Ice Musings: Four Continents Men's Free Skate

Nan Song, CHN: 59.37 TES + 62.80 PCS -1.00 = 121.17 Total: 190.51 and into 1st place

Big opening quad toe with a fall and very close to the boards
Triple toe with a step out--seemed very hesitant going into it
Low on the landing of the triple axel + double toe but he hangs on to it
Nice stretched out sit spin position with good flow out of it
I'd like to see a little more variety in his arms through this step sequence but some nice content
Popped the axel into a double and two footed the landing
Triple flip + double toe
A little slow through the camel spin, especially in the bent leg variation
Good triple lutz right on the music
Really wonky on that triple loop but he lands it
Seems to be running out of energy after the choreographic step sequence
Double axel + double toe with hesitation between the jumps
Nice twisted sit variation in the combination s[in with some loss of centering

Adam Rippon, USA: 73.41 TES + 74.22 PCS -1.00 = 146.63 Total: 221.55 and into 1st place

Two foots the quad salchow and his legs are tangled under him and he sits down on it
Nice triple axel + double toe
Solid triple loop
Nice broken leg sit spin with a change of foot into the twisted variation
I love that his step sequence flows so nicely with his program--there's no big "here comes my step sequence" moment
Nice flow across the ice and quality of movement in the step sequence
Pops the axel into a single--seemed a little hesitant going into it
Nice triple flip + triple toe
Triple lutz hop out triple toe
Good Rippon lutz on the music
Nice speed through the combination spin with good positions
He's lacking some of his sparkle in this choreographic step sequence but he's giving it all he has
Nice double axel
Nice donut position in the camel spin

Kevin Reynolds, CAN: 66.74 TES + 69.30 PCS -1.00 = 135.04 Total: 203.26 and into 2nd place

Nice opening quad salchow
Double toe--supposed to be a quad
A little two footed on the triple axel
Double loop--free leg didn't get pulled in tight enough for the rotation
Lots of upper body movement throughout the step sequence but his edges are not as clean as some of the top skaters
Traveling a lot through this camel spin
Double flip and a fall
Double axel + double toe + double toe
Triple lutz
Triple salchow + triple toe
Nice final spin but out of energy

Jinlin Guan, CHN: 63.17 TES + 67.00 PCS = 130.17 Total: 196.53 and into 3rd place

Nice triple lutz + triple toe
Triple salchow was good
Missed the middle of the program with a frozen feed
Good double axel
Nice triple flip + double toe
Double axel + double toe + double toe
Double lutz
Nice triple loop
I like the emotion he puts into his program
Very bouncy over the ice in this step sequence--I'd like to see him get more into his knees
Nice position in the camel spin with a flying change to a sit spin and very slot into the scratch spin with absolutely no speed

Misha Ge, UZB: 63.04 TES + 69.00 PCS = 132.04 Total: 196.53 and into 3rd place

Two footed and stepped out of the triple axel
Nice triple lutz
Triple flip + triple toe a little tight but landed
Triple flip
Good speed through the camel spin
Triple lutz + double toe
Good triple loop
Triple toe + double toe
Double axel
Nice speed through his camel spin but he's really losing his centering and he lost a lot of speed through the change of foot to the catchfoot position
Great attack through this step sequence and he's really selling the performance--I love that he's flying across the ice
I'd like to see him lower in his sit spin positions but otherwise a nice combination spin
If he could channel this passion into some more difficult content in his step sequences he could really rack up the points

Jeremy Ten, CAN: 37.13 TES + 63.72 PCS -3.00 = 97.85 Total: 159.22 and into 8th place

Fall on the opening triple axel--I love that when he got back up he hit the arabesque position as if he landed the jump
Great use of the music in his transitions and very nuanced
Double lutz and two footed
Another fall
Really nice movement, flow, use of the ice surface, upper body movement and edges during the step sequence
Nice low sit position with good stretch and nice toe point
Spread eagle into a triple loop--fall
Good triple lutz
A little tight on that double axel
Triple salchow
I'd like to see him bring his shoulder blades back a little more and have a straighter posture through this choreographic step sequence
Single lutz and two footed
Traveling at the beginning of his camel spin
Nice positions in the final combination spin

Tatsuki Machida, JPN: 56.91 TES + 69.76 PCS -1.00 = 125.67 Total: 208.04 and into 2nd place

Huge quad toe but just a little too big and he couldn't control the landing and fell
Popped the axel into a single + double toe
Triple loop off in the air but he lands it
Good one foot section and I like the use of his arms in keeping with the Spanish character of his program in this footwork
Flying sit spin with a good stretched out position and nice speed
Really nice triple axel right on the music
Triple lutz + double toe + double loop
A little wonky on the flip
I like the waltz feel of this choreographic step sequence
Flying camel spin with a nice position with a flying change of foot into the sit spin and a triangle position
Popped the lutz into a single
Triple toe + single toe
I'd like to see him get a flatter camel spin position with his head and body in line with each other
Finished after his music

Daisuke Takahashi, JPN: 76.88 TES + 84.86 PCS = 161.74 Total: 244.33 and into 1st place

Two footed on the landing of the quad toe
Pops his axel into a single
Nice triple salchow
This is such difficult, intricate music and he really takes advantage of every note
Nice positions in his camel spin but he loses some speed through the catchfoot
So much difficulty in this step sequence, but nice clean edges, deep knees and he just floats over the ice and makes it all look so easy
Flying sit spin with a nice stretched out position, change of foot into the camel spin, headless upright spin
Triple axel + triple toe--tight but he does it
Nice triple flip + double toe
Good triple loop
Triple lutz + double toe + double loop with a bobble on the end
Tight on the triple flip
He could have his free leg up at 90 in the camel spin but he picks up speed through the position changes

Patrick Chan, CAN: 95.83 TES + 90.16 PCS = 185.99 Total: 273.94 and into 1st place

Beautiful quad toe + triple toe
Gorgeous quad toe and barring a complete meltdown that will be enough to give him the title
Triple axel
Lori Nichols does a brilliant job choreographing his programs so the elements disappear as everything flows into each other
Nice camel spin with good speed and nice flow leading out of it
Triple lutz half loop triple salchow
Triple loop
Nice triple flip
Great speed in the twisted sit position and nice stretched out sit position with good toe point and really nice flow out
A little tight on the triple lutz
Double axel with a nice head roll spin out of it
I love how free this choreographic step sequence is and the movement flows nicely across the ice
Good camel position but losing some centering

Denis Ten, KAZ: 63.22 TES + 70.08 PCS -1.00 = 132.30 Total: 210.03 and into 4th place

Double toe--meant to be a quad
Another quad toe attempt--this time with a fall
Triple axel + triple toe--very nice recovery
I feel like his movements are a little small compared to the crescendos in the music in this step sequence
Really slow by the end of this sit spin
Double lutz + half loop + triple salchow
Triple loop
Nice height on the triple flip + double toe
Good double axel
Really traveling through this camel spin but nice position and good donut position but he could have more speed
Popped that jump into a single
Finished way after his music

Takahito Mura, JPN: 62.16 TES + 71.56 PCS = 133.72 Total: 217.16 and into 4th place

Popped his quad attempt to a double
Triple lutz + triple toe very tight landings
Huge air on the triple axel but he steps out of it
A little slow through the camel spin but picking up speed through the change of foot
Nice triple flip
Triple axel + double toe
Doubled that salchow
I like his quality of movement through this step sequence and lots of nice edge changes
Good triple loop
Double flip
Nice stretched out position in his sit spin into a nice twisted variation

Ross Miner, USA: 73.04 TES + 74.30 PCS -1.00 = 146.34 Total: 223.23 and into 3rd place

Nice big triple axel to open the program
Triple axel + double toe right on the music
Tight on the triple lutz + triple toe but he hangs on to it
Nice flying entry to the camel spin and he has so much speed through this combination and all the position changes
Nice edge quality and a gentleness to this step sequence but a little bobbly in places--he needs to get more into his knees and really float over the ice
Triple salchow + double toe + double loop
Fall on the triple lutz
Double loop
Nice back sit spin into a nice tucked sit spin position
Double axel with a bit of a step out--after a speedy opening he seems to be moving a lot slower through the second half of the program
Two footed that triple flip
Really nice choreography in this second step sequence but he's not selling it the way he did at nationals
Good speed through his final combo spin with really nice sit position

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +	PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Patrick CHAN	CAN	185.99	95.83	90.16	9.04	8.93	9.04	9.11	8.96	0.00	#21
2	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	161.74	76.88	84.86	8.50	8.21	8.54	8.54	8.64	0.00	#20
3	Adam RIPPON	USA	146.63	73.41	74.22	7.54	7.00	7.57	7.54	7.46	1.00	#14
4	Ross MINER	USA	146.34	73.04	74.30	7.50	7.29	7.43	7.54	7.39	1.00	#24
5	Kevin REYNOLDS	CAN	135.04	66.74	69.30	7.04	6.57	6.93	7.11	7.00	1.00	#15
6	Takahito MURA	JPN	133.72	62.16	71.56	7.46	6.86	7.14	7.25	7.07	0.00	#23
7	Denis TEN	KAZ	132.30	63.22	70.08	7.14	6.79	6.93	7.18	7.00	1.00	#22
8	Misha GE	UZB	132.04	63.04	69.00	6.86	6.32	7.18	6.96	7.18	0.00	#17
9	Jinlin GUAN	CHN	130.17	63.17	67.00	6.89	6.43	6.68	6.75	6.75	0.00	#16
10	Tatsuki MACHIDA	JPN	125.67	56.91	69.76	7.14	6.71	6.89	7.07	7.07	1.00	#19
11	Nan SONG	CHN	121.17	59.37	62.80	6.57	5.86	6.39	6.29	6.29	1.00	#13
12	Christopher CALUZA	PHI	114.58	52.78	61.80	6.11	5.89	6.36	6.18	6.36	0.00	#11
13	Min-Seok KIM	KOR	107.75	56.53	52.22	5.57	4.93	5.32	5.29	5.00	1.00	#4
14	Richard DORNBUSH	USA	102.95	41.49	62.46	6.36	6.04	6.04	6.43	6.36	1.00	#8
15	Alex Kang Chan KAM	KOR	101.95	46.09	55.86	5.89	5.21	5.61	5.68	5.54	0.00	#12
16	Abzal RAKIMGALIEV	KAZ	101.53	51.39	53.14	5.46	4.89	5.25	5.43	5.54	3.00	#7
17	Jialiang WU	CHN	100.43	49.21	52.22	5.71	4.93	5.29	5.18	5.00	1.00	#10
18	Jeremy TEN	CAN	97.85	37.13	63.72	6.54	6.14	6.14	6.50	6.54	3.00	#18
19	Brendan KERRY	AUS	97.25	49.31	47.94	5.11	4.57	4.79	4.89	4.61	0.00	#6
20	Mark WEBSTER	AUS	87.99	37.43	50.56	5.32	4.79	4.96	5.25	4.96	0.00	#9
21	Nicholas FERNANDEZ	AUS	87.19	42.57	45.62	4.71	4.32	4.57	4.64	4.57	1.00	#2
22	Jordan JU	TPE	85.48	43.42	43.06	4.64	4.25	4.11	4.46	4.07	1.00	#3
23	Kevin ALVES	BRA	84.98	44.08	42.90	4.64	3.96	4.25	4.39	4.21	2.00	#5
24	Luiz MANELLA	BRA	82.90	42.12	42.78	4.57	4.07	4.25	4.39	4.11	2.00	#1