short program and 2nd best free skate and total scores of the season.

Pang and Tong are coming in as the defending World Champions. They had a magical season last year which also included winning the free skate and the silver medal at the Olympics. While their programs are nice and have the trademark Chinese elements such as the huge throws, they seem to be missing the spark on the ice that won them such acclaim last season. They've been discussing retirement and it seems that the fire may not be there anymore. If they can find a way to reclaim that passion they could climb above the 200 mark and into the top ranked teams here. They have the 2nd best short program and 3rd best free skate and total scores of the season.

Bazarova and Larionov are one of my favorite teams. They are so classically Russian and are absolutely gorgeous to watch on the ice. Their lines are stunning and their programs are effortlessly put together. While they are a very young team, they have had a lot of success this season and are quickly climbing the ranks. Their biggest obstacle seems to be themselves as they haven't been able to put together two clean programs and when they make a mistake it seems to affect the whole rest of the program. I think this team has a ton of potential and if they can put it all together here, they have a shot at the podium. They have the 4th best short program, free skate and total scores of the season.

Duhamel and Radford are a new team from Canada that have quickly risen the ranks into the top 10 teams. They started with a respectable finish at Skate Canada, went on to win the silver medal at Canadian nationals and then put out solid programs to take home the silver medal at Four Continents. They execute elements not seen on other teams such as side by side triple flips. There has been some argument that their jumps are not always fully rotated and underrotation calls could really hurt them in this field. I don't think they'll be in contention for the podium, but a good finish this year could really set them up for next season. They have the 10th best short program, 5th best free skate and 5th best total score of the season.

Moore-Towers and Moscovitch are another team out of Canada. They had a great start to their season winning medals at both their assignments and qualifying for the Grand Prix Final. They finished a disappointing 6th despite no major errors and went on to finish 5th at Four Continents. Their scores have also been on a downward trend all season. I'm not sure exactly what it is that the judges are no longer liking with this team, but they'll be looking for some redemption here. They have the 5th best short program and 8th best free skates and total scores of the season.

Yankowskas and Coughlin have come into their own the season and will enter their first Worlds as the reigning U.S. Champs. After a personally difficult year, they were able to come up with a gorgeous free skate to Ave Maria in honor of John's mother. All of the technical elements are there and when they hit everything and can just perform it is truly a magical program. Their tango short is also a good fit for them and allows them to show off another side of their skating. They just missed the podium at Four Continents but had a number of errors in their program. With the extra practice and their nerves under control, they should be able to go out and nail both programs and should be rewarded for their efforts.

Evora and Ladwig have not seen great results this season despite winning their first Grand Prix medal. They changed their short program which was their weakness earlier in the season and their scores were greatly improved at the Grand Prix Final. They have the best lifts in the World and can really rack up the points here. Amanda Evora is engaged to Jeremy Barrett who recently announced his retirement from skating. I wouldn't be surprised if she retired after Worlds as well, and I expect them to leave everything out on the ice here.

Volosozhar and Trankov are a new team formed from two top ranked teams last season. This is the first ISU competition they are eligible to compete in. They won the Russian title earlier this season and their scores at a spring competition put them right at the top of the pack. The extra month of training time should be an advantage for them but they already looked fairly polished earlier this season. I think they'll have the goods to deliver, but having never competed before as a team, the judges may be looking at them more critically.

Absent from this event are Iliushechkina/Maisuradze (7th best total score) of Russia, Lawrence/Swiegers (9th best total score and Four Continents bronze medalists) of Canada and Gerboldt/Enbert (10th best total score) of Russia. Both countries have incredibly deep fields and were outscored at their nationals events. Sui/Han (6th best total score and Grand Prix Final bronze medalists) are not age eligible for this event.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Silver: Volosozhar/Trankov
Bronze: Kavaguti/Smirnov

My USFSA Fantasy Team:
A) Savchenko/Szolkowy
B) Yankowskas/Coughlin
C) Kadlecova/Bidar

The competitors:
Martini/Kiefer, AUT: They placed 15th at Europeans with personal best free skate and total scores and 16th at the World Junior Championships with a personal best short program.

Bakirova/Kamianchuk, BLR: They finished 10th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board. They were 19th at Worlds last season.

Malakhova/Kenchadze, BUL: This is their first season together.

Duhamel/Radford, CAN: They are the reigning Four Continents Silver Medalists with personal best scores across the board. They finished 5th at Skate Canada.

Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN: They placed 5th at Four Continents. They finished 6th at the Grand Prix Final after winning silver at Skate Canada with personal best scores across the board and silver at Skate America with personal best short program and total scores.

Dong/Wu, CHN: They placed 10th at Four Continents. They won bronze at the 2008 World Junior Championships. They placed 7th at Skate Canada and Cup of China. Dong and Wu placed 17th at the World Championships last season.

Pang/Tong, CHN: Pang and Tong won silver at the Olympics and are the reigning World Champions and Four Continents Champions. They also won the World Championships in 2006. They are three time Four Continents gold medalists and two time silver medalists. They won gold at the NHK Trophy and Cup of China to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they took the silver.

Zhang/Wang, CHN: They finished 9th at Four Continents. They finished 8th at NHK Trophy.

Kadlecova/Bidar, CZE: They placed 7th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board. They finished 8th at the World Junior Championships. They finished 7th at both their Junior Grand Prix assignments and placed 6th at Trophee Eric Bompard with a personal best short program.

Nabijako/Kulbach, EST: They finished 13th at Europeans.

Canac/Bonheur, FRA: They placed 9th at Europeans.

Hausch/Wende, GER: They finished 17th at the Olympics. They placed 6th at Europeans. They finished 7th at NHK Trophy with a personal best free skate and total score and won bronze at Trophee Eric Bompard with personal best scores across the board. They were 14th at Worlds last season.

Savchenko/Szolkowy, GER: They won bronze at the Olympics. They are the reigning World Silver Medalists and European Champions. They have 2 additional Gold and 1 Bronze medal at the World Championships and 3 Gold and 2 silvers at Europeans. They won gold at Skate America and Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won gold.

Kemp/King, GBR: They placed 16th at Olympics. They placed 8th at Europeans. They finished 8th at Skate Canada and Skate America. They were 16th at Worlds last season.

Montalblano/Krasnopolski, ISR: They finished 25th at Worlds last season.

Berton/Hotarek, ITA: They placed 5th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board. They placed 6th at Cup of Russia with personal best free skate and total scores. They finished 11th at Worlds last season.

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

Bazarova/Larionov, RUS: They finished 11th at the Olympics. They are the reigning European bronze medalists with personal best free skate and total scores. They won silver at NHK Trophy with personal best scores across the board and at Trophee Eric Bompard with personal best scores across the board to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 5th. They were 8th at Worlds last season.

Kavaguti/Smirnov, RUS: They finished 4th at the Olympics. They are the reigning Worlds Bronze Medalists and European Silver Medalists. They also won bronze at the World Championships in 2009 and a silver and bronze at Europeans. They are the 2010 European Champions. They won gold at Cup of Russia.

Volosozhar/Trankov, RUS: They are the reigning national champions. This is their first season together.

Evora/Ladwig, USA: They placed 10th at the Olympics. They finished 5th at Four Continents. They finished 5th at Cup of China and won bronze at Cup of Russia. They were 9th at Worlds last season.

Yankowskas/Coughlin, USA: They placed 4th at the Four Continents Championships with a personal best free skate and total score. They finished 4th at NHK Trophy and won bronze at Cup of China with personal best scores across the board.

Monday, April 18, 2011

World Championships: Ladies Preview

Miki Ando has been a jump machine all season and her long program has been spot on. She struggled throughout the beginning of the season with her short program and changed her program mid-way through the season. Her short program was so bad at the Grand Prix Final that she was not able to move up one spot in the rankings despite winning the free skate. She fixed that problem at the Four Continents Championships and skated lights out to break 200 for the first time this season. She is rumored to be planning to take next season off and likely will want to go out with a World title under her belt. She has the best short program, free skate and total scores of the season.

Mao Asada struggled through the beginning of the season and failed to qualify for the Grand Prix Final or even win a medal on the Grand Prix Circuit. She changed coaches in the off-season and has been reworking her jumping technique and her legs just didn't seem to be underneath her. She was able to rebound in time for the Japanese Championships and earn a spot on the Worlds team, but she lost her national title to Miki Ando. She was able to stay on her feet and win the silver medal at Four Continents but a lot of her trademark elements are missing. She only had one triple axel in her free skate and her trademark spiral is placed in a choreographically interesting spot in her program but loses a lot of its dramatic power. She is the reigning World Champion but I think it will be an uphill battle to reclaim her title. She has the 3rd best short program, 2nd best free skate and 2nd best total score of the season.

Alissa Czisny has had the season of her career. After winning her first national title in 2009, she dropped to 10th place last season and missed her shot at the Olympics. Always known for her spins and her artistry, she struggled with her jumps and often seemed to give up on herself on the ice. She changed coaches in the offseason and started her season with a gold medal win at Skate Canada. She won the gold medal at the Grand Prix Final and reclaimed her national title. She didn't have her best outing at Four Continents and many were announcing the return of "Old Alissa". I disagreed and noted that despite some falls and mistakes, she continued to fight for everything in her program. I think it was a learning experience for her and something she needed to get out of her system. The one thing most likely to keep her off the podium is her lack of a triple-triple in either of her programs. She has the 2nd best short program, 6th best free skate and 4th best total score of the season.

Rachael Flatt has also had an up and down season, qualifying for her first Grand Prix Final but finishing a disappointing 6th after battling injuries that left her unable to land her normally consistent jumps. She went back to the drawing board and showed up at nationals with a new short program that absolutely suits her personality and answers many critics questions about her artistry. She went on to receive personal best short program scores for this program at Four Continents. She also seems to be healthy and is training very technically demanding triple-triple combinations for her programs. She'll be attending college in the fall and the future of her skating career is uncertain as she'll have a demanding course schedule and will be looking for a new coach and training facility. She'll likely be looking to make the most of this opportunity. She has the 5th best short program, 4th best free skate and 5th best total score of the season.

Carolina Kostner has had a comeback season, medaling at both of her Grand Prix assignments and the Grand Prix Final. She did lose her European title, but took the silver medal. She seems to be losing steam as the season progresses and at an event last week, scored 10 points below her seasons best. She was attempting jumps that have not been in her program all season, but her programs were riddled with jump errors. Her programs have been criticized all season for their technical content and with this field it likely won't be enough to land on the podium. She has the 6th best short program, 7th best free skate and 6th best total score of the season.

Kanako Murakami has made a splash in her senior debut winning medals at every event she has entered this season, including the Grand Prix Final. She was left off the Four Continents team in favor of Akiko Suzuki, but instead entered the Asian Winter Games where her score was on par with her marks at the Grand Prix Final. She has been getting better all season and her programs have a ton of personality and her jumps are spot on and full of technical content. A medal here would be a big achievement for this youngster, but she could easily make the final group. She has the 7th best short program, 5th best free skate and 7th best total score of the season.

Kiira Korpi has two stunningly beautiful programs and has really come into her own this season. She has been consistent with her scores throughout the season and her elements seem to meld seamlessly into her choreography. While I don't think she'll match Laura Lepisto's bronze medal finish from last season, Korpi should have no problem with a top 10 finish. She has the 4th best short program score and 10th best total score of the season.

Yuna Kim is the reigning Olympic Champion and holds the record for the highest scores under the IJS system. She is simply magical to watch on the ice. She's gone through a lot of changes this year, changing coaches and training locations. After Worlds was postponed, Kim returned to Korea to focus on the Olympic bid and wasn't training for a week. When the Moscow location was announced, she asked Peter Oppegard to travel to Korea to train her for Worlds while she continued to work on the bid. A few official practice videos have been put out but these have largely been the same sections of choreography repeated over and over and without jumps. She is a fierce competitor and will come in looking for the title but given her divided focus and having not been in front of the judges this season, I think she'll have trouble walking away with the title. That being said, I would never count Yu-Na out of the race.

Ksenia Makarova (8th best short program), Alena Leonova, and Valentina Marchei all have good shots at being in the final two groups.

Absent from this event are Mirai Nagasu (3rd best total score and Four Continents bronze medalist) of the United States and Akiko Suzuki (8th best total score) of Japan. Both countries have incredibly deep fields and were outscored at their nationals events. Sarah Meier (9th best total score and European Champion) of Switzerland retired after Europeans and will also not be attending.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Miki Ando
Silver: Yuna Kim
Bronze: Mao Asada

My USFSA Fantasy Team:
A) Miki Ando
B) Cynthia Phaneuf
C) Juulia Turkkila

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

Cheltzie Lee, AUS (D): She finished 20th at the Olympics. She finished 10th at Four Continents last season. She placed 17th at Worlds last season.

Belinda Schonberger, AUT: She placed 11th in the preliminary round at Europeans. She finished 18th and 19th at her two JGP assignments this season.

Ira Vannut, BEL: She finished 7th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board and was 10th at World Juniors. She finished 4th at JGP Austria and won bronze at JGP Germany.

Hristina Vassileva, BUL: She placed 23rd at Europeans with personal best scores across the board.

Amelie Lacoste, CAN: Lacoste placed 9th at Four Continents.  She won bronze at Skate Canada with personal best scores across the board and placed 5th at Skate America.

Cynthia Phaneuf, CAN (D): Phaneuf finished 12th at the Olympics. She placed 6th at Four Continents. She is the 2004 Four Continents silver medalist. She finished 4th at Skate Canada and Trophee Eric Bompard. She was 5th at Worlds last season.

Bingwa Geng, CHN (D): She placed 13th at Four Continents. She finished 5th at Cup of China with personal best scores across the board.

Melinda Wang, TPE: Wang finished 18th at Four Continents.

Karina Johnson, DEN: She placed 17th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board. She finished 35th at Worlds last season.

Elena Glebova, EST: She finished 10th at Cup of Russia. Glebova finished 21st at Worlds last season.

Kiira Korpi, FIN (D): Korpi finished 11th at the Olympics with a personal best free skate. She is the reigning European bronze medalist. She is the 2007 European bronze medalist. She finished 4th at NHK Trophy and won gold at Trophee Eric Bompard with a personal best total score. She was 19th at Worlds last season.

Juulia Turkkila, FIN: She placed 15th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board and 16th at World Juniors. She finished 10th at her JGP assignment this season.

Mae Berenice Meite, FRA: She finished 9th at Europeans with a personal best short program and total score. She finished 8th at her Grand Prix debut at Skate America and 9th at Trophee Eric Bompard with a personal best free skate and total score.

Elene Gedevanishvili, GEO (D): She placed 14th at the Olympics. She finished 8th at Europeans. She placed 6th at NHK Trophy and 7th at Skate America. She was 8th at Worlds last season.

Sarah Hecken, GER (D): Hecken finished 18th at the Olympics. She placed 11th at Europeans. She finished 10th at Trophee Eric Bompard. She finished 12th at Worlds last season.

Jenna McCorkell, GBR (D): She placed 29th at the Olympics. She finished 14th at Europeans.  She finished 11th at NHK Trophy and 10th at Skate America. She is married to Kevin van der Perren of Belgium. She finished 14th at Worlds last season.

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

Tiffany Packard Yu, HKG: She finished 25th at Four Continents.

Viktoria Pavuk, HUN (D): She finished 19th at Europeans.

Clara Peters, IRL: She placed 27th at Europeans. She finished 47th at Worlds last season.

Carolina Kostner, ITA (D): She finished 16th at the Olympics. She is the reigning European Silver Medalist. She has one silver and one bronze medal at worlds and 2 additional gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal at Europeans. She won gold at NHK Trophy and bronze at Skate America to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where she won silver. She was 6th at Worlds last season.

Roberta Rodeghiero, ITA: Her last international competition was in 2008 when she placed 7th at JGP Madrid.

Miki Ando, JPN (D): Ando placed 5th at the Olympics. She is the reigning Four Continents Champion. She is the 2004 World Junior Champion and 2007 World Champion. She is the only lady to ever land a quadruple jump in competition. She won Cup of China and Cup of Russia to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where she placed 5th. She was 4th at Worlds last season.

Mao Asada, JPN (D): Asada won silver at the Olympics and is the reigning World Champion. She won silver at Four Continents. She is the 2007 World silver medalist and 2008 World Champion. She is the 2008 Four Continents Champion and 2009 bronze medalist. She won the World Junior title in 2005 and took silver in 2006.  She finished 8th at NHK Trophy and 5th at Trophee Eric Bompard.

Kanako Murakami, JPN (D): She won bronze at NHK Trophy with personal best scores across the board and gold at Skate America with a personal best free skate and total score to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where she won bronze.

Fleur Maxwell, LUX: She placed 22nd at Europeans. She finished 33rd at Worlds last season.

Mary Ro Reyes, MEX: She finished 29th at Four Continents. She placed 22nd at JGP Germany.

Mericien Venzon, PHI: She finished 22nd at Four Continents. She placed 23rd at JGP Japan.

Yuna Kim, KOR (D): She is the reigning Olympic Gold Medalist and World Silver Medalist. She is the 2009 World Champion and 2007 and 2008 World Bronze Medalist. She is the 2009 Four Continents Champion. She is the 2006 World Junior Champion and 2005 World Junior Silver Medalist.

Min-Jeong Kwak, KOR: Kwak placed 13th in the Olympics. She placed 8th at Four Continents. She finished 9th at Cup of China and 11th at Skate America. She was 22nd at Worlds last season.

Sabina Mariuta, ROU: She placed 18th in the preliminary round at Europeans. She finished 27th and 21st at her two JGP assignments this season.

Alena Leonova, RUS (D): Leonova placed 9th at the Olympics. She was 5th at the European Championships.  She won bronze at Cup of China and finished 9th at Cup of Russia. She finished 13th at Worlds last season.

Ksenia Makarova, RUS (D): Makarova placed 10th at the Olympics. She placed 4th at Europeans. She won silver at her Grand Prix Debut in Canada and finished 7th at Cup of Russia. She was 8th at Worlds last season.

Marina Seeh, SRB: She placed 15th in the preliminary round at Europeans. She finished 46th at Worlds last season.

Dasa Grm, SLO: Grm placed 20th at Europeans with personal best scores across the board.

Lejeanne Marais, RSA: She finished 15th at Four Continents.

Sonia Lafuente, ESP: She placed 22nd at the Olympics. She finished 12th at Europeans. She finished 10th at her Grand Prix debut at Skate Canada with a personal best free skate and 7th at Trophee Eric Bompard with a personal best free skate and total score. She was 20th at Worlds last season.

Joshi Helgesson, SWE: She finished 7th at Cup of China with personal best free and total scores and 4th at Skate American with personal best free and total scores.

Viktoria Helgesson, SWE (D): She finished 6th at Europeans. She placed 9th in her Grand Prix debut at the NHK Trophy and 6th at Skate America. She placed 10th at the World Championships last season.

Bettina Heim, SUI: She finished 32nd at Worlds last season.

Taryn Jurgensen, THA: She finished 27th at Four Continents. She finished 20th at JGP France.

Birce Atabey, TUR (D): She finished 28th at Europeans. She placed 22nd and 24th at her two JGP assignments this season.

Irina Movchan, UKR (D): She placed 26th at Europeans. She finished 40th at the World Championships last season.

Alissa Czisny, USA (D): She placed 5th at Four Continents. Czisny won Skate Canada with personal best free and total scores and won bronze at Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where she won gold with personal best scores across the board.

Rachael Flatt, USA (D): Flatt placed 7th at the Olympics. She finished 4th at Four Continents. She is the 2008 World Junior Champion. She won silver at NHK Trophy and Skate America to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where she finished 6th. She was 9th at Worlds last season.

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