Group 1
Donlan/Speroff, USA: 19.37 TES + 22.17 PCS -1.00 = 40.54
- Gorgeous partner spiral transition movement into their triple twist
- Not a lot of height but clean catch and a nice exit from her
- Step out on the side by side triple toes
- Not a lot of variations in the death spiral
- Awkward fall from her in their step sequence
- Their steo sequence had a nice flow and quality of movement despite the fall
- Good unison on their side by side spins and nice positions although they were a little far apart
- Hands down on the throw triple salchow although she got great height and distance
- Nice lift position into a beautiful attitude position and a flip into a dance lift hold for an exit
- A few little bobbles but there is a lot of promise in this program if they skate it clean
Montalbano/Krasnopolski, ISR: 20.83 TES + 20.83 PCS -1.00 = 40.66 and into 1st place
- Solid double twist but seemed a little slow in the rotation
- A little bobble on the landing of the triple toe from her
- Straight up in the air on the throw triple loop with no distance and she falls
- A lot of traveling in their side by side spins but decent synchronization
- Awkward leg positions from her getting into the lift and she could use more stretch through her legs during the lift
- Nice flow in their step sequence but they seem a little tired and aren't really attacking the end of this program
- Bent free leg in the death spiral but a nice low position of her head
Castelli/Shnapir, USA: 30.59 TES + 25.08 PCS = 55.67 and into 1st place
- Lots of confidence and attack at the start of this program
- Good height on the triple twist with a good landing
- Side by side triple salchow was decent--she fought for her landing but held on
- A lot of speed in their side by side spins but they're not together and also aren't side by side
- Gorgeous throw triple salchow with a ton of height and distance
- Nice use of the arms and stretch through the legs to really finish off all the elements of their step sequence
- Nice press lift right to a stomach hold and their signature split lift
- Good heel stretch into a low death spiral with a nice exit
- Very nice program for them!
Group 2
James/Cipres, FRA: 30.28 TES + 25.48 PCS = 55.76 and into 1st place
- Big triple twist and she almost went past horizontal
- She hung on to that side by side triple toe
- Very nice throw triple flip with great height
- Nice stretched out death spiral with her head below her knee
- Decent attempt at some latin moves in this program but they could commit to them more to really sell the program
- Fun flying camels perfectly together in the middle of their step sequence was a real highlight and good stretch through their free legs in the hold section of their footwork
- Nice entry to the lift but she could stretch her bottom leg more after the change of position into the hip hold with a catch foot
- Good position variations in their side by side spin with good timing
Denney/Coughlin, USA: 33.14 TES + 27.61 PCS = 60.75 and into 1st place
- Caydee's look is much more toned down this year with no crazy hair pieces and more subtle makeup
- Huge triple twist that looked amazingly easy
- Nice side by side triple toes
- Nice throw triple flip with good distance and she held the landing
- Good relationship between them in the side by side spins with nice timing until the very end when she finished a rotation before him
- She still could work on her lift positions and really stretch through her legs and arch her back more
- I'd like to see more Spanish character during this routine to really accentuate the feeling of the music especially through this footwork sequence
- Good stretched leg in the death spiral with a really nice arch in her back
Pang/Tong, CHN: 31.50 TES + 31.46 PCS -1.00 = 61.96 and into 1st place
- A lot more Spanish feel in this program from the carriage to the facial expression to the arm movements
- He is very tilted in the air on the triple toes and falls
- Beautiful triple twist with her arms above her head on the catch
- Huge throw triple loop and she has to eke that free leg out to hang on to it
- Good death spiral
- Press up into a split lift rotating in both directions and a hip hold with her lying on her side--very difficult and they made it look easy
- They seem a little slow through the middle of this step sequence but I like the touches they've added to really carry the theme of the program
- Very nice timing on their side by side spins and nice stretch in all of their positions
Volosozhar/Trankov, RUS: 32.87 TES + 32.91 PCS = 65.78 and into 1st place
- I think she borrowed her costume from Kaitlin Weaver...the necklaces on the dress make me a little nervous considering the lifts and throws these pairs are doing
- Bluesy beginning of the program but everything seems very placed and staged and lacking the chemistry they normally have
- Crashy landing on the landing of the triple twist and he seemed to not have his balance
- Triple salchows he turned out but kept his free leg up
- Big throw triple loop and she hangs on but not their best
- Decent death spiral
- Backwards entry into their lift with a great side hold position--very different from what other teams have been doing
- For this music the step sequence needs to be smooth and seems to be lacking the feeling of the piece
- Beautiful positions in their side by side spins
- They seemed a little tight overall with little errors on many of their elements and they didn't seem to really be in the program. I don't think it suits them as well as their programs have in the past.
