Ice Musings: Skate America Men's Short Program

1st Warmup group is on the ice!

Group 1

Douglas Razzano, USA: 30.62 TES + 30.07 PCS = 60.69

Skating to Piano Concerto #2 by Rachmaninov
He has on an all black costume with some beadwork around the neckline--I'm not a fan of the black gloves as it cuts off his arm line
Triple axel was a little wobbly on the landing but he hung on to it
Popped into a double toe--he said he wasn't going to do quads here, but it looked like a quad attempt
Triple toe + triple toe combination
Very nice flexibility through the catch foot position in his camel spin
Footwork sequence is nicely timed with the music but seems a little slow in places throughout the middle--I love the use of his arms and upper body here
Nice entry into his sit spin with not a lot of build up, very low position
Good speed through the camel spin with a nice stretch through his leg, good change of positions but a little loss of centering

Daisuke Murakami, JPN: 39.91 TES + 30.76 PCS = 70.67 and into 1st place

He is skating to The Feeling Begins and is wearing a red and black top with black pants
Quad salchow-double toe combo to open the program, a little bit of an awkward entry but landed nicely
Really high triple axel with an easy landing
Solid solo triple flip
The sit spin is really slow and he could use a lot more stretch through the free leg
A nice stretched position in his camel spin and the upright spin, but he lost a lot of speed in the end
This step sequence needs a lot more power behind it and it's not covering much ice
Nice flying camel spin, with a beautiful arched position and good speed

Denis Ten, KAZ: 35.11 TES + 33.27 PCS -1.00 = 67.38 and into 2nd place

Frank Carroll coaches both Murakami and Ten
He is skating to Elegie by Rachmaninov in a white and black blousy top and black pants
Very nice triple axel
Triple toe+triple toe combination--a lot more speed in the second jump than the first
His sit spin seemed a little slow
Fell on the triple lutz
Really interesting camel spin with an arch into a flying change of foot
I love his long lines and the use of his arms; he has an arabesque that dancers would kill for
His spins are all slow but the positions are nice
He is really feeling the music through this step sequence and the performance is really coming alive

Armin Mahbanoozadeh, USA: 33.72 TES + 30.82 PCS = 64.54 and into 3rd place

He is wearing a black top with red and gold accents and black pants
Triple flip + triple toe was really easy and nicely landed but not a lot of height
Way off in the air on his triple axel but he only has to put his hand down on the landing
I wish he would get his leg a little higher in the camel spin, but the donut position is really nice and his hand during the spin is used nicely
He really feels music well
Nice solo triple lutz right into a spread eagle
Really interesting sit spin variation with both of his feet together almost in a squat position
His step sequence hits all the music accents and builds when the music builds
This final combination spin is hte only one that seems to be lacking speed but finishes stronger
Loving Priscilla Hill's giant feather earrings in the Kiss and Cry but I miss her matching scarves

Richard Dornbush, USA: 35.74 TES + 34.29 PCS = 70.03 and into 2nd place

He is wearing a white poet shirt with a burgundy vest and black pants
Very nice use of his arms to simulate conducting the symphony in the beginning
Triple lutz + triple toe was nicely done but looked a little tight in the air
Nice triple axel
Good arm positions and variations in his camel spin with an interesting leg variation with his leg pulled in tightly to his body
Great solo triple flip right on a music crescendo
Nice low sit spin with great speed
He's really going for the step sequence with a lot of power and speed and is covering the ice and using every part of his body to hit every accent in the music
Nice wrapped arm position in the sit spin of his combination spin
Great debut for Dornbush

Group 2

Florent Amodio, FRA: 27.32 TES + 35.14 PCS = 62.46 and into 5th place

He is skating to Summertime and Jumping Jack
He is wearing a pink halter vest with black pants completely covered in rhinestones
Triple flip was solid but not a lot of height or ice coverage
Nice triple axel
Nice arch position in the camel spin, but I wish he didn't drop his upper body to get into the donut position
Popped open his lutz really wild and won't get credit for the jump as it was not done in a combination
Step sequence looks a little bit frantic but he's really using his upper body and arms and is playing to the judges
Nice low sit spin but he could use more stretch through the free leg, loses all his speed through the end of the combination

Kevin van der Perren, BEL: 37.76 TES + 32.33 PCS = 70.09 and into 2nd place

He is skating to Quidam which I think is the perfect choice for his style and power
He opens with a nice big triple axel
A little forward on the landing of his triple flip + triple toe with some hesitation
Triple loop for his solo jump
Nice flexibility through the triangle position in his combo spin but he has no speed once he gets to the camel
Really running out of steam here in this camel spin
He seems a little too stiff through his step sequence and with the big build in the music I think if he let go and really went for it, it would be a real crowd pleaser
Final spin is rotating slower than the speed of his music

Samuel Contesti, ITA: 24.27 TES + 32.25 PCS -1.00 = 55.52 and into 8th place

He is repeating his short program from last season where he portrays a conductor
I wish he would have a little more setup with his character in the beginning
Fell on his triple lutz--the feet just slid out from under him
Big step out of the triple axel
Doubled his final jump and no combination--he'll really get a ding in his score
No speed in his sit spin
This is such an iconic piece of music and I wish he'd sell this step sequence a little more and really play with it
Nice camel spin position with a good change of foot but not a lot of speed
Needs more stretch through his free leg in the sit portion of his final combo spin and he finishes just after the music

Michal Brezina, CZE: 42.05 TES + 37.03 PCS = 79.08 and into 1st place

He is wearing a black outfit with rhinestone dragons
He is repeating his Japanese themed short program from last season
Very solid triple axel with a nice landing
Triple flip +triple toe
Nice triple lutz
The jumps were all nicely done but there wasn't a lot of transition between them
Really high entrance to his flying sit spin
Nice position in his camel spin but he could use more speed and he has to dip down to catch the foot in the donut position
I like how low he gets in some of these positions in his step sequence and he really uses his arms to get into the character of the program
Good speed on his final combination spin and it's nicely timed with the music but he loses some momentum toward the end

Takahiko Kozuka, JPN: 34.33 TES + 37.36 PCS -1.00 = 70.69 and into 2nd place

He is wearing red pants with a black top
His legs got tied up underneath him on the quad toe and he two footed the landing--it looked like an odd entry to the jump as well
Triple axel was huge but close to the boards and he put his hand down
Nice height on the flying entry to his sit spin and he has a nice low position
This program is a nice change of pace for him and shows off his ability to perform to the crowd and be a little more playful
A little tight on the triple lutz+triple toe combo but he gets it done
The camel spin positions are nice and I like how smoothly he exits it, but he could use more speed
The step sequence is nice but I think he could bring more fire to it
Final combination spin is full of nice positions with great extension and stretched legs