NRW Ice Dance Trophy Senior Dance Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Deduction -	StN.
1	Pernelle CARRON / Lloyd JONES	FRA	59.74	31.14		28.60	7.25	7.00	7.13	7.31	7.06	0.00	#10
2	Cathy REED / Chris REED	JPN	55.88	29.64		26.24	6.75	6.38	6.56	6.44	6.63	0.00	#13
3	Allison REED / Vasili ROGOV	ISR	51.95	28.88		23.07	5.88	5.56	5.75	5.88	5.75	0.00	#5
4	Valeriya STARYGINA / Ivan VOLOBUEV	RUS	50.88	25.25		25.63	6.44	6.13	6.56	6.38	6.50	0.00	#1
5	Kristina GORSHKOVA / Vitaliy BUTIKOV	RUS	49.34	23.13		26.21	6.63	6.44	6.56	6.56	6.56	0.00	#7
6	Charlotte AIKEN / Josh WHIDBORNE	GBR	47.41	25.27		22.14	5.50	5.31	5.56	5.63	5.63	0.00	#11
7	Danielle O´BRIEN / Gregory MERRIMAN	AUS	44.62	21.88		22.74	5.81	5.44	5.81	5.81	5.56	0.00	#2
8	Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR	TUR	43.82	21.63		22.19	5.50	5.38	5.56	5.63	5.63	0.00	#3
9	Louise WALDEN / Owen EDWARDS	GBR	43.06	22.00		21.06	5.31	5.06	5.44	5.19	5.31	0.00	#8
10	Natalia KALISZEK / Michal KALISZEK	POL	38.51	19.12		19.39	4.75	4.75	4.75	5.06	4.88	0.00	#12
11	Sarah May COWARD / Georgi KENCHADZE	BUL	37.85	20.01		17.84	4.63	4.31	4.38	4.44	4.50	0.00	#9
12	Henna LINDHOLM / Ossi KANERVO	FIN	37.71	17.17		20.54	5.13	5.00	5.06	5.19	5.25	0.00	#6
13	Katharina MÜLLER / Justin GERKE	GER	37.59	18.24		19.35	4.81	4.63	4.81	4.94	4.94	0.00	#4

Free Dance

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Deduction -	StN.
1	Pernelle CARRON / Lloyd JONES	FRA	87.73	43.01		44.72	7.44	7.31	7.44	7.63	7.56	0.00	#11
2	Cathy REED / Chris REED	JPN	84.95	44.01		40.94	6.88	6.69	6.81	6.88	6.94	0.00	#10
3	Valeriya STARYGINA / Ivan VOLOBUEV	RUS	84.35	42.55		42.80	7.06	6.94	7.19	7.25	7.38	1.00	#13
4	Kristina GORSHKOVA / Vitaliy BUTIKOV	RUS	80.87	39.91		40.96	7.00	6.69	6.81	6.88	6.81	0.00	#12
5	Charlotte AIKEN / Josh WHIDBORNE	GBR	78.82	43.38		36.44	6.06	5.81	6.06	6.25	6.38	1.00	#7
6	Louise WALDEN / Owen EDWARDS	GBR	74.18	39.18		35.00	5.88	5.69	5.94	5.94	5.81	0.00	#8
7	Danielle O´BRIEN / Gregory MERRIMAN	AUS	72.53	37.79		34.74	5.75	5.56	5.75	5.94	6.13	0.00	#5
8	Allison REED / Vasili ROGOV	ISR	72.40	35.25		38.15	6.38	6.13	6.50	6.44	6.50	1.00	#9
9	Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR	TUR	69.61	34.94		35.67	6.06	5.69	5.88	6.00	6.25	1.00	#6
10	Henna LINDHOLM / Ossi KANERVO	FIN	68.01	36.49		32.52	5.56	5.25	5.44	5.44	5.50	1.00	#4
11	Katharina MÜLLER / Justin GERKE	GER	62.80	32.72		30.08	4.94	4.69	5.19	5.25	5.25	0.00	#2
12	Natalia KALISZEK / Michal KALISZEK	POL	56.44	27.35		30.09	5.06	5.00	4.88	5.25	4.88	1.00	#3
13	Sarah May COWARD / Georgi KENCHADZE	BUL	52.16	26.76		26.40	4.75	4.19	4.44	4.44	4.25	1.00	#1

Total

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SD	FD
1	Pernelle CARRON / Lloyd JONES	FRA	147.47	1	1
2	Cathy REED / Chris REED	JPN	140.83	2	2
3	Valeriya STARYGINA / Ivan VOLOBUEV	RUS	135.23	4	3
4	Kristina GORSHKOVA / Vitaliy BUTIKOV	RUS	130.21	5	4
5	Charlotte AIKEN / Josh WHIDBORNE	GBR	126.23	6	5
6	Allison REED / Vasili ROGOV	ISR	124.35	3	8
7	Louise WALDEN / Owen EDWARDS	GBR	117.24	9	6
8	Danielle O´BRIEN / Gregory MERRIMAN	AUS	117.15	7	7
9	Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR	TUR	113.43	8	9
10	Henna LINDHOLM / Ossi KANERVO	FIN	105.72	12	10
11	Katharina MÜLLER / Justin GERKE	GER	100.39	13	11
12	Natalia KALISZEK / Michal KALISZEK	POL	94.95	10	12
13	Sarah May COWARD / Georgi KENCHADZE	BUL	90.01	11	13
WD	Elena ILINYKH / Nikita KATSALAPOV	RUS

Rostelecom Cup Dance Preview

Davis/White started off this season with a gold medal finish at Skate America and are 10ths of a point within the top score of the season.  They are truly in a league of their own with Virtue and Moir with great lifts, precise technical skills and emotion packed performances.  Their free skate is a joy to watch and is a perfect fit for them.  They have the 2nd best short dance, best free dance and 2nd best total score of the season.  They can qualify with a gold, silver or bronze finish.  They will also qualify with a 4th place finish if two of the following things happen: Bobrova/Soloviev finish 5th or lower, Tobias/Stagniuanas finish 2nd or lower and Carron/Jones finish 2nd or lower.

Bobrova/Soloviev also started off with a gold medal earlier this season at Cup of China, defeating the Shibutanis by a healthy margin.  Their free dance had some rough patches and I wasn't a fan of the distracting costumes but they've had time to work out some of these issues.  They have the 4th best short dance, free dance and total score of the season.  They can qualify with a gold, silver or bronze finish.  They will also qualify with a 4th place finish if two of the following things happen: Davis/White finish 5th or lower, Tobias/Stagniuanas finish 2nd or lower and Carron/Jones finish 2nd or lower.

Tobias/Stagniunas won their first career Grand Prix medal at Skate America and share coaches with with Davis and White.  Their programs are high energy and a lot of fun but lack the technical difficult of the top teams.  They can qualify with a gold medal.  They will also qualify with a 2nd place finish if two of the following things happen: Carron/Jones finish 3rd or lower, Davis/White finish 5th or lower and Bobrova/Soloviev finish 5th or lower.

Carron/Jones also won a bronze medal earlier this season at NHK Trophy.  They can qualify with a gold medal.  They will also qualify with a 2nd place finish if two of the following things happen: Tobias/Stagniunas finish 3rd or lower, Davis/White finish 5th or lower and Bobrova/Soloviev finish 5th or lower.

Weaver/Poje are competing in their third event of the season and already have two silver medals this season.  Their free dance is exquisite with beautiful lines, great lifts and wonderful performance quality, but an extended lift cost them the gold medal at NHK Trophy.  They have a great chance to qualify for the Final at this event and improve their rankings.  They have the 6th best short dance, 7th best free dance and 5th best total score of the season.  They can qualify if two of the above teams don't meet their qualification criteria, if they win a bronze medal and improve their score by 13.11 points or if they win a gold or silver medal.

Riazanova/Tkachenko are also in the mix with the 10th best short dance score of the season.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Davis/White
Silver: Bobrova/Soloviev
Bronze: Weaver/Poje

Bios of the competitors:
Weaver/Poje, CAN: They finished 5th at Worlds and 4th at Four Continents.  They won silver at Skate Canada and NHK Trophy.  They are the 2010 Four Continents Champions and 2007 Junior World bronze medalists.  Their personal best is 160.32.  She is 22 and he is 24.

Carron/Jones, FRA: They finished 12th at Worlds and 9th at Four Continents.  They won bronze at Cup of China.  Their personal best is 140.86.  She is 25 and he is 23.

Tobias/Stagniunas, LTU: They finished 14th at Worlds and 12th at Europeans.  They won bronze at Skate America. Their personal best is 132.58. She is 20 and he is 26.

Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS: They finished 6th at Worlds and are the reigning European silver medalists.  They won gold at Cup of China.  They qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and finished 4th.  They are the 2007 World Junior Champions.  Their personal best is 163.52.  She is 21 and he is 22.


Pushkash/Guerreiro, RUS: They are the reigning World Junior silver medalists.  They placed 6th at Skate Canada.  They qualified for the JGP Final last season and placed 4th.  Their personal best is 126.63.  She is 19 and he is 20.

Riazanova/Tkachenko, RUS: They finished 6th at Europeans.  They placed 5th at Skate Canada.  Their personal best is 146.79.  She is 20 and he is 24.


Davis/White, USA: They are the reigning World and Four Continents Champions.  They won gold at Skate America.  They qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and won gold.  They are the 2010 Olympic silver medalists; 2010 World silver medalists; 2009 Four Continents Champions; 2008 Four Continents silver medalists; and 2006 World Junior bronze medalists.  Their personal best is 185.27.  She is 24 and he is 23.

Cup of China Free Dance

The event begins at 2:30am EST.
The warmup group is on the ice.

Group 1

Lichtman/Copely, USA: 37.65 TES + 31.70 PCS = 69.35 Total: 109.61

• For their Austin Power free skate he is in the blue tux with a white ruffled shirt and she is in a neon pink, orange and yellow dress with boot covers
• He has the looks and the personality to really pull off this character
• Nice straightline lift with him down toward the ice and she works the 70s arms
• Good unison on the twizzles but slightly slow
• I'd like to see them put more character into this step sequence as right now it could be in any dance; their edge quality is nice though
• Lift over his shoulder and changing position to a hold with her standing on his boot
• A nice cartwheel entry into their curve lift with him in a spread eagle and her arched back over the ice
• They could use more speed through their dance spin and I'd like to see more flexibility from Charlotte
• 2nd step sequence seemed a little repetitive
• Nice rotational lift at the end with her in a scorpion position and he changes levels during the rotation
• I feel like they had the costumes but the story never developed--its also unclear who she is, the female lead, a fembot?

Samuelson/Gilles, USA: 34.05 TES + 32.05 PCS -3.00  = 63.10 Total: 106.74 and into 2nd place

• They are performing to Stairway to Heaven and she is in a gold Latin dress while he's in all black
• I'm confused by the smiles on their faces; I thought this was a sad song
• Nice positions in their dance spin, I love Emily's lines and toe point but it was very slow
• I like the variety of holds in their step sequence and the ease with which they change positions and they have some interesting steps in their footwork
• Backwards flip into several position changes including a hydroblade with her in a haircutter position
• Their footwork just doesn't seem completely polished and sure yet but they've only been training together 8 weeks
• Their rotational lift is very slow and the last position is a little awkward with her wrapped around him
• Lack of unison on the first set of twizzles but they get it together for the last two
• Interesting entry into their curved lift with him in a spread eagle with her legs wrapped around him and arched forward over the ice
• It seemed a little frantic in places and I don't think her dress fits the piece at all but they can take this experience and make changes for US nationals

Huang/Zheng, CHN: 38.34 TES + 36.70 PCS = 75.04 Total: 120.11 and into 1st place

• They are skating to Libertango and she is in a red and black dress
• Decent unison on their three sets of twizzles but they really slowed through each set
• Nice twist into a lift with several changes of position but ends with a slightly awkward rotational lift with  her facing him in a 180 degree split 
• I'd like to see them really attack these step sequences to show off the true tango flair and to put some tango steps in so it's not so generic
• Arabesque lift through several position changes but the exit seemed rushed
• No speed in this dance spin but the change of foot was seamless
• Rotational lift in the haircutter position
• If you're going to do the tango show me the passion in your face and the abandon in  your movements

Yu/Wang, CHN: 33.57 TES + 33.66 PCS = 67.23 Total: 115.59 and into 2nd place

• He is in a black costume with gold trim and she is in a blue and purple dress
• Good speed and unison on their twizzles but they got very close together
• One armed rotational lift very easy position for her
• I'd like to see her really use her line and stretch through her free legs and work on the height of the arabesque line as its making the step sequences seem very flat 
• Almost the same lift as Samuelson and Gilles with a flip over the head into a stand on the boot lift
• A little slow on their dance spin
• Nice entry into their combination lift with many changes of position and ending with a rotational lift
• Their step sequence feels very bouncy because they are not getting into their knees and really using their edges

Group 2

Carron/Jones, FRA: 38.19 TES + 40.37 PCS = 78.56 Total: 130.97 and into 1st place

• She is wearing a red dress with a side cutout and rouching on the opposite side and he is wearing a white jacket over a black pantsuit.
• They performed their twizzles in a circular pattern with a lot of distance between them and had several transitional steps before their second set of twizzles
• Good step sequence but I'd like to see a little more variety as it looks exactly like all the others today
• Spread eagle with her standing on his hips and bent back over the ice
• Nice stationary rotational lift with her showing great strength holding her position perpendicular to the ice
• There are a couple of places in the step sequence after turns that it looks like they're not quite right in terms of regaining their holds
• Great speed on their dance spin and right with the music
• Nice combination lift with four changes of position that ended in an rotational lift in a haircutter position for her
• They seem a little tired here at the end and I'd like to see them push through and really sell it

Coomes/Buckland, GBR: 39.92 TES + 39.58 PCS -3.00 = 76.50 Total: 130.39 and into 2nd place

• She is wearing a red and white dress and he is in a black outfit with a red neck scarf
• They also perform their twizzles in a circular pattern
• Couldn't tell if that was a bobble or not in their transitional move
• Nice straightline lift with her in a handstand on his foot
• They're looking a little frantic; I'd like to see them slow down and really focusing on making all the elements polished
• I like how she really uses her free arm in this step sequence
• Toss over the head to a fish into a rotational lift
• I feel like they're skating through the music and not really skating to it
• She needs to really stretch through her free leg in the step sequence
• Upside down handstand position for her while he skates backwards on one leg
• Good speed in their dance spin with a really awkward shift into their change of foot
• A big fall for them out of their final lift but they both seem ok

Shibutani/Shibutanti, USA: 43.14 TES + 48.47 PCS -1.00 = 90.61 Total: 148.40 and into 1st place

• She is wearing a red and white dress and he is in a fetching sweater vest
• I like how much speed they have and it's clean and not frantic like the other teams
• Their signature twizzles are so fast and effortless with great unison through all three and in time to the music
• Front flip into a back flip into a Standing position and then a rotational lift
• Good speed in their dance spin with a bit of an awkward transition in their change of foot
• Nice shoot the duck from her in the step sequence; Her use of her arms is spot on and their lines match so nicely
• Curve lift with her standing on his hip and arched back toward the ice
• Really interesting use of the hold positions with several different variations in their step sequence
• Nice twist into their rotational lift with her in a haircutter position
• So effortless, fun and charming from them.  They make it look so easy.

Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS: 45.95 TES + 51.84 PCS = 97.79 Total: 163.52 and into 1st place

• She is dressed like the Queen of Darkness in a highnecked long sleeved long black dress 
• This dress is making me very nervous as it goes all the way down to her ankles in strips which makes it easy to get caught in a lift or if she's near the ice in a transitional move
• Opening lift with him on his knee and her upside down--poor guy can't see because her dress vocers his whole face
• Their unison isn't spot on on the twizzles but is pretty good
• Bielmann flip into a spread eagle lift with her bent back toward the ice
• They're really using her tendency to hunch over in hold positions to their advantage by giving them a character piece that requires her to do so
• Decent speed in the dance spin with a better change of direction than I've seen all morning
• I like the sweeping feel of their step sequence to the waltz section of their music but she needs to really stretch through that free leg
• Nice change of positions in this lift--very easy changes
• Interesting double scorpion rotational lift from her
• Botched final lift and he struggles to put her down to get into their ending pose

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Ded. -	StN.
1	Ekaterina BOBROVA / Dmitri SOLOVIEV	RUS	97.79	45.95		51.84	8.68	8.36	8.75	8.75	8.86	0.00	#8
2	Maia SHIBUTANI / Alex SHIBUTANI	USA	90.61	43.14		48.47	8.18	7.93	8.11	8.14	8.11	1.00	#7
3	Pernelle CARRON / Lloyd JONES	FRA	78.56	38.19		40.37	6.79	6.50	6.86	6.75	6.89	0.00	#5
4	Penny COOMES / Nicholas BUCKLAND	GBR	76.50	39.92		39.58	6.57	6.43	6.54	6.79	6.79	3.00	#6
5	Xintong HUANG / Xun ZHENG	CHN	75.04	38.34		36.70	6.32	5.93	6.21	6.14	6.07	0.00	#3
6	Charlotte LICHTMAN / Dean COPELY	USA	69.35	37.65		31.70	5.32	5.11	5.25	5.36	5.50	0.00	#1
7	Xiaoyang YU / Chen WANG	CHN	67.23	33.57		33.66	5.71	5.50	5.61	5.71	5.57	0.00	#4
8	Emily SAMUELSON / Todd GILLES	USA	63.10	34.05		32.05	5.46	5.21	5.32	5.46	5.32	3.00	#2

Pl.	Name	Nation	Points	SD	FD
1	Ekaterina BOBROVA / Dmitri SOLOVIEV	RUS	163.52	1	1
2	Maia SHIBUTANI / Alex SHIBUTANI	USA	148.40	2	2
3	Pernelle CARRON / Lloyd JONES	FRA	130.97	4	3
4	Penny COOMES / Nicholas BUCKLAND	GBR	130.39	3	4
5	Xintong HUANG / Xun ZHENG	CHN	120.11	6	5
6	Xiaoyang YU / Chen WANG	CHN	115.59	5	7
7	Charlotte LICHTMAN / Dean COPELY	USA	109.61	8	6
8	Emily SAMUELSON / Todd GILLES	USA	106.74	7	8

Cup of China Short Dance

This event begins at 3:30am EST.
The skaters are on the ice and warming up.

Group 1

Samuelson/Gilles, USA: 22.51 TES + 21.13 PCS = 43.64

• They are wearing all black costumes which really sets them apart from the neon multicolored field
• She has very free movement through her hips and great arch in her back and use of her head
• Nice lift timed with the music with an over the head kick to a hold and a drop into a spread eagle position for him and an arched back position for her
• They have great speed and flow through their rhumba sequence
• She does an extra twizzle on the first set and they just lose the unison in the second two sets 
• Very nice edgework from her in the step sequence; his aren't as deep so it occasionally hurts their unison
• Their leg lines match each other well and they both have nice stretch through their legs
• Nice final rotational lift with her upside down hanging by her knees
• They still have a new look about them but very solid for how short they've been together

Yu/Wang, CHN: 27.58 TES + 21.78 PCS -1.00 = 48.36 and into 1st place

• They are wearing green, yellow and orange costumes and she has long feathers attached to her butt
• Nice performance quality from her in her face right from the top
• Nice unison on all three sets of twizzles and great speed in the first set
• They don't have very deep edges in their rhumba sequence and I'd like to see her do a bit more with her arm then just hold it in a V to the side
• I'd like to see her stretch through her free leg in the non touching step sequence but it has a nice flow to it and good unison
• I'd like to see more arch from her in the straightline lift with him in a spread eagle and her wrapped around his leg

Lichtman/Copely, USA: 18.79 TES + 21.47 PCS = 40.26 and into 3rd place

• She's in a hot pink dress and rocking the side pony tail
• Some of these movements at the top seem very forced and feels like they're just going through the choreography and not really performing the steps
• Nice edges and extension through the rhumba but Charlotte looks very unison
• Slight loss of unison in the twizzles
• I'd like to see her lose a little control and really go for some of these movements including the arches
• Good lift with a change of position
• He bobbles the footwork in the step sequence and has to catch up with her
• Their lines match each other very well in the rhumba
• Overall a fine performance but they seem a little nervous and tentative and still look very junior

Coomes/Buckland, GBR: 28.85 TES + 25.04 PCS = 53.89 and into 1st place

• She is wearing a gold bangly dress with a black sash
• Nice to see a team bringing the passion to these Latin dances!
• Their rhumba looks very placed and I'd like to see better flow
• Interesting entry into their lift--almost like a pairs overhead entry but they have a really difficult time with their exit
• The twizzles seemed very slow
• Nice change of positions for them in the step sequence but their arms are not together and they lose unison on one of their turns

Group 2

Huang/Zheng, CHN: 21.73 TES + 23.34 PCS = 45.07 and into 3rd place

• They are wearing bright yellow costumes with flowers and she has a huge head piece around the front of her head
• She bobbles the second set of twizzles but doesn't put her foot down
• It's really nice to see him getting into the performance
• I'd like to see more for her in the rhumba in terms of her free arm instead of just sticking it out to the side
• Rough entry into their lift and they have to abort
• He has really nice edgework in their step sequence and really uses his arms well
• Interesting attempt at a samba roll on the ice

Carron/Jones, FRA: 25.35 TES + 27.06 PCS = 52.41 and into 2nd place

• They are in blue costumes and she has a red and yellow skirt with a red flower in her hair
• They struggled with unison in all three sets of their twizzles
• Good speed, nice extension through their free leg on the rhumba but I'd like to see her do something with her arm besides leave it on her hip
• Flip over the shoulder into their lift and ends with a rotation
• I like how they use their edges in the rhumba section
• They lose unison in a few places in the step sequence

Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS: 32.50 TES + 33.23 PCS = 65.73 and into 1st place

• She is in an orange and black long sleeve dress--looks more Halloween than Latin especially with the hair ribbon in her ponytail
• Their moves at the top have more commitment than any of the other teams I've seen this morning
• She comes out of the first set of twizzles late and it looks like they get very close at the end of the second twizzles
• She has very nice lines and expression and really uses her whole body to express the movement
• Good speed, lines and edgework through the rhumba sequence
• Backwards cartwheel entry into their straightline lift with a change of position
• I like how deep they are in their knees in the step sequence, but they are so deep in plie that they sometimes forget to straighten the free leg when it's lifted

Shibutani/Shibutani, USA: 27.71 TES + 30.08 PCS = 57.79 and into 2nd place

• They are wearing all black and her dress has an asymmetrical hemline, a cut out on one side and one shoulder strap
• She's really working that ponytail in the beginning
• I love that their Latin dance moves feel authentic and not cheesy
• Great speed and flow through the rhumba pattern with nice stretch through their legs and use of the upper body to accent
• The second and third set of twizzles seemed slow for them which is still fast compared to the field and all three sets were spot on for unison
• I like how they both use their head and upper body to accent points in the rhumba
• For being so young they have a great maturity on the ice and really look like a senior team
• The only error I saw in the step sequence was when Alex came out of a turn slightly earlier than Maia
• Rotational lift with good speed and a change of position

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Ded. -	StN.
1	Ekaterina BOBROVA / Dmitri SOLOVIEV	RUS	65.73	32.50		33.23	8.29	8.04	8.46	8.36	8.36	0.00	#7
2	Maia SHIBUTANI / Alex SHIBUTANI	USA	57.79	27.71		30.08	7.71	7.36	7.57	7.54	7.43	0.00	#8
3	Penny COOMES / Nicholas BUCKLAND	GBR	53.89	28.85		25.04	6.29	6.04	6.43	6.46	6.11	0.00	#4
4	Pernelle CARRON / Lloyd JONES	FRA	52.41	25.35		27.06	6.71	6.57	6.96	6.89	6.71	0.00	#6
5	Xiaoyang YU / Chen WANG	CHN	48.36	27.58		21.78	5.43	5.18	5.68	5.46	5.46	1.00	#2
6	Xintong HUANG / Xun ZHENG	CHN	45.07	21.73		23.34	6.04	5.68	5.64	5.86	5.89	0.00	#5
7	Emily SAMUELSON / Todd GILLES	USA	43.64	22.51		21.13	5.43	5.14	5.25	5.32	5.25	0.00	#1
8	Charlotte LICHTMAN / Dean COPELY	USA	40.26	18.79		21.47	5.57	5.07	5.39	5.50	5.29	0.00	#3

Cup of China Dance Preview

The Shibutanis had a record setting debut season, becoming the first ice dance team to medal at both their Grand Prix events in their first senior season and winning the bronze medal in the first North American sweep of the ice dance podium at Worlds.  They have a charming style on the ice and an infectious joy in their skating that is hard not to love.  In addition, they have amazing technical prowess, easily earning Level 4s on their elements with some of the fastest and cleanest twizzles in ice dance.  They're not quite at the level to catch their training mates Davis and White and Virtue and Moir but they're poised to take home their first Grand Prix gold.

Bobrova and Soloviev had a breakout season last year, earning their first Grand Prix medals, including one gold, and qualifying for the Grand Prix Final.  They also won the silver medal at Europeans and finished in the top 6 at Worlds.  They struggled to find the right packaging last season and while their free dance was nice it was also forgettable.  With so many top Russian junior dance teams making the climb into the senior ranks, they'll have to take some risks if they want to maintain their spot at the top.

Lichtman and Copely are making their Grand Prix debut at this event.  They were the lone American team in the Junior Grand Prix Final last season and won the bronze medal at Junior Worlds.  They have the same coaches as the Shibutanis but I don't expect them to have the same breakout season the Shibutanis had.  Lichtman has very long limbs and can create great lines but she doesn't always use all that length to her advantage by really stretching through her legs.  They scrapped their original free dance and have switched to Austin Powers which suits them perfectly and should be a real crowd pleaser.

This is a weaker field than some of the dance events and gives Carron and Jones of France a chance to win their first Grand Prix medal.  They changed their free dance at Worlds to a Gershwin medley which was the perfect program for them.  If they can find this momentum early in the season they could have a breakout year.

I don't think the Chinese teams will contend for the podium here, but they have been taking notes from the North American teams and I was impressed at their improvements at Four Continents.  They're really pushing this discipline and I can see them catching up to the rest of the world by Sochi.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Shibutani/Shibutani
Silver: Bobrova/Soloviev
Bronze: Carron/Jones

Bios of the competitors:
Huang/Zheng, CHN: They finished 17th at Worlds and 6th at Four Continents.  They placed 5th at Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard last season.  Their personal best is 130.29.  She is 24 and he is 24.

Yu/Wang, CHN: They finished 7th at Four Continents.  They placed 9th at NHK Trophy and 8th at Cup of China last season.  Their personal best is 125.75.  She is 25 and he is 25.

Carron/Jones, FRA: They finished 12th at Worlds and 9th at Four Continents.  They placed 5th at Skate Canada and 4th at Trophee Eric Bompard last season.  Their personal best is 140.86.  She is 25 and he is 23.

Coomes/Buckland, GBR: They finished 16th at Worlds and 14th at Europeans.  They placed 8th at NHK Trophy and Skate America last season.  Their personal best is 126.29.  She is 22 and he is 22.

Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS: They finished 6th at Worlds and are the reigning European silver medalists.  They won silver at Cup of China and gold at Cup of Russia last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 4th.  They are the 2007 World Junior Champions.  Their personal best is 161.14.  She is 21 and he is 22.

Lichtman/Copely, USA: They are the reigning World Junior bronze medalists.  They won gold at JGP Austria and bronze at JGP Germany last season to qualify for the JGPF where they finished 5th.  Their personal best is 133.36.  She is 18 and he is 22.

Samuelson/Gilles, USA:  This is their Grand Prix debut.

Shibutani/Shibutani, USA: They are the reigning World bronze medalists and Four Continents silver medalists.  They won bronze at NHK Trophy and Skate America last season.  They are the 2009 World Junior silver medalists.  Their personal best is 163.79.  She is 17 and he is 20.

Cup of Nice Senior Dance Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Deduction -	StN.
1	Pernelle CARRON / Loyd JONES	FRA	53.17	27.01		27.16	6.75	6.56	6.81	6.75	7.00	1.00	#12
2	Valeria STARYGINA / Ivan VOLOBUEV	RUS	50.15	26.51		24.64	6.25	5.94	6.19	6.13	6.25	1.00	#7
3	Sara HURTADO / Adria DIAZ	ESP	46.64	25.50		22.14	5.44	5.31	5.44	5.56	5.81	1.00	#5
4	Tanja KOLBE / CARUSO STEFANO	GER	43.52	21.63		21.89	5.50	5.19	5.38	5.50	5.69	0.00	#3
5	Anastasia ZVORYGINA / Maciej BERNADOWSKI	POL	41.36	21.50		19.86	5.13	4.88	5.13	5.00	4.75	0.00	#9
6	Louise WALDEN / EDWARDS OWEN	GBR	40.68	20.75		19.93	5.13	4.75	5.06	5.19	4.81	0.00	#1
7	Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR	TUR	40.48	20.00		20.48	5.25	4.88	5.19	5.13	5.13	0.00	#2
8	Siobhan HEEKIN-CANEDY / Dmitry DUN	UKR	39.59	17.74		21.85	5.56	5.31	5.31	5.50	5.56	0.00	#6
9	Carolina HERMANN / Daniel HERMANN	GER	38.52	16.38		22.14	5.50	5.38	5.56	5.56	5.63	0.00	#11
10	Ramona ELSENER / Florian ROOST	SUI	37.45	18.24		20.21	5.19	4.75	5.06	5.00	5.19	1.00	#8
11	Barbara SILNA / Juri KURAKIN	AUT	34.59	15.25		20.34	5.13	4.94	4.88	5.38	5.06	1.00	#10
12	Lesia VOLODENKOVA / Vitaly VAKUNOV	BLR	32.01	14.62		18.39	4.75	4.44	4.69	4.63	4.50	1.00	#13
13	Katherine FIRKIN / Henri DUPONT	AUS	19.81	9.17		11.64	3.06	2.69	2.75	3.13	2.88	1.00	#4

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Deduction -	StN.
1	Valeria STARYGINA / Ivan VOLOBUEV	RUS	75.94	37.88		39.06	6.56	6.31	6.63	6.63	6.56	1.00	#12
2	Pernelle CARRON / Loyd JONES	FRA	68.43	29.86		39.57	6.69	6.44	6.50	6.63	6.81	1.00	#13
3	Tanja KOLBE / CARUSO STEFANO	GER	67.53	33.70		34.83	5.88	5.56	5.75	6.00	6.00	1.00	#10
4	Sara HURTADO / Adria DIAZ	ESP	65.66	32.76		34.90	5.88	5.56	5.69	6.00	6.13	2.00	#11
5	Carolina HERMANN / Daniel HERMANN	GER	63.58	31.01		34.57	5.75	5.50	5.81	5.94	6.00	2.00	#5
6	Siobhan HEEKIN-CANEDY / Dmitry DUN	UKR	62.11	29.04		33.07	5.75	5.25	5.63	5.50	5.56	0.00	#6
7	Louise WALDEN / EDWARDS OWEN	GBR	61.78	30.44		32.34	5.44	5.13	5.56	5.56	5.44	1.00	#8
8	Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR	TUR	60.24	29.77		31.47	5.38	5.13	5.25	5.38	5.13	1.00	#7
9	Ramona ELSENER / Florian ROOST	SUI	57.23	27.51		29.72	5.19	4.56	5.00	5.19	5.06	0.00	#4
10	Barbara SILNA / Juri KURAKIN	AUT	57.08	27.62		29.46	4.94	4.69	4.88	5.13	5.06	0.00	#3
11	Anastasia ZVORYGINA / Maciej BERNADOWSKI	POL	56.31	24.75		31.56	5.31	5.06	5.31	5.44	5.31	0.00	#9
12	Lesia VOLODENKOVA / Vitaly VAKUNOV	BLR	46.73	25.01		22.72	3.94	3.63	3.81	4.00	3.63	1.00	#2
13	Katherine FIRKIN / Henri DUPONT	AUS	28.13	12.97		17.16	3.06	2.69	2.81	3.06	2.75	2.00	#1

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SD	FD
1	Valeria STARYGINA / Ivan VOLOBUEV	RUS	126.09	2	1
2	Pernelle CARRON / Loyd JONES	FRA	121.60	1	2
3	Sara HURTADO / Adria DIAZ	ESP	112.30	3	4
4	Tanja KOLBE / CARUSO STEFANO	GER	111.05	4	3
5	Louise WALDEN / EDWARDS OWEN	GBR	102.46	6	7
6	Carolina HERMANN / Daniel HERMANN	GER	102.10	9	5
7	Siobhan HEEKIN-CANEDY / Dmitry DUN	UKR	101.70	8	6
8	Alisa AGAFONOVA / Alper UCAR	TUR	100.72	7	8
9	Anastasia ZVORYGINA / Maciej BERNADOWSKI	POL	97.67	5	11
10	Ramona ELSENER / Florian ROOST	SUI	94.68	10	9
11	Barbara SILNA / Juri KURAKIN	AUT	91.67	11	10
12	Lesia VOLODENKOVA / Vitaly VAKUNOV	BLR	78.74	12	12
13	Katherine FIRKIN / Henri DUPONT	AUS	47.94	13	13

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.