Ice Champions Live!

Ryan Bradley meeting with fans after the performance.

This event benefited the Michael Weiss Foundation and is currently in it's 8th year.  The Foundation has given out over $455,000 in scholarships to skaters to help with their training expenses.  Weiss started the Foundation as a way to give back after seeing how difficult it was for his family to meet his training expenses.  The Foundation is a family affair with his brother-in-law emceeing the show along with several family members selling programs, working the auction and setting up the meet and greet area with the skaters.

The show was kicked off by local novice skater Elise Romola, who will compete at the Challenge Skate in Salt Lake City next week.  Skating to Good Time by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen she showcased two pretty double axels and nice spins in addition to great personality on the ice.  After her performance, she received a large cheer from the hometown crowd.  She described participating at this event "amazing" and said that "it inspires you to skate with this level of talent."

Gigi and Luca Becker are the reigning U.S. Intermediate Dance Champions and hail from Bethesda, MD.  They had lovely spins and a nice straight line lift as well as lovely ease on the ice.  Two of their most impressive elements were three sets of twizzles and a change of position rotational lift.  Having attended this event as spectators the last two years, they are first time recipients of the Michael Weiss Scholarship and first time performers at this event.   They called skating in the show "an honor" and "amazing."  "It's so fun to skate with Olympic Champions.  I never thought I'd meet Richard Dornbush.  I even had a conversation with John Kerr."  

Two time U.S. Bronze Medalist Dan Hollander debuted his new Popeye program and started by mopping the ice.  He showcased an incredibly high double axel along with some inventive spins.  His sailor dance section in the middle was very entertaining, especially after he needed some spinach to get through a turbo speed section which ended with a back flip.

Rachel and Michael Parsons are the reigning U.S. Junior Pewter Medalists and train alongside the Beckers in Wheaton, MD.  They'll make their Junior Grand Prix debut in Austria this week and showcased their new hip hop and blues short dance.

One of the biggest highlights of the evening was Richard Dornbush's nerd inspired Let's Get It On/Stayin Alive program.  He landed a nice triple axel as well as a triple loop along with three double axels in a row.  He is a master showman and really got the crowd laughing along with toe pick walks and boogie arms along with the worm.  Afterward, Dornbush said that he really enjoyed the show, especially getting to be around all of his idols and have a great time in a non-competitive environment.

2008 U.S. Ladies Champion Mirai Nagasu skated a gorgeous program to "Crazy Dreams."  She floated across the ice and seemed like a dancer with great arm movements and wonderful timing with the music.  She ended her program with an impressive Biellman spin that she brought back down to a haircutter.

Ryan Bradley, the 2011 U.S. Men's Champion had the crowd screaming for his "Footloose" program with a quad and a triple axel along with a back flip.  His only fluke in the program was a fall on a spin but in typical fashion he played it off and was laughing at himself as he got back into his program.  

British ice dancer John Kerr performed solo at this event after his sister and partner Sinead had a conflict at the last minute and couldn't attend.  He mimed dancing with a partner at points in his Rat Pack inspired program and even landed an axel!

Skating to Nessun Dorma, Olympic Champion Brian Boitano landed a huge double axel and performed a spread eagle that went halfway around the rink.  His music and his skating filled the rink for an impressive performance.

Ashley Wagner, the reigning U.S. Ladies Champion showcased her new Philip Mills choreographed short program to the "Red Violin."  She landed a triple lutz, triple loop and a gorgeous double axel along with nice positions in her spin and an intricate step sequence.  She had great intensity and confidence in her program and it was a hit with the audience.

Stephen Cousins, Kimmie Meissner, The Next Ice Age and Capitol Steps also performed at this year's show.

Michael Weiss, himself a two-time Olympian, closed the evening with his daughter Annie Mae singing "Don't You Remember" by Adele.  After her impressive vocal performance, Weiss returned to the ice and showcased his signature athletic moves including a headstand, spread eagle on his heels and an x-out backflip.  For the curtain call, Weiss was joined by Hollander and Bradley for simultaneous back flips.

The Becker siblings said that the scholarship makes it "easier for [our] mom to send us to lessons."  But Dornbush reiterated that it's more than just the money that makes a difference.  "It's great to have these people behind you...After my short program at nationals [where he finished 17th], Michael made the time to talk to me and I really appreciated that."

For the older skaters, the show gives them an opportunity to inspire the next generation.  "It feels like just yesterday I was looking up," said Bradley.  "Michael Weiss came to my club show [in St. Joseph, MO] when I was nine, so it's cool to come back and do his show."  Nagasu's advice is "I wish them the best of luck and tell them to have fun.  It's all about the journey."

European Championships Recap

Men: Florent Amodio won Europeans in his first try and finished ahead of countrymate Brian Joubert to prove that this young skater has arrived in the senior ranks.  Joubert was able to come back after his lackluster Grand Prix season and claim the silver medal here.  Tomas Verner had a solid outing to take the bronze medal but arguably underperformed here compared to his Grand Prix results.  Kevin van der Perren put up solid scores to finish in 4th and rising Russian star Artur Gachinski rounded out the top 5.  Michal Brezina made his debut for the season and seems to still be recovering from his injury.  He wasn't able to match his results from last season but was able to finish a respectable 8th.  With some additional time to rehab and train his programs he should be able to move up the ranks for Worlds.  Alban Preaubert rounded out the top 10 and showed the strength and depth of the French team taking 1st, 2nd and 10th.

I had one correct medal prediction (Joubert won silver) and picked all three medal winners.

Ladies: Sarah Meier went out with a bang and was able to win her first European title in front of a home crowd in her last competition.  Carolina Kostner had some problems with her short program but was able to come back in her free skate to win the silver medal.  Her injury is likely continuing to plague her as the season goes on, but there is a break before Worlds which should let her take some time to get healthy.  Kiira Korpi was able to continue the momentum from Trophee Eric Bompard and capture the bronze medal and continue the rise of Finnish ladies.  Despite a coaching change, Ksenia Makarova was able to put out solid performances and finish 4th, ahead of countrymate Alena Leonova.  Ira Vannut of Belgium is a young skater that was able to impress and finish 7th.  She was only 16 points from the podium and she is definitely a skater to watch out for in the coming years.  Elene Gedevanishvilli was not able to repeat her finish last season and land on the podium, but she did finish 8th in a relatively strong field.  Unfortunately, none of the top skaters were able to improve their total scores from earlier in the season. 

I had no correct medal predictions, but I did pick two of the three medal winners (Kostner and Korpi)

Pairs: Savchenko and Szolkowy were able to continue their streak on top and regain their European title.  Defending champions Kavaguti and Smirnov fell to second but greatly improved upon their Rostelecom Cup score.  Bazarova and Larionov were able to rebound from their poor Grand Prix Final and Russian Nationals performances and claim the bronze medal here.  They were still a good ways back from the top two teams but they are a young team and have a lot of nice qualities.  If they can get more solid on their jumps, their scores will improve.  Gerboldt and Enbert finished 4th and are only in their first year as a team, but they were 20 points from the bronze medal.  The Russians have seemed to regain some of their dominance in pairs, finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th here and their top team was ineligible to compete at this event.  Kadlecova and Bidar of Czechloslovakia are continuing to make a name for themselves in the senior ranks with a 7th place finish.

Kavaguti and Smirnov's total score pushed them ahead of Pang and Tong to have the 2nd best score for the season and make them a strong contender at Worlds.  Bazarova and Larionov also improved their total score and are only 5 points behind Pang and Tong in seasons best.  Gerboldt and Enbert were able to make the list at number 8 and should have no problem with a top 10 finish at Worlds.

I correctly picked all the medalists in the right order.

Dance: Pechalat and Bourzat have continued their winning season with their first European title.  Bobrova and Soloviev are also continuing their success with a new short dance that lifted them to the silver medal.  In their final season the Kerr siblings were able to come back from a shoulder injury that sidelined them during the Grand Prix and take the bronze, only 1 point from the silver medal.  Reigning world junior champions Ilinykh and Katsalapov are having a great debut senior season with a 4th place finish that had them only 2 points from the podium.  Their other young teammates Riazanova and Tkachenko showed Russia's dominance in dancer with a 6th place finish.  Between these three teams and the three teams that swept the Junior Grand Prix Final, the Russians should have a strong dance contingent for the Olympics in Sochi.  Faiella and Scali continue to struggle with costume issues and were only able to finish 5th here.  Hoffman and Zavozin also finished a disappointing 8th after a great Grand Prix season.

Pechalat and Bourzat slightly increased their total score and are within 4 points of Davis and White.  Bobrova and Soloviev's Europeans score has put them in 3rd place for the season and the Kerrs are closely behind in 4th.  The young Russians have taken the 6th and 7th spots and Faiella and Scali have landed in 8th place.  It will be interesting to see how these scores hold up after Four Continents when some of the young North American teams who had great performances at Nationals have a shot at the international judges again.

I had one correct medal prediction (Pechalat and Bourzat won gold) and picked all three medal winners.

Overall:  I had 5/12 exact medal predictions and 11/12 medal winners.  My USFSA fantasy team finished in 33rd place.

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

European Championships: Free Dance

1. Pechalat/Bourzat, FRA: 48.85 TES + 51.64 PCS = 100.49
2. Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS: 46.92 TES + 49.76 PCS = 95.68
3. Kerr/Kerr, GBR: 45.87 TES + 48.75 PCS = 94.62
4. Ilinykh/Katsalapov, RUS: 46.13 TES + 46.42 PCS = 92.55
5. Faiella/Scali: 42.15 TES + 46.59 PCS = 88.74
6. Riazanova/Tkachenko, RUS: 40.68 TES + 43.46 PCS = 84.14
7. Zhiganshina/Gazsi, GER: 43.64 TES + 39.23 PCS = 82.87 Total: 140.69
8. Hoffman/Zavozin, HUN: 40.21 TES + 42.09 PCS = 82.30
9. Mysliveckova/Novak, CZE: 41.34 TES + 39.64 PCS = 80.98
10. Carron/Jones, FRA: 39.81 TES + 38.37 PCS = 78.18
11. Heekin-Canedy, UKR: 40.64 TES + 33.48 PCS = 74.12
12. Frolenkova/Kasalo, UKR: 40.76 TES + 32.37 PCS = 73.13
13. Tobias/Stagniunas, LTU: 39.14 TES + 34.22 PCS -1.00 = 72.36
14. Coomes/Buckland, GBR: 39.26 TES + 33.43 PCS -1.00 = 71.69
15. Hurtado/Diaz, ESP: 39.43 TES + 31.54 PCS = 70.97
16. Elsener/Roost, SUI: 40.87 TES + 28.64 PCS = 69.51
17. Reed/Japaridze, GEO: 35.94 TES + 31.93 PCS = 67.87
18. Alessandrini/Vaturi, ITA: 36.29 TES + 32.37 PCS -1.00 = 67.66
19. Testa/Mior, ITA: 35.46 TES + 31.66 PCS -2.00 = 65.12
20. Frieling/Rumi, ISR: 30.93 TES + 27.01 PCS = 57.94

European Championships: Short Dance

1. Pechalat/Bourzat, FRA: 34.13 TES + 32.78 PCS = 66.91
2. Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS: 34.07 TES + 31.39 PCS = 65.46
3. Kerr/Kerr, GBR: 32.00 TES + 30.87 PCS = 62.87
4. Ilinykh/Katsalapov, RUS: 31.79 TES + 29.14 PCS = 60.93
5. Riazanova/Tkachenko, RUS: 32.50 TES + 28.41 PCS = 60.91
6. Hoffmann/Zavozin, HUN: 29.79 TES + 28.21 PCS = 58.00 
7. Zhiganshina/Gazsi, GER: 57.82 TES + 32.50 PCS = 57.82
8. Carron/Jones, FRA: 31.42 TES + 25.81 PCS =57.23
9. Faiella/Scali, ITA: 26.75 TES + 30.43 PCS = 57.18
10. Mysliveckova/Novak, CZE: 29.50 TES + 25.87 PCS -1.00 = 54.37
11. Heekin-Canedy/Shakalov, UKR: 26.93 TES + 22.22 PCS = 49.15
12. Tobias/Stagniunas, LTU: 27.22 TES + 21.78 PCS = 49.00
13. Frolenkova/Kasalo, UKR: 27.21 TES + 20.52 PCS = 47.73
14. Alessandrini/Vaturi, ITA: 23.94 TES + 23.75 PCS = 47.69
15. Testa/Mior, ITA: 26.29 TES + 21.23 PCS = 47.52
16. Reed/Japaridze, GEO: 26.58 TES + 21.28 PCS = 46.86
17. Hurtado/Diaz, ESP: 25.14 TES + 19.70 PCS = 44.84
18. Coomes/Buckland, GBR: 24.42 TES + 22.36 PCS = 44.78
19. Elsener/Roost, SUI: 25.79 TES + 16.56 PCS = 42.35
20. Frieling/Rumi, ISR: 23.72 TES + 17.97 PCS = 41.69
21. Shtork/Rand, EST: 21.58 TES + 18.18 PCS = 38.76

Top 20 teams qualify for the free dance.

Europeans: Ice Dance Preview

Pechalat and Bourzat are posed to make a big jump from 4th at Europeans last season to the top of the podium.  They won gold at both their Grand Prix assignments and took silver at the Grand Prix Final.  They have nearly an 8 point lead over the field in terms of scores for the season and their scores are the 2nd best out of all the competitors on the Grand Prix.  This is their competition to lose, but this is one of the toughest and deepest fields at Europeans.

Bobrova and Soloviev have the 4th highest total score for the season.  They won two Grand Prix medals, one gold, and finished 4th at the Grand Prix Final.  If they can bring their short dance score up, they could make this an even tighter event, but they struggled in that segment at the Grand Prix Final.  They finished 9th at Europeans next year and I predict they'll make a big jump in the standings.

The Kerrs have the 5th highest total score for the season but had to withdraw from their second Grand Prix and their nationals due to a shoulder injury.  The injury was also plaguing them at their first event.  If they're healthy, their scores should really come up here, especially in the free dance.  They finished 5th here last season but do have one European medal already.  They have announced that this will be their final season and they're going to be fighting for a spot on the podium at Europeans and Worlds.

Riazanova/Tkachenko have the 6th highest total score for the season and have a Grand Prix medal.  They are another team with high short dance scores but lower free dance scores.  With a good performance they could definitely contend for a medal but I see them finishing in the top 5. 

Hoffman and Zavozin are one of three teams in this field that qualified for the Grand Prix Final.  While I like their programs and their partnership, I think they capitalized on weaker fields at their events.  They were a surprise 3rd at the Final after their short dance, but they had a rough free dance that dropped them into 6th place overall.  While they have the 9th highest score of the season, their free dance does not make the top 10 list.  I don't think they'll medal here, but they will definitely improve upon their 10th place finish last season.

Faiella and Scali won silver at Europeans last season but have had a rough time this year.  At their first assignment they had problems with her skirt in both of their programs and only have the 10th best score of their season.  In their second event, they were able to improve their short dance score but they still finished behind Bobrova and Soloviev and had to withdraw before the free dance.  I think this team will definitely have an improvement in their scores, but it will be difficult for them to improve to a podium spot.  I think they're looking at a top 5 placement.

Ilinykh/Katsalapov are the reigning world junior champions and won their first Grand Prix medal this season.  Their free dance has the 9th best score of the season, but they need to improve their short dance to be competitive in this field.  They should easily finish in the top 10, which is a respectable result for their first year as seniors.

Carron and Jones are another team that should land in the top 10.  They finished just off the podium in their two Grand Prix assignments and finished 12th at Europeans last season.

Alessandrini/Vaturi are one of the teams to watch for after finishing 5th at Junior Worlds last season.  The other teams in the top 5 have experienced good success this season at the junior and senior levels, so it will be interesting to see how this team holds up, especially as they did not receive Grand Prix assignments.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Pechalat/Bourzat
Silver: Kerr/Kerr
Bronze: Bobrova/Soloviev

My USFSA Fantasy Team:
A) Pechalat/Bourzat
B) Riazanova/Tkachenko
C) Testa/Mior

The teams:

Geil/Eisenbauer, AUT: They are the reigning national champions.

Valadzenkava/Vakunov, BLR: They finished 26th at Europeans and 29th at Junior Worlds. 

Tremasova/Lichev, BUL: They finished 32nd at the World Junior Championships.  They placed 13th and 16th at their two JGP assignments this season.

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

Good/Sorensen, DEN: They placed 24th at Worlds, 21st at Europeans and 17th at Junior Worlds. 

Shtork/Rand, EST: They finished 23rd at the Olympics and 28th at Junior Worlds.  They finished 8th and 6th at their two JGP assignments this season.

Lindholm/Kanervo, FIN: They are the reigning national champions.

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

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

Reed/Japaridze, GEO: They finished 22nd at the Olympics, 21st at Worlds and 19th at Europeans.

Zhiganshina/Gazsi, GER: They are the reigning national champions.

Coomes/Buckland, GBR: Coomes and Buckland finished 20th at the Olympics and 16th at Europeans.  They finished 8th at NHK Trophy and Skate America.

Kerr/Kerr, GBR (D): They finished 8th at the Olympics and 5th at Worlds and Europeans.  They are the 2009 European Bronze medalists.  They won silver at Skate Canada but withdrew from Cup of Russia due to injury.

Hoffman/Zavozin, HUN (D): 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 in their Grand Prix debut at Cup of China, won silver at Cup of Russia, and placed 6th at the Grand Prix Final. 

Nagy/Fejes, HUN: They are the reigning national silver medalists.

Frieling/Rumi, ISR (D):

Alessandrini/Vaturi, ITA (D): They finished 5th at the World Junior Championships.

Faiella/Scali, ITA (D): Faiella and Scali placed 5th at the Olympics and won bronze at the World Championships and silver at Europeans.  They won bronze at Cup of China and withdrew from Cup of Russia.

Testa/Mior, ITA: They finished 22nd at Europeans.

Tobias/Stagniunas, LTU: This is their first season together.

Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS (D):  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 Cup of Russia to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 4th. 

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

Riazanova/Tkachenko, RUS (D): They finished 5th at Skate America and won silver at Trophee Eric Bompard.

Visnova/Csolley, SVK: They finished 20th at Europeans and 19th at World Juniors.  They placed 10th and 7th at their two JGP assignments this season.

Hurtado/Diaz, ESP: They finished 16th at Junior Worlds.  They placed 10th and 5th at their two JGP assignments this season.

Elsener/Roost, SUI: They finished 25th at Europeans and 27th at the World Junior Championships.  They finished 7th and 13th at their two JGP assignments.

Frolenkova/Kasalo, UKR (D): They are the reigning national silver medalists.

Heekin-Canedy/Shakalov, UKR (D): They are the reigning national champions.