Top Moments of 2011: May

Other

Crone and Poirier of Canada announced that they would split citing her desire to retire and set off a partner swapping craze that would last the entire off-season.

Miki Ando announced that she would sit out at least the Grand Prix and possibly the whole season after winning the World title.

Laura Lepisto, who sat out the entire season due to injury, announced that she planned to make a comeback.

Daisuke Takahashi and Nobunari Oda both had surgery to repair knee problems.

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.

Four Continents Championships: Free Dance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11. Virtue/Moir, CAN: Withdrawal

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

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

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

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

Four Continents Championships: Short Dance

1. Virtue/Moir, CAN: 35.64 TES + 33.76 PCS = 69.40
2. Davis/White, USA: 34.50 TES + 34.51 PCS = 69.01
3. Weaver/Poje, CAN: 36.50 TES + 28.95 PCS = 65.45
4. Shibutani/Shibutani, USA: 34.22 TES + 27.82 PCS = 62.04
5. Crone/Poirier, CAN: 33.50 TES + 28.16 PCS = 61.66
6. Chock/Zuerlein, USA: 30.94 TES + 26.20 PCS = 57.14
7. Huang/Zheng, CHN: 28.42 TES + 24.51 PCS = 52.93
8. Yu/Wang, CHN: 27.78 TES + 22.80 PCS = 50.58
9. Guan/Wang, CHN: 24.72 TES + 18.05 PCS = 42.77
10. O'Brien/Merriman, AUS: 25.00 TES + 17.67 PCS = 42.67
11. Bruhns/Westenberger, MEX: 25.28 TES + 15.40 PCS = 40.68
12. Borounov/Borounov, AUS: 15.62 TES + 12.90 PCS = 28.52

Four Continents Championships: Dance Preview

Davis and White have not lost an event all season.  They have steadily been improving their levels in their short dance and achieved all Level 4s at nationals and their free dance is one of the most difficult in the sport but is brilliantly executed.  Their biggest rivals are their training mates Virtue and Moir who have not competed all season due to her surgery.  Davis and White should take an easy victory here and set them up with the momentum to win their first World title.  They have the best short dance, free dance and total scores for the season.

Virtue and Moir are the reigning Olympic and World Champions.  They are absolutely gorgeous to watch on the ice.  I think they'll put out solid programs here, but many teams have struggled to pick up top levels in the new short dance and it has taken them a few events to work out the kinks.  Virtue and Moir elected to skip their nationals because they felt they weren't prepared enough to compete so this will be their first competition.  I expect they'll have a few little problems but this is a warmup event for them to get their programs in order for Worlds.

Crone and Poirier's scores have been all over the board this season.  They had high marks at their first Grand Prix event but couldn't seem to match that performance the rest of the season.  Their Grand Prix Final score was almost 15 points below their seasons best largely due to their short dance.  I don't think their performance quality matches the mood of the music and I don't think its particularly well choreographed, and they were docked heavily at the GPF.  They won the national title but only by one point over Weaver and Poje.  As one of two teams here who medaled at the GPF they have an edge, but they can't afford to make any mistakes.  They have the 5th best short dance, 6th best free dance and 5th best total score of the season.

The Shibutanis have been ascending like a rocket this season.  They are the first team to win two medals in their first season on the senior Grand Prix and their scores have been steadily improving throughout the season.  They made the race for gold at nationals a tighter race than anyone expected, and even beat Davis and White on the technical element scores.  Their short dance scores are lower than some of the other teams here but they made mistakes in this segment in both their Grand Prixs, and when skated clean they can really rack up the points.  I think their talent is good enough to put them on the podium here but younger teams seem to receive lower program components than older teams which could make the difference here.  They have the 8th best free dance and 9th best total score of the season.

Weaver and Poje and Chock and Zuerlein round out the American and Canadian contingents.  Both teams did well on the Grand Prix circuit this season.  Weaver and Poje's short dance is absolutely stunning and I think they've been underscored on this segment this season.  The Golden Waltz looks like it was choreographed to their music and it is easy to lose yourself in their program.  Their free dance to Moulin Rouge has never really come together and clicked with the judges.  I think they'll have a hard time holding on to their title and finishing on the podium.  They have the 8th best short dance and 10th best total score of the season.

Chock and Zuerlein seem to have the opposite problem in that their short program is nice but doesn't seem to really wow the judges or the audience.  Their free skate to Cabaret is really well done and suits their personalities perfectly, but they made errors on the Grand Prix and didn't receive the full marks.  Their levels are not as high and their programs are not as clean as some of their training mates but they are very entertaining to watch and should give Weaver and Poje a run for their money for 5th place.  They have the 9th best short dance of the season.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Davis/White
Silver: Virtue/Moir
Bronze: Crone/Poirier

My USFSA Fantasy Team:
A) Davis/White
B) Shibutani/Shibutani
C) Huang/Zheng

The teams:
Borounov/Borounov, AUS:  They finished 12th at Four Continents last season.

O'Brien/Merriman, AUS: They finished 10th at Four Continents and 25th at Worlds last season.

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

Virtue/Moir, CAN: 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 are the reigning Four Continents champions.  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. 

Guan/Wang, CHN: They placed 9th at Four Continents last season.  They finished 9th at Cup of China.

Huang/Zheng, CHN: They placed 19th at the Olympics and 4th at Four Continents last season.  They placed 5th at Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard.

Yu/Wang, CHN: They placed 18th at the World Championships and 8th at Four Continents last season.  They placed 9th at the NHK Trophy and 8th at Cup of China.

Bruhns/Westenberger, MEX: This is their first season together.

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

Davis/White, USA: They won silver at Olympics and Worlds.  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: They finished 4th at World Juniors last season.  They are the 2009 World Junior Silver Medalists.  They won bronze at the NHK Trophy and Skate America.

ISU Ice Dance Top 10 Senior Scores

Short Dance:
1. Virtue/Moir 74.29 World Championships
2. Davis/White 73.76 World Championships
3. Pechalat/Bourzat 70.97 World Championships
4. Shibutani/Shibutani 66.88 World Championships
5. Bobrova/Soloviev 65.88 World Championships
6.  Ilinykh/Katsalapov 65.51 World Championships
7. Weaver/Poje 65.45 Four Continents Championships
8. Cappellini/Lanotte 64.12 World Championships
9. Kerr/Kerr 62.96 Skate Canada
10. Crone/Poirier 62.95 Skate Canada

Free Dance:
1. Davis/White 111.51 World Championships
2. Virtue/Moir 107.50 World Championhips
3. Pechalat/Bourzat 100.49 European Championships
4. Shibutani/Shibutani 96.91 World Championships
5. Bobrova/Soloviev 95.68 European Championships
6. Weaver/Poje 95.25 World Championships
7. Kerr/Kerr 94.62 European Championships

8. Ilinykh/Katsalapov 92.55 European Championships
9. Crone/Poirier 91.47 Skate Canada
10. Chock/Zuerlein 90.39 World Championships

Total Score:
1. Davis/White 185.27 World Championships
2. Virtue/Moir 181.79 World Championships
3. Pechalat/Bourzat 167.40 European Championships
4. Shibutani/Shibutani 163.79 World Championships
5. Bobrova/Soloviev 161.14 European Championships
6. Weaver/Poje 160.32 World Championships
7. Kerr/Kerr 157.49 European Championships
8. Ilinykh/Katsalapov 154.50 World Championships
9. Crone/Poirier 154.42 Skate Canada
10. Cappellini/Lanotte 153.77 World Championships

Canadian Nationals Recap and International Teams

Mens:

Patrick Chan won this competition to no one's surprise, but what was surprising was the margin he won by.  His total competition score was 285.85, a Canadian record, and even taking into account score inflation, this is an astronomical score.  He landed two solid quads in his free skate (one in combination) and a nice triple axel.  The choreography and the performance will give you goosebumps and it's definitely a World Championship winning performance.  Video of his free skate can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPcPTXUh1uA

Shawn Sawyer delivered a brilliant performance to win the silver medal and secure his spot on the World team.  He has a very entertaining free program and it's nice to see him match his artistic ability with technical skills.  Here's his program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv2hBOJALYM

A relative unknown internationally, Joey Russell was able to finish third in both segments and claim the bronze medal.  Kevin Reynolds struggled and was only able to finish 4th.

The Four Continents Team will be Sawyer, Russell and Reynolds.  The Worlds Team will be Chan, Sawyer and Russell.

Liam Firus had a strong showing to finish 6th while Andre Rogozine struggled and was only able to finish 13th.  Both will represent Canada at the World Junior Championships.

Ladies:

Cynthia Phaneuf was able to claim her second Canadian title, her first won back in 2004.  She won by nearly 15 points against several strong competitors.  Here's her free skate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEzIR1k0Dkk

Myriane Samson had a strong free skate to claim the silver medal and her spot on the World team.  She beat out bronze medalist Amelie Lacoste by 6 points.  Samson's free skate is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEm6hEtoGyo

The Four Continents Team will be Phaneuf, Samson and Lacoste.  The World Team will be Phaneuf and Samson.

Alexandra Najarro finished 4th and Vanessa Grenier finished 7th to qualify for the World Juniors Team.

2010 Pairs Champion Jessica Dube finished a strong 6th in singles.  She plans to return to pairs skating with her partner Bryce Davison next season.

Pairs:

Moore-Towers and Moscovitch have emerged as a top pairs team in Canada and the World after their trip to the Grand Prix Final.  They had two strong programs and easily took the title by 16 points.  Here's their free skate from Skate Canada: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB8MGg1HOwE

The new team of Duhamel and Radford had a strong free skate to climb up to second place in the standings.  They had a strong outing at their Grand Prix debut and have continued to improve.  They had a few blips with their short program that they'll want to clean up before worlds, but this team could definitely contend for the national title next season.  Here's their free skate from earlier this season: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzC3JSg7Ji4

The Four Continents Team is Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, Duhamel/Radford, and Lawrence/Swiegers.  The Worlds Team is Moore-Towers/Moscovitch and Duhamel/Radford.

Jones and Gaskell finished 6th.  They will be joined on the World Junior Team by Purich and Schultz.

Ice Dance

Virtue and Moir unfortunately had to pull out of nationals.  This means that Four Continents will be the first time we get a look at their programs and how they've been training since Tessa's surgery.  I have no doubts they can make the World podium, just what color medal they'll receive.

Nationals did show how incredibly talented and deep Canada's field is.  Unfortunately there are four teams that all could do well at nationals and are continuing to climb the ranks and Canada can only have three spots on their International teams.  And their top teams are all relatively the same age and in a sport where competitors can easily go into their late 20s and 30s, there may not be room for new teams for some time.

Crone and Poirier are actually the youngest of the bunch and were able to squeak out their first ever Canadian title by only 1.03 points.  They're still not ready to challenge the very top tier of teams as Davis and White have scored over 100 points on their free skate internationally and Crone and Poirier were just shy of this mark at nationals where scores are generally elevated.  Here's their free dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWnfkJZk020

Right on their tails are Weaver and Poje.  These teams have such different styles and their scores and abilities are so close that it often comes down to a matter of preference.  Both of these teams made the Grand Prix Final and I think they'll continue to battle it out at home and internationally for years to come.  Their free dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6F_KyIlDBY

The Four Continents and Worlds Team is: Virtue/Moir, Crone/Poirier, and Weaver/Poje.

The Junior World Team is Orford/Williams and Oliveira/Hockley.

Canadian Nationals: Free Dance

1. Crone/Poirier: 50.08 TES + 48.33 PCS = 98.41
1. They executed a Level 4 Dance Spin, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 3 Diagonal Step Sequence, Level 4 Twizzles, Level 4 Serpentine Lift, Level 3 Serpentine Step Sequence and Level 4 Rotational Lift with all positive GOEs.
2. Weaver/Poje: 50.83 TES + 46.71 PCS = 97.54
1. They executed a Level 3 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Twizzles, Level 4 Dance Spin, Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 4 Curve Lift, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 4 Diagonal Step Sequence, and Level 4 Rotational Lift with all positive GOEs.
3. Paul/Islam: 48.67 TES + 43.66 PCS = 92.33
1. They executed a Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 3 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Twizzles, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 4 Spins, Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 3 Diagonal Step Sequence and Level 4 Curve Lift with all positive GOEs.
4. Ralph/Hill: 45.49 TES + 40.81 PCS = 86.30
1. They executed a Level 4 Spin, Level 3 Diagonal Step Sequence, Level 4 Reverse Rotational Lift, Level 3 Twizzles, Level 4 Stationary Lift, Level 3 Circular Step Sequence and Level 4 Straight Line Lift with all positive GOEs.
5. Harvey/Gagnon: 41.58 TES + 39.03 PCS = 80.61
1. They executed a Level 3 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 4 Twizzles, Level 1 Rotational Lift, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 3 Dance Spins, Level 3 Diagonal Step Sequence and Level 4 Curve Lift with no negative GOEs.
6. Arnold/Trojek: 43.16 TES + 35.43 PCS = 78.59
1. They executed a Level 4 Curve Lift, Level 4 Twizzles, Level 3 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 4 Dance Spin, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 3 Diagonal Step Sequence and Level 3 Rotational Lift with no negative GOEs.
7. Dupont/Connolly: 39.17 TES + 28.17 PCS = 67.34
1. They executed a Level 3 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Dance Spins, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 2 Diagonal Step Sequence, Level 4 Curve Lift, Level 3 Twizzles, Level 4 Curve Lift and Level 4 Rotational Lift with only one negative GOE.
8. Arrotta/Nickel: 34.34 TES + 29.61 PCS -2.00  = 61.95
1. They executed a Level 4 Spin, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 3 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 3 Diagonal Step Sequence, Level 4 Curve Lift, and Level 2 Curve Lift with only one negative GOE.  They received no credit for their twizzles
9. Letourneau/Boczar: 34.07 TES + 27.28 PCS = 61.35
1. They executed a Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 4 Twizzles, Level 1 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Combination Lift, Level 3 Dance Spins and Level 2 Diagonal Step Sequence with three positive GOEs.
10. Bissonnette/Chatham: 26.74 TES + 22.84 PCS = 49.58
1. They executed a Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 1 Circular Step Sequence, Level 2 Dance Spin, Level 3 Twizzles, Level 4 Curve Lift, Level 1 Diagonal Step Sequence, and a Combination Lift with Level 4 and Level 1 sections with no positive GOEs.

Total Scores:

1. Crone/Poirier: 164.21
2. Weaver/Poje: 163.18
3. Paul/Islam: 153.90
4. Ralph/Hill: 143.57
5. Harvey/Gagnon: 135.95
6. Arnold/Trojek: 125.72
7. Arrotta/Nickel: 108.93
8. Dupont/Connolly: 108.66
9. Letourneau/Boczar: 100.91
10. Bissonnette/Chatham: 83.80

Canadian Nationals: Short Dance

1. Vanessa Crone / Paul Poirier: 35.17 TES + 30.63 PCS = 65.80
1. They received Level 3 and Level 4 on their Golden Waltz and executed a Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 4 Twizzles and Level 3 Midline Step Sequence with all positive GOEs.
2. Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje: 35.09 TES + 30.55 PCS = 65.64
1. They received Level 3 and Level 4 on their Golden Waltz and executed a Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 4 Twizzles and Level 3 Midline Step Sequence with all positive GOEs.
3. Alexandra Paul / Mitchell Islam: 33.70 TES + 28.40 PCS = 61.57
1. They received Level 4 and Level 2 on their Golden Waltz and executed Level 4 Twizzles, a Level 4 Rotational Lift and Level 3 Midline Step Sequence with all positive GOEs.
4. Kharis Ralph / Asher Hill: 31.58 TES + 25.69 PCS = 57.27
1. They received Level 3 and Level 4 on their Golden Waltz and executed a Level 3 Rotational Lift, Level 4 Twizzles, and Level 3 Midline Step Sequence with all positive GOEs.
5. Tarrah Harvey / Keith Gagnon 30.17 TES + 25.17 PCS = 55.34
1. They received two Level 3s on their Golden Waltz and executed a Level 2 Midline Step Sequence, Level 4 Curve Lift, and Level 4 Twizzles with all positive GOEs.
6. Sarah Arnold / Justin Trojek: 23.99 TES + 23.14 PCS = 47.13
1. They received Level 1 and Level 3 for their Golden Waltz and executed a Level 2 Midline Step Sequence, Level 4 Twizzles, and a Level 4 Rotational Lift with two positive GOEs.
7. Alexa-Marie Arrotta / Martin Nickel: 26.75 TES + 20.23 PCS = 46.98
1. They received Level 2 and Level 3 for their Golden Waltz and executed Level 4 Twizzles, Level 3 Midline Step Sequence, and Level 4 Rotational Lift with two positive GOEs.
8. Audrey Dupont / Marcus Connolly: 24.25 TES + 17.07 PCS = 41.32
1. They received a Level 2 and a Level 3 on their Golden Waltz and executed a Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 4 Twizzles and Level 2 Midline Step Sequence with one postive GOE.
9. Helene Letourneau / Kevin Boczar 21.24 TES + 18.32 PCS = 39.56
1. They received a Level 1 and a Level 3 on their Golden Waltz and executed Level 4 Twizzles, Level 3 Midline Step Sequence and Level 1 Rotational Lift with one positive GOE.
10. Anne Chloe Bissonnette / Dylan Lockey Chatham 19.61 TES + 14.61 PCS = 34.22
1. They received Level 3 and Level 2 on their Golden Waltz and they executed a Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 1 Twizzles and Level 2 Midline Step Sequence with one positive GOE.

Canadian Nationals: Dance Preview

Canada has 3 spots at 4 Continents and 3 spots at the World Championships.

NOTE: Virtue and Moir announced on January 17th that they will not compete at nationals.  They still plan to compete at Four Continents and Worlds. 
If Virtue and Moir do decide to compete, I don't think they'll have any problem taking gold here.  Crone and Poirier haven't been able to come close to Davis and White's scores and Virtue/Moir had a 40 point lead over Crone/Poirier at nationals last season.  I don't expect the gap to be that big this year, but even out of shape I think they'll win.  They are very genuine in their performances and their program components alone should keep them ahead.

I'm not crazy about Crone/Poiriers short dance but they've been receiving acclaim for their free dance this season.  They won two Grand Prix medals and won a medal at the Grand Prix Final for the first time.  There will be a battle for the silver medal, but I think they have the edge based on their results this season.

Weaver and Poje are one of my favorite teams and I adore their short dance.  There seems to be something off about their free dance and while it's entertaining, it doesn't seem to suit them as well as their elegant short dance.  I think they can pull off the upset and beat Crone and Poirier if they've worked on their free dance.  I think they're also hungry to pull off the upset, having lost out on going to the Olympics by only .30 last season.

Ralph/Hill and Paul/Islam will likely battle it out for 4th place.  Ralph and Hill have some decent programs but still come off a bit junior.  I think the edge goes to Paul and Islam.  They've been called Virtue and Moir 2.0 and their free dance is enchanting.  While I like their short dance, the judges don't seem to and they had a disastrous outing at their second Grand Prix and had to withdraw due to injury.  If they're back to top form, they should finish 4th here.

The teams:

Dupont/Connolly: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Challenge.

Letourneau/Boczar: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Challenge.  They finished 13th at nationals last season.

Bissonnette/Chatham: They qualified with a 5th place finish at Challenge.

Harvey/Gagnon: They finished 5th in their last international assignment at JGP Golden Lynx 2008.  They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Challenge.  They finished 6th at nationals last season. 

Arrotta/Nickel: They finished 4th as juniors at nationals last season.

Paul/Islam: They are the reigning World Junior silver medalists.  They finished 4th at Skate Canada and withdrew from Cup of Russia.  They are the reigning junior national champions.

Arnold/Trojek: They finished 7th at Skate Canada.  They finished 10th at nationals last season.

Ralph/Hill: Ralph and Hill placed 6th at the Four Continents Championships.  They finished 7th at Cup of China and 6th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  They are the 2008 junior national champions.  They qualified with a 1st place finish at Challenge.  Their best finish at nationals was last season when they placed 4th.

Weaver/Poje: Weaver and Poje are the reigning Four Continents champions.  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.  They are the 2007, 2009 and 2010 national bronze medalists and 2008 national silver medalists.

Crone/Poirier: They finished 14th at the Olympics and 7th at the World Championships.  They won bronze at the Grand Prix Final after winning gold at Skate Canada and silver at Skate America.  They are the 2007 junior national champions.  They are the 2009 and 2010 national silver medalists.

Virtue/Moir: 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.  They are the 2004 national junior champions, 2006 national bronze medalists and 2007 national silver medalists.  They are competing for their 4th consecutive national title.

Grand Prix Final--Free Dance

Group 1

Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev, RUS

• I really love her dress and the beading and water colors n the underskirt are gorgeous
• He drops his foot on the 2nd set of twizzles and steps out of the 3rd step
• Nice entrance into their straightline lift but it looked a little labored on the exit
• Nice edges and changes in hold on their circular step sequence here but I'd like to see her really extend her free leg
• Nice positions in their lift but they look a little labored in the position changes
• She has nice positions in the dance spin and they show off her flexibility
• Another nice step sequence well timed to the music
• Interesting rotational lift, but she really needs to squeeze her legs together in the 2nd position as they're at an awkward angle when only slightly apart
• The music is long over and they're still moving.  It looks deliberate though and hopefully that won't put them over time.

40.84 TES + 41.58 PCS = 82.42 and into 1st place

Vanessa Crone/Paul Poirier, CAN

• The dance spin is nice and they have some unique positions and interesting changes in hold and position
• Nice lift with her upside down and him on one leg but a slight bobble on the exit
• Nice changes of hold on their step sequence and lots of interesting variety in their steps
• Fast twizzles through all three sets, great unison and very close together
• They have some really interesting moves that I've never seen before
• She does a lift facing him and kicks over his head to come back to the ice but it looks like there may have been a slight bobble on the landing
• Flip into a rotational lift but she needs to watch her leg positions through the changes
• Very intriguing program but I'm not wowed and I don't feel they really connect with the audience or tell a story.

42.78 TES + 42.14 PCS = 84.92 and into 1st place

Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje, CAN

• They have a ton of speed and power across the ice through this first step sequence
• I'd like to see Kaitlyn stretch through her legs more and really straighten her knees
• A little loss of unison at the end of their second twizzle set but otherwise nicely done
• Nice dance spin but they could do a better job with the transition before the change of foot
• Nice one armed rotational lift where he picks her up from a kneeling position
• I'd love to see them have more of a connection with each other through the Come What May section of their program
• Tons of strength shown off as she holds her body parallel to the ice and he skates on one leg
• I'd like to see them attack this tango section a little more
• So much speed through their rotation lift with her in a haircutter position
• Solid program and they just need a little fine tuning which will bring up their GOEs and PCS

39.84 TES + 40.99 PCS = 80.83 and into 3rd place

Group 2

Nora Hoffman/Maxim Zavozin, HUN

• Interesting positions in their dance spin, but I'd like the speed to maintain consistent and for there to be a better transition between the foot change
• Twizzles were good unison and they completed 3 sets
• Their position changes in the footwork sequence are a little more basic than some of the other teams and I'd like to see them flow more through the steps
• I don't really like any of the positions in their rotational lift, especially when she's in the fetal position on his shoulders
• Nice split position for her in the straight line lift with him skating on one foot
• I'd like to see them add more variety to this program because their go to seems to be having Nora hold her foot behind her head.  That would also really help their choreography score.
• He has two bobbles in the last footwork sequence but manages to get back into the choreography

37.13 TES + 38.96 PCS = 76.09 and into 4th place

Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat, FRA

• I love when dance teams get into their programs before the music even starts
• They have great speed and ice coverage
• Their first lift is nice and I like the added touches of her arms flapping in the lift
• Loving the character in this step sequence into the twizzles
• The twizzles are well timed for the most part, they complete 3 sets, and they remain very close together
• This lift is great as he flips her in the air and she twists and they he rolls her up and then drops her down to the ice.  Very intricate and executed with ease.
• In some places I think she could straighten her knee just a little bit more
• She does a flip in and then back in this lift but it takes a while to hit an actual position
• They need a better transition in their dance lift and the changes cost them a lot of speed and bring the element nearly to a stop
• This program is absolutely charming and they really have it polished and performance ready.

46.50 TES + PCS 49.94  = 96.44 new seasons best and into 1st place

Meryl Davis/Charlie White, USA

• I love that Meryl performs from the first note of the music and never stops until it ends
• Great entrance into their lift and she's balancing on just his leg as he skates on one foot
• Their step sequence is well executed but I'd like to see more tango inspired moves
• Music change and here comes the tango steps
• They are just demolishing these tangos with such speed and attack.  They jump into the first set for the feature.
• They are really attacking the tango elements of their program especially with their arms and heads and they have the quick feet that is the signature of a tango
• Interesting position in the dance spin but I'd like to see Meryl straighten her knee a bit more
• Roatational lift where he holds her by only her knees with a slight bobble on the exit
• Final rotational lift with her on a split position on his shoulder and a slight bobble on the exit
• Not my favorite program for Meryl and Charlie but they perform every second and except for a few problems on the exits of the lifts it is superbly executed.

50.15 TES + 52.79 PCS = 102.94 new seasons best and into 1st place

Top 3:
1) Davis/White
2) Pechalat/Bourzat
3) Crone/Poirier

Top TES: Davis/White
Top PCS: Davis/White

Gold: Davis/White
Silver: Pechalat/Bourzat
Bronze: Crone/Poirier

Grand Prix Final--Dance Preview

This is Davis and White's competition to lose.  They had some problems at Skate America with their programs and even had an uncharacteristic fall.  They have also received low levels for their Golden Waltz.  Even with these problems, they still easily have the top scores this season.  If they've corrected these problems, they should have an easy lead and take home the gold.  Pechalat and Bourzat are having a great season, winning gold at both their events and have set themselves up as Davis and White's top competition.  I don't think they can overtake the Americans here but they should easily be able to take the gold medal. 

Crone and Poirier have emerged as the top Canadian team with Virtue and Moir out for at least the first half of the season, but they are still a ways from the top two teams.  I think they need to work on adding more fluidity to their programs and to up their performance value if they want to challenge for the top spots on the podium.  Bobrova and Soloviev are another team that have come into their own this season, winning their first career Grand Prix medals.  Their scores are very close to Crone/Poirier's and they will challenge for the 3rd podium spot.  Bobrova and Soloviev have slightly higher technical and program component scores in their free dance, and if they can repeat this in their short dance, they'll medal here.

Weaver and Poje are one of my favorite teams and are a delight to watch and their technical scores are on par with the other teams, but they fall behind in their program components.  This is not unusual in a younger team, and this score should come up as they continue to improve.  They had a fall in their program at Skate America yet still managed to improve their score over NHK Trophy.  Their scores should be higher here, but it will be difficult for them to get onto the podium.  Hoffman and Zavozin are having a break out season winning the silver medal at Rostelecom Cup with a score 12 points higher than Cup of China.  The Final will be a chance for them to solidify their place among the top teams if they can maintain their scores but they are still a long way from the podium. 

My predictions in order of finish:
Gold: Davis/White
Silver: Pechalat/Bourzat
Bronze: Crone/Poirier
4th: Bobrova/Soloviev
5th: Weaver/Poje
6th: Hoffman/Zavozin

My USFSA Fantasy Team is:
A) Davis/White
B) Bobrova/Soloviev

The teams in order of qualification:

Meryl Davis/Charlie White, USA: They won silver at Olympics and Worlds.  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.  They are the defending GPF champions.  This is their 3rd trip to the Final. 

Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat, FRA: They placed 7th at the Olympics and 4th at both Worlds and Europeans.  They won gold at Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard.  They took home bronze from the GPF last season.  This is their 3rd trip to the Final.

Vanessa Crone/Paul Poirier, CAN: They finished 14th at the Olympics and 7th at the World Championships.  They won gold at Skate Canada and silver at Skate America.  They placed 6th at the GPF last season.  This is their 2nd trip to the Final.

Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev, RUS: They placed 15th at the Olympics, 8th at Worlds and 9th at Europeans.  They are the 2007 World Junior Champions.  They won silver at Cup of China and gold at Rostelecom Cup.

Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje, CAN: Weaver and Poje are the reigning Four Continents champions.  They are the 2007 World Junior Bronze Medalists.  They won silver at NHK Trophy and finished 4th at Skate America.

Nora Hoffman/Maxim Zavozin, HUN: Hoffman and Zavozin placed 13th at the Olympics and 10th at the World and European Championships.  Zavozin used to compete for USA and won the World Junior title in 2005.  They finished 4th at Cup of China and won silver at Rostelecom Cup.

Skate America Recap

Men:
The biggest surprise of the men's event was Adam Rippon's melt down in the free skate and Armin Mahbanoozadeh skating two clean programs to win the bronze medal.  Overall the men's event was a mess with falls and errors all over the place.  None of the competitors were able to beat previous scores or break into the top 10 scores for the year.  Oda missed out on a gold medal by improvising his jump and doing an extra combination.  Takahashi continued to impress with his performance and was rewarded with stellar program component scores.  Daisuke Murakami proved how deep the Japanese men's field is by finishing 5th here (he is rankee 19th in Japan).  Stephen Carriere showed some good qualities but his jumps continued to fail him here.

I predicted 2/3 exact placements and 2/3 podium finishers.  My fantasy skaters finished 1st, 6th and 10th.

Ladies:
She didn't win the short program or the free skate but Murakami's consistency won her the gold medal in only her second Grand Prix event.  This young lady is one to watch out for, but it will be interesting to see how she does next to a tougher pool of skaters at the Grand Prix Final.  Rachael Flatt's injury affected her performance here, but if she can get that straightened out she should be a podium threat in the future.  Carolina Kostner continues to lack the technical difficulty to match up with the top ladies but her program components keep her in the mix.  She'll likely need surgery at some point this season.  Joshi Helgesson was a surprise 4th here and Amelie Lacoste had another strong showing finishing 5th. 

I predicted 0/3 exact placements and  3/3 podium finishers.  My fantasy skaters finished 2nd, 5th and 4th.

Pairs:
After a blah short program, Savchenko and Szolkowy impressed with their free skate.  Their scores are the best of the year so far and bode well for this team to climb back to the top of the podium at Worlds.  Moore-Towers and Moscovitch proved that their Skate Canada finish was not a fluke and set themselves up to be the team to beat at Canadian nationals.  Sui and Han had another strong outing and another medal at their 2nd Grand Prix event.  Denney and Barrett finished off the podium again but had a stronger showing than their first Grand Prix. 

I predicted 1/3 exact placement and 3/3 podium finishers.  My fantasy team finished 1st, 2nd and 8th.

Dance:
Despite uncharacteristic mistakes and falls, Davis and White again won the gold medal and qualified for the Grand Prix Final.  They finished 7 points ahead of Crone and Poirier, proving that no one is in their class except for Virtue/Moir.  Crone and Poirier had another strong outing to with the silver medal and also qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  The Shibutanis had a minor bobble in the short dance but were able to put out another strong free dance to win their 2nd bronze medal in two Grand Prixs.  They finished less than 5 points behind Crone and Poirier and if they can go clean on their Short Dance, they have the chance to move up the podium.  Weaver and Poje finished 4th after a mistake on one of their lifts. 

I predicted 3/3 exact placements and 3/3 podium finishers.  My fantasy team finished 1st, 3rd and 7th.

Overall, I predicted 6/12 exact placements and 11/12 podium finishers.

Skate America Short Dance

Group 1

Lynn Kriengkrairut/Logan Giuletti-Schmitt, USA

• The Trouble with Love Is by Kelly Clarkson
• Great straight line lift with effortless position changes
• Hop into the twizzles for extra points and nice synchronicity on their twizzle sequence
• Golden Waltz looks smooth and fast, great shoot the duck and attitude positions for her
• Nice split position in the spin
• Nice speed and ice coverage on their footwork but I'd like to see them in their edges a little more
• Nice lift position at the end
• A little bobble into the ending pose
• This team had a great feel to their program and skate very fluidly

29.83 TES + 22.30 PCS = 52.13 into 1st place

Stefanie Frohberg/Tim Giesen, GER

• I like that they use their entrance to get into the character of the program before the music even starts
• Coppelia themed program
• One armed rotational lift with her in a pike position
• Twizzles were good and close together but a little slow
• The change in the middle where he kisses her and she comes to life needs to be a bit more dramatic
• Nice shoot he duck position for her
• The Golden Waltz seems a little bouncy for them and the hold changes seem a little too placed and don't really flow through
• He has a better performance quality during the step sequence than her--she looks a little tentative and the steps seem a little slow

25.24TES +18.79 PCS =44.03 new season best and into 2nd place

Ekaterina Riazanova/Ilia Trachenko, RUS

• His giant tie and patterned vest may be a little too much
• Nice fluid step sequence but they could use a bit more extension through their free legs
• She should think of adding some color to her dress so she doesn't blend into the ice
• Golden Waltz looks flid, great shoot the duck position, she makes great use of her upper body during this section but could use some more extension of her free leg and point her toes a little harder
• Hop into their twizzles, good unison
• Great rotational lift which requires a lot of ab strength from her but the exit was a little messy

28.49 TES +27.03 PCS = 55.52 into 1st place

Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland, GBR

• This is one of those Frankendances with a waltz and tango section that seem like two separate programs
• Rotational lift with one arm and her in a split position--she needs to point her toes a little more
• Golden Waltz is a little bouncy,, she has a nice shoot the duck position, her arms flow nicely through the section
• She puts her foot down early on the first set of twizzles and they're off sync on the second set
• Nice unison on the step sequence but I want them to really want them to attack it more since they went with the tango option
• Transitional lift at the end is nice but she needs to stretch her legs more
• Nice ending position but it looks like she may have had a bit of a bobble getting into it

28.17 TES + 21.26 PCS =49.43 new personal best and into 3rd place

Group 2

Cathy Reed/Chris Reed, JPN

• One of two teams using Addams Family this year
• Start with their straight line lift with him on the knee but it's a huge crotch shot for her
• Nice flow through the GW, nice shoot the duck and attitude positions for her,
• He goes way out of control on the twizzle and misses some of the rotationas and turns out of then
• Into their tango section now
• They're very close together on their footwork which is good
• On the last transitional lift she needs to stretch through her legs

23.43 TES + 21.97 PCS -1.00 = 44.40 and into 4th place

Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani, USA

• I absolutely adore Maia and she looks so grown up this year.  I especially love her dress and hipe there are no problems this time
• Nice fast twizzles with great unison, they do 3 sets for the extra points
• Nice step sequence with some good edge work
• Into the Golden Waltz and she has a huge smile on her face, they really flow through this section, great shoot the duck position (no skirt problem!) but a little bobble on the position where her back is paralle to the ice
• She steps up onto his leg and hits a nice arch for their curve lift
• Great transitional lift at the end as well
• One little bobble but overall I think this was much better than NHK
• I'm surprised Zueva is here since Shpilband normally travels with Davis/White and she was at the most recent Grand Prix with her teams

30.08 TES + 26.38 PCS = 56.46 new seasons best and into 1st place

Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje, CAN

• Another team and another short program I adore
• Everything about them is very classy
• Great opening straight line lift and she does a much better job of keeping her legs together than at NHK
• Into the Golden Waltz and it fits perfectly with their music and she really uses her upper body to float through this section
• And we're fox trotting, their twizzles are solid but lack the speed of the Shibutanis
• Straight line step sequence with lots of arm movements that play up the character of the program
• Transitional lift is nice and goes into the ending pose
• They look like they're having a ball the whole time they're out there and have a great connection

32.42 TES + 27.06 PCS = 59.48 new seasons best and into 1st place

Vanessa Crone/Paul Poirier, CAN

• She's still wearing the heinous white dress that is way too tight on her but this hair style is much better
• This first roational lift is insane with her upside down
• This version of Fallin sounds really weird but maybe its how they messed with the tempo
• Golden Waltz doesn't flow the way some other teams execute it but they hit all the points just fine
• Nice step sequence but I would like to see her have a little bit softer arms through this section
• Transitional lift into their final twizzle element and they get slightly off unison  but are very close together
• I'd like to see them connect to the music more--she has a big smile on her face the whole time and I'd like to see her emote more of the confusion evident in the song

30.92 TES + 29.49 PCS = 60.41 into 1st place

Meryl Davis/Charlie White, USA

• I love her dress--I think it might be different from NHK, I also love how relaxed Charlie is before they take the ice
• I love how committed Meryl is to her characters and performances and you can see it in her eyes before she even starts
• Very fast twizzles and great unison on the first set but he loses control on the 2nd and puts a hand down
• I like their movement and reltionship to each other in their step sequence
• Great speed and positions through the Golden Waltz but I'd like to see her let her upper body flow a little more instead of hitting all the positions with her arms
• Nice rotational lift with difficult hold changes and position changes for Meryl
• Her hands on the ending pose are a little awkward
• All in all a solid, well skated program for Meryl and Charlie.  They should easily go into 1st place.

30.00 TES + 33.62 PCS = 63.62 into 1st place

Top three are Davis/White, Crone/Poirier and Weaver/Poje
Weaver/Poje have the highest technical element score.
Davis/White have the highest program component score.

Grand Prix Final Predictions Update

Before Skate Canada, Backstage Barbie and I made Grand Prix Final predictions (original post here http://backstagebarbie.blogspot.com/2010/10/2010-isu-grand-prix-final-predictions.html). 

I have highlighted those teams that have qualified for the Final.

Ice Musings                        BackStage Barbie               Actual Qualifiers

Men:

Daisuke Takahashi                          Daisuke Takahashi                    Daisuke Takahashi

Jeremy Abbott                                Jeremy Abbott                          Patrick Chan

Adam Rippon                                 Adam Rippon                           Tomas Verner

Brian Joubert                                  Brian Joubert                            Takahiko Kozuka

Patrick Chan                                   Nobunari Oda                          Nobunari Oda

Tokahiko Kozuka                           Florent Amodio                        Florent Amodio 

Ladies:

Carolina Kostner                            Carolina Kostner                       Miki Ando
Rachel Flatt                                    Rachel Flatt                               Carolina Kostner

Mirau Nagasu                                Mirai Nagasu                             Kanako Murakami

Agnes Zawadzki                            Agnes Zawadzki                         Rachael Flatt

Miki Ando                                     Miki Ando                                 Akiko Suzuki

Fumie Suguri                                  Mao Asada                               Alissa Czisny

Pairs:

Pang/Tong                                     Pang/Tong                               Pang/Tong

Bazarova/Larionov                        Bazarova/Larionov                   Moore-Towers/Moscovitch

Takahashi/Tran                             Takahashi/Tran                         Iliushechkina/Maisuradze

Iliushechkina/Maisuradze               Iliushechkina/Maisuradze          Sui/Han

Savchnko/Szolkowy                      Savchenko/Szolkowy               Bazarova/Larionov

Sui/Han                                         Evora/Ladwig                          Savchenko/Szolkowy

Ice Dance:

Davis/White                                  Davis/White                            Davis/White         

Weaver/Poje                                Weaver/Poje                           Crone/Poirier

Faiella/Scali                                  Faiella/Scali                             Weaver/Poje

Kerr/Kerr                                    Kerr/Kerr                                Pechalat/Bourzat

Pechalat/Bourzat                          Shibutani/Shibutani                   Bobrova/Soloviev

Crone/Poirier                               Chock/Zuerlein                        Hoffman/Zavozin

I accurately picked 15/24 Grand Prix Final qualifiers.  Backstage Barbie picked 12/24 qualifiers.  Not bad considering all the withdrawals this season!

Skate America Dance Preview

This will be a rematch of NHK Trophy with Skate Canada's gold medalists thrown in.  Davis and White should have no problem winning gold again here and qualifying for the Final.  The next three teams all have won medals this season on the Grand Prix and are fighting for two podium spots.  While I personally don't like Crone and Poirier's style they have good technical skill and should be able to pull out the second spot here, but their performance quality is lacking and they were upstaged at Skate Canada by the performance of their much younger teammates.  I like Weaver and Poje's skating quality but I don't think they have the strong technique of some of the other teams.  The Shibutanis won bronze at NHK on the strength of their free dance and if they work out the costume issues they should see much higher short dance scores here.  They have some of the highest technical values in the world and have worked to up their performance quality.  After these four teams there will likely be a significant drop in the scores with the rest of the teams falling 15 or so points below 4th place.   

My podium predictions are:
Gold: Davis/White
Silver: Crone/Poirier
Bronze: Shibutani/Shibutani

My USFSA Fantasy Team is:
A) Davis/White
B) Shibutani/Shibutani
C) Reed/Reed

Information on all of the competitors is below.

Vanessa Crone/Paul Poirier, CAN: They finished 14th at the Olympics and 7th at the World Championships.  They finished 4th at their first Grand Prix in Moscow and won bronze at NHK Trophy last season to qualify them for the Grand Prix Final where they placed 6th.  They won gold at their first assignment, Skate Canada.

Kaitlin Weaver/Andrew Poje, CAN: Weaver and Poje are the reigning Four Continents champions.  They are the 2007 World Junior Bronze Medalists.  They finished 6th at their first Grand Prix assignment in Beijing last season before winning bronze at Skate Canada.  They won silver at the NHK Trophy earlier this season.

Stefanie Frohberg/Tim Giesen, GER: They finished 11th at the World Junior Championships.  They placed 4th and 5th at their two Junior Grand Prix assignments last season.  They finished 8th at their Grand Prix debut, Skate Canada.

Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland, GBR: Coomes and Buckland finished 20th at the Olympics and 16th at Europeans.  They finished 8th in their Grand Prix debut at the NHK Trophy.

Cathy Reed/Chris Reed, JPN:  They finished 17th at the Olympics and 15th at Worlds.  They finished 7th at NHK Trophy last season and repeated the result earlier this season. 

Ekaterinka Riazanova/Ilia Tkachenko, RUS:  They finished 6th at their Grand Prix debut in Moscow last season. 

Meryl Davis/Charlie White, USA: They won silver at Olympics and Worlds.  They won both of their Grand Prix assignments last season and the Grand Prix Final.  They started their season with a win at NHK Trophy.

Lynn Kriengkrairut/Logan Giuliette-Schmitt, USA: They placed 10th at Cup of Russia in 2007.  They finished 6th at Nebelhorn Trophy earlier this season.

Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani, USA: They finished 4th at World Juniors last season.  They are the 2009 World Junior Silver Medalists.  They won both of their Junior Grand Prix assignments last season and received the bronze medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final.  They won bronze in their Grand Prix debut at the NHK Trophy.