Cup of China Pairs Free Skate

Group 1
Wang/Zhang, CHN: 51.83 TES + 42.90 PCS -1.00 = 93.73 Total: 143.52

• Interesting spiral into a cartwheel move at the beginning of their program
• Huge quad twist but he almost threw her away from him instead of straight up and she had a two foot landing
• Problems on their side by side triple salchows (she falls) and they can't complete the sequence
• He squeaks out the landing on their side by side double salochows
• Nice spiral entry from both of them into the death spiral; very slow but good position for her
• Very far apart on their side by side spins but good timing for the most part 
• She needs to really stretch through her legs in this lift and it could flow across the ice better
• Throw triple flip a little forward on the landing but she hangs on
• Really difficult entry into the throw triple loop with tons of ice coverage
• Again she could use more stretch through her lift but a bit better on the rotation
• Difficult lift entries but they also look difficult so they could work on smoothing things out; nice one foot carry feature but not a lot of speed
• Decent positions and speed in their pairs spin
• They have a lot of potential but I worry about their age difference in terms of longetivity

Stolbova/Klimov, RUS: 58.14 TES + 58.75 PCS -1.00 = 115.89 Total: 172.55 and into 1st place

• A little crashy on the landing of their double twist
• Really nice triple toe + double toe + double toe side by side jumps
• A little labored into their first lift but nice changes of position
• A little flat for her on the death spiral but nice transition
• Her dress doesn't seem to be very Addams Family and they both seem to be going through the motions with this choreography
• Interesting positions in their pairs spin with good speed
• Good positioning on their side by side spins with good timing and nice positions
• A little bit of an awkward entry and exit into their second lift
• Fall on the throw triple lutz
• Nice side by side double axels
• Cartwheel up into a really nice hip hold lift with good flexibility from her
• Nice throw triple salchow with great toe point from her in the air
• This team has a lot of potential as they have a lot of really nice qualities but some things still looked labored but it's early in the season 

Peng/Zhang, CHN: 55.71 TES + 52.27 PCS -2.00 = 105.98 Total: 163.87 and into 2nd place

• Gorgeous quad twist with tons of height and a nice catch
• She falls on the sbs triple toe and can't complete the three jump combo
• Nice stretch through her positions in the first lift and good ease in the position changes
• A little bit of difficulty in their transition hydroblade move
• Fall on the throw triple loop--seemed a bit hesitant on the takeoff
• Side by side double axels
• Nice positions and distance between them on the side by side spins with good flexibility and nice timing
• A bit bobbly getting out of another transition move
• Huge throw triple salchow and she made the landing look effortless
• Good positions in the lift with a one foot carry feature but he has to tap his foot down a few times
• Nice arch in her back in the death spiral
• Good positions and decent speed in their pairs spin
• Good speed on their final lift but no flow at the end
• They have a lot of the big elements but make mistakes on simple transition steps which costs them PCS points

Group 2
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN: 55.24 TES + 58.00 PCS = 113.24 Total: 172.36 and into 2nd place

• Not a lot of height on the triple twist but they pulled it off
• Good fast rotation on the triple toe; he stepped out but they were able to pull off the sequence
• Nice side by side triple salchows
• Unattractive death spiral positions especially after the change of hold and she is almost completely flat and twisted sideways
• A few hops in their pairs spin 
• Lunge up into a nice split lift with good fast rotation from him
• Big throw triple salchow with a nice landing from her
• Two footed landing on the throw triple loop
• Nice split lift but she needs a bit more stretch through the carry feature; nice change of rotation
• Fast side by side spins with good distance between them and nice timing
• REally difficult lift from a kneeling position and a change of rotation

Kavaguti/Smirnov, RUS: 57.09 TES + 62.74 PCS = 119.83 Total: 183.53 and into 1st place

• Just slightly off on both jumps in the triple toe + triple toe sequence but both landed
• Really far forward on the landing of the throw triple salchow but she hangs on
• Crashy landing on their twist (underrotated?)
• Nice death spiral position but lack of speed by the end 
• Good distance on their side by side spins but very slow and some unattractive arm positions 
• Good one foot hold in the lift but he seems slow in his rotation
• They eke out those side by side double axels
• Hangs on to the throw triple loop
• Nice change of positions in their 2nd lift including one with her completely vertical upside down
• Final lift into her signature haircutter carry feature with him on one leg
• Decent speed and positions in their pairs spin
• This whole program seemed slow and a bit of a struggle but they fought for everything in it

Pang/Tong, CHN: 53.74 TES + 66.51 PCS = 120.25 Total: 188.82 and into 1st place

• Double axel + double axel sequence--she singled the first and I believe he singled the second
• Nice triple twist
• Side by side triple toes (she doubled)
• Good spacing on their side by side spins and good timing
• Really awkward death spiral with her working leg bent and her free leg in a bent catch foot position; not very low, completely side ways and not a lot of rotations
• Nice entry to their first hand to hand lift with a good position for her
• She's become so much more expressive over the years and she is lovely to watch on the ice
• Big throw triple salchow with a nice landing
• Not as big on the throw triple loop but still nice
• Press lift with a change in rotation and position and a one handed exit
• Spiral into a lift with a spread eagle carry feature 
• Overall a lovely program 

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Qing PANG / Jian TONG	CHN	120.25	53.74		66.51	8.36	8.04	8.39	8.32	8.46	0.00	#6
2	Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV	RUS	119.83	57.09		62.74	7.93	7.68	7.75	7.96	7.89	0.00	#5
3	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV	RUS	115.89	58.14		58.75	7.36	7.04	7.32	7.46	7.54	1.00	#2
4	Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH	CAN	113.24	55.24		58.00	7.29	7.00	7.29	7.29	7.39	0.00	#4
5	Cheng PENG / Hao ZHANG	CHN	105.98	55.71		52.27	6.79	6.39	6.46	6.57	6.46	2.00	#3
6	Wenting WANG / Yan ZHANG	CHN	93.73	51.83		42.90	5.54	5.14	5.39	5.43	5.32	1.00	#1

Pl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Qing PANG / Jian TONG	CHN	188.82	1	1
2	Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV	RUS	183.53	2	2
3	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV	RUS	172.55	5	3
4	Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH	CAN	172.36	3	4
5	Cheng PENG / Hao ZHANG	CHN	163.87	4	5
6	Wenting WANG / Yan ZHANG	CHN	143.52	6	6

Cup of China Men's Free Skate

Group 2
Nan Song, CHN: TES + PCS =

• Collided with Rippon in 6 minute warmup and withdrew

Adam Rippon, USA: 61.81 TES + 71.86 PCS = 133.67 Total: 205.48 and into 1st place

• Popped his axel into a single + double toe
• Nice triple salchow
• With this new haircut he looks a lot like Kent Boyd from SYTYCD
• A little low on the landing of the triple loop but hangs on
• I like this fun carefree program--such a departure from what he normally does and it shows a different side of his skating
• Flying sit spin with a nice twisted position and good speed maintaining through the back donut
• I like the little choreographic touches in his transitions
• Triple axel and hangs on to the landing
• Triple lutz + double toe + double loop with one arm variation on the lutz
• Nice choreographic step sequence really playing to the crowd
• Nice speed in his combination spin with a good layback position included
• Step out and under-rotated Rippon lutz
• Double axel
• Nice spread eagle into triple flip right at the end of the program
• If he wants to break into the top group he'll need to get consistency on that triple axel as it is an absolute MUST in addition to quads.  He also seems to be struggling with his lutz lately which is his signature jump.

Sergei Voronov, RUS: 73.59 TES + 70.44 PCS = 144.03 Total: 217.61 and into 1st place

• Big quad toe just slightly forward on the landing
• Huge triple axel a little off in the air but he lands it
• Quad toe + double toe-- not a lot of transitions between those three jumps but he gained a lot of points
• Needs more flexibility through the catchfoot position in his camel spin; not a lot of speed but maintained throughout
• A little slow on the step sequence and he doesn't always extend through his free leg
• Triple toe + double toe
• Triple flip
• Double axel + double toe + double toe
• Triple loop
• Triple salchow--solid jumping day for him
• I like the freedom in this step sequence and he seems to be connecting with the audience and his music more
• Good speed in the camel position but his leg is slightly forward; traveling a lot after the change of foot and not a lot of flexibility in some of the positions
• Sit spin needs more stretch in the free leg

Tatsuki Machida, JPN: 76.66 TES + 77.78 PCS -1.00 = 153.44 Total: 236.92 and into 1st place

• Big triple axel but it looked like his free leg touched the ice on the landing
• Fall on the quad toe
• Triple lutz + triple toe off in the air and tight on the landing of his second jump
• Not a lot of rotations in the sit spin and no change of position so it will be a lower level
• A lot of movement in his step sequence with use of his full body but seems choppy in places and he's on top of his blade instead of into his edges in places
• Triple axel almost landed in a squat but he manages to tack on the sequence
• Nice camel spin 
• Triple loop
• Triple lutz
• Triple flip + double toe
• Triple toe
• He seems a little frantic in places in this choreographic step sequence and I'd like to see him have a bit more control while still having the same passion and feel for the choreography
• Not a lot of speed in his combination spin

Daisuke Takahashi, JPN: 65.30 TES + 82.66 PCS -1.00 = 146.96 Total: 231.75 and into 2nd place

• Two foots the quad toe but stands up
• I hate this costume--not sure what he's supposed to be; it looks like someone threw two costumes together
• Two foots the quad toe + single toe
• Huge triple axel right on the music
• Nice positions in his spins, good centering, not a ton of speed, but maintained throughout
• Good step sequence and I think he's doing all he can with what he's been given but I don't think this program truly lets him show off his style and play to the crowd which are two of his biggest strengths
• Nice layback spin
• Triple lutz a little forward + double toe
• Triple axel step out + single toe
• Triple salchow out of steps
• Triple loop
• He seems to be really running out of steam and he doesn't seem to be into this program at all; no magic at all and really lackluster
• Triple flip
• Now we're getting a little something in this choreographic step sequence
• Good speed in his final combination spin

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Tatsuki MACHIDA	JPN	153.44	76.66		77.78	7.75	7.39	7.89	7.86	8.00	1.00	#8
2	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	146.96	65.30		82.66	8.39	8.04	8.04	8.32	8.54	1.00	#9
3	Sergei VORONOV	RUS	144.03	73.59		70.44	7.32	6.54	7.21	7.04	7.11	0.00	#7
4	Adam RIPPON	USA	133.67	61.81		71.86	7.29	6.89	7.11	7.32	7.32	0.00	#6
5	Yi WANG	CHN	131.02	68.52		63.50	6.57	6.07	6.43	6.36	6.32	1.00	#2
6	Kevin REYNOLDS	CAN	128.37	62.17		67.20	6.82	6.64	6.64	6.64	6.86	1.00	#4
7	Jinlin GUAN	CHN	115.07	55.57		60.50	6.25	5.79	6.14	6.07	6.00	1.00	#1
WD	Nan SONG	CHN											#5
WD	Brian JOUBERT	FRA											#3

Pl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Tatsuki MACHIDA	JPN	236.92	2	1
2	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	231.75	1	2
3	Sergei VORONOV	RUS	217.61	3	3
4	Adam RIPPON	USA	205.48	4	4
5	Kevin REYNOLDS	CAN	198.24	6	6
6	Yi WANG	CHN	188.27	8	5
7	Jinlin GUAN	CHN	171.04	9	7

Cup of China Ladies Free Skate

Group 1
Ying Zhang, CHN
Sofia Biryukova, RUS
Joshi Helgesson, SWE: 38.16 TES + 47.60 PCS -1.00 = 84.76  Total: 134.43 and into 1st place

• Fall on her opening triple flip
• Nice triple salchow
• Good height on her triple loop 
• Nice flexibility in her catch foot position in the camel spin
• Awkward music cut
• She seems a bit slow today 
• A lot of ice spray on some of these edges in her step sequence which means her edge changes weren't clean and not a lot of upper body movement
• Spiral into triple lutz
• Double salchow + double toe
• Choreographic step sequence into a double axel
• Flying entry to a camel spin with a flying change to a sit spin into a nice haircutter but losing a lot of speed in the Biellman
• Double axel turnout double toe
• She needs more stretch and toe point in her sit spin but nice upright catch foot

Amelie Lacoste, CAN: 31.06 TES + 48.97 PCS -2.00 = 78.03 Total: 135.46 and into 1st

• Fall on her opening triple lutz
• Really fought for the landing on that triple flip--almost in a lunge
• Spiral into a triple loop--again almost a lunge in the landing
• Flying sit spin with nice positions
• I think this music with her elegant style will be great when she hits the program but it seems to overwhelm her when she's struggling on the jumps
• Nice illusions in the camel spin
• Triple salchow a little huched over on the landing and a turn out
• Triple loop fall
• Double salchow
• I almost wonder if she's putting so much pressure on herself to achieve the minimum technical score in the free skate for Worlds that it's affecting her programs
• Lovely choreography in her step sequence but it is lacking a bit of speed and power as well as energy and commitment
• She needs to fix her arm position in her layback but a nice haircutter

Group 2
Zijun Li, CHN: 51.58 TES + 51.27 PCS -2.00 = 100.85 Total: 160.06 and into 1st place

• Nice opening triple flip + triple toe
• Good double axel + triple toe
• Triple lutz a little two footed on the landing and she can't hang on and falls
• Beautiful camel spin into a nice donut and catch foot which picks up speed
• This music suits her very well as it compliments her light and airy style on teh ice
• Gorgeous positions in her combination spin but running out of speed by the end
• Triple salchow + double toe +double loop very tight on the end
• Triple flip fall
• Nice triple loop
• Nice difficulty and variety in her step sequence with good use of her full body
• Double axel 
• Losing her balance a bit at the end of her spiral but she hangs on 
• Beautiful layback spin into a nice one arm Biellman

Kiira Korpi, FIN: 51.03 TES + 59.14 PCS = 110.17 Total: 169.86 and into 1st place

• Good speed in the triple toe + triple toe combination
• Triple lutz
• Single salchow--she had no speed and was too close to the boards to pull it off
• Nice positions in her sit spin with a nice transition out of the spin
• Good triple loop + double toe
• Triple salchow turnout + double toe + double loop--a bit of a mess and underrotated
• Single loop
• Nice layback positions but no haircutter or Biellman features
• Great interpretation of the music on her step sequence with good variety and use of her whole body
• Nice spread eagle highlight on the music
• Losing speed after the change of foot in her final spin and she needs more stretch through her sit spin position

Mirai Nagasu, USA: 45.89 TES + 57.81 PCS = 103.70 Total: 163.46 and into 2nd place

• Her dress is just stunning and she looks very mature on the ice
• Nice opening triple lutz
• Good height on the double axel but a little tight on the triple toe landing (underrotated)
• Triple flip
• Nice feel for the music in her step sequence
• Flying camel spin with good variations--not a lot of speed but consistent throughout
• Triple flip + double toe + double loop nicely done
• Nice triple loop + double toe
• Spiral into a double axel
• Arabesque spiral into triple loop
• Good speed and positions in the combination spin but a bit of a bobble on the exit
• Gorgeous Ina Bauer in the choreographic step sequence
• Nice layback spin into a good Biellman
• That's the program she's been looking for for the last several years
• She's going to get hit on some under-rotation calls though

Mao Asada, JPN: 54.53 TES + 64.34 PCS = 118.87 Total: 181.76 and into 1st place

• Beautiful toe point and height in her opening triple loop
• Double axel + triple toe likely two footed
• Good triple flip
• Popped that lutz into a double
• Nice speed and flexibility in her combination spin with good centering
• Triple salchow
• Triple loop + double loop
• Good extension and speed in her Biellman
• Triple flip + double loop + double loop close to the boards but she pulls it off
• Nice freedom in her step sequence but not a lot of ice coverage
• Beautiful spirals

Julia Lipnitskaia, RUS: 57.43 TES + 57.43 PCS = 114.86 Total: 177.92 and into 2nd place

• Really fights for that triple lutz + triple toe
• Double axel + triple toe hands down--not a lot of height on the axel
• Double axel again not a lot of height
• Triple loop
• Good camel spin picking up speed through the donut and catch foot
• I feel like she's just skating through this music and it could be any piece of music that she's skating to
• Triple lutz + double toe
• Triple flip
• Nice triple salchow
• Not a lot of speed through her step sequence and she's not fully using her body to help her get across the ice
• Gorgeous flexibility in her spiral
• A little bobble on her camel spin but interesting position variations showcasing her flexibility but no real transition out of the spin
• Gorgeous Bielmann

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	118.87	54.53		64.34	8.14	7.75	7.96	8.11	8.25	0.00	#9
2	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	114.86	57.43		57.43	7.21	7.00	7.32	7.25	7.11	0.00	#10
3	Kiira KORPI	FIN	110.17	51.03		59.14	7.43	7.04	7.32	7.54	7.64	0.00	#7
4	Mirai NAGASU	USA	103.70	45.89		57.81	7.39	6.96	7.25	7.32	7.21	0.00	#8
5	Zijun LI	CHN	100.85	51.58		51.27	6.61	6.21	6.32	6.54	6.36	2.00	#6
6	Ying ZHANG	CHN	87.27	46.97		42.30	5.61	4.96	5.36	5.29	5.21	2.00	#2
7	Joshi HELGESSON	SWE	84.76	38.16		47.60	6.04	5.64	6.04	6.04	6.00	1.00	#4
8	Sofia BIRYUKOVA	RUS	82.97	37.07		45.90	6.21	5.50	5.50	5.86	5.61	0.00	#3
9	Amelie LACOSTE	CAN	78.03	31.06		48.97	6.46	6.11	5.71	6.25	6.07	2.00	#5
WD	Bingwa GENG	CHN											#1

Pl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	181.76	2	1
2	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	177.92	1	2
3	Kiira KORPI	FIN	169.86	4	3
4	Mirai NAGASU	USA	163.46	3	4
5	Zijun LI	CHN	160.06	5	5
6	Amelie LACOSTE	CAN	135.46	6	9
7	Joshi HELGESSON	SWE	134.43	7	7
8	Ying ZHANG	CHN	130.65	9	6
9	Sofia BIRYUKOVA	RUS	127.36	8	8

Cup of China Free Dance Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Ded. -	StN.
1	Nathalie PECHALAT / Fabian BOURZAT	FRA	100.58	48.83		52.75	8.71	8.58	8.88	8.92	9.04	1.00	#8
2	Ekaterina BOBROVA / Dmitri SOLOVIEV	RUS	95.14	44.50		50.64	8.33	8.13	8.58	8.71	8.71	0.00	#6
3	Kaitlyn WEAVER / Andrew POJE	CAN	93.38	44.25		49.13	8.13	7.96	8.33	8.33	8.38	0.00	#7
4	Madison CHOCK / Evan BATES	USA	90.28	45.92		44.36	7.25	7.17	7.54	7.58	7.63	0.00	#5
5	Victoria SINITSINA / Ruslan ZHIGANSHIN	RUS	82.37	41.45		40.92	6.75	6.58	6.92	7.00	7.04	0.00	#3
6	Charlene GUIGNARD / Marco FABBRI	ITA	82.01	42.42		40.59	6.75	6.58	6.83	6.92	6.88	1.00	#4
7	Xintong HUANG / Xun ZHENG	CHN	74.25	36.89		37.36	6.21	6.08	6.42	6.33	6.21	0.00	#2
8	Xiaoyang YU / Chen WANG	CHN	63.45	31.00		32.45	5.42	5.21	5.46	5.71	5.38	0.00	#1

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SD	FD
1	Nathalie PECHALAT / Fabian BOURZAT	FRA	169.73	1	1
2	Ekaterina BOBROVA / Dmitri SOLOVIEV	RUS	159.46	3	2
3	Kaitlyn WEAVER / Andrew POJE	CAN	158.97	2	3
4	Madison CHOCK / Evan BATES	USA	149.54	4	4
5	Charlene GUIGNARD / Marco FABBRI	ITA	137.58	5	6
6	Victoria SINITSINA / Ruslan ZHIGANSHIN	RUS	137.46	6	5
7	Xintong HUANG / Xun ZHENG	CHN	121.01	7	7
8	Xiaoyang YU / Chen WANG	CHN	106.42	8	8

Cup of China Pairs Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Qing PANG / Jian TONG	CHN	68.57	35.48		33.09	8.32	7.89	8.32	8.36	8.46	0.00	#6
2	Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV	RUS	63.70	31.93		31.77	7.89	7.57	8.07	8.04	8.14	0.00	#5
3	Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH	CAN	59.12	30.52		28.60	7.11	6.82	7.21	7.18	7.43	0.00	#3
4	Cheng PENG / Hao ZHANG	CHN	57.89	31.66		26.23	6.75	6.32	6.71	6.61	6.39	0.00	#1
5	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV	RUS	56.66	27.85		28.81	7.21	6.86	7.21	7.36	7.36	0.00	#4
6	Wenting WANG / Yan ZHANG	CHN	49.79	27.47		22.32	5.75	5.32	5.71	5.54	5.57	0.00	#2

Cup of China Men's Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	84.79	41.90		42.89	8.57	8.32	8.50	8.71	8.79	0.00	#9
2	Tatsuki MACHIDA	JPN	83.48	44.16		39.32	7.79	7.64	8.04	7.89	7.96	0.00	#8
3	Sergei VORONOV	RUS	73.58	39.44		34.14	6.96	6.36	7.00	6.86	6.96	0.00	#2
4	Adam RIPPON	USA	71.81	35.77		37.04	7.39	7.18	7.43	7.50	7.54	1.00	#7
5	Nan SONG	CHN	70.86	39.53		32.33	6.57	6.18	6.61	6.43	6.54	1.00	#4
6	Kevin REYNOLDS	CAN	69.87	36.48		34.39	6.89	6.82	6.82	6.86	7.00	1.00	#5
7	Brian JOUBERT	FRA	63.27	27.20		36.07	7.50	6.64	7.29	7.18	7.46	0.00	#6
8	Yi WANG	CHN	57.25	29.40		28.85	6.07	5.54	5.64	5.89	5.71	1.00	#1
9	Jinlin GUAN	CHN	55.97	25.86		31.11	6.46	6.04	6.07	6.25	6.29	1.00	#3

Cup of China Ladies Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	63.06	35.35		27.71	6.86	6.64	7.21	6.96	6.96	0.00	#4
2	Mao ASADA	JPN	62.89	31.83		31.06	7.93	7.32	7.82	7.86	7.89	0.00	#9
3	Mirai NAGASU	USA	59.76	31.04		28.72	7.29	6.86	7.25	7.25	7.25	0.00	#8
4	Kiira KORPI	FIN	59.69	29.26		30.43	7.64	7.36	7.61	7.71	7.71	0.00	#10
5	Zijun LI	CHN	59.21	33.79		25.42	6.46	6.14	6.50	6.43	6.25	0.00	#5
6	Amelie LACOSTE	CAN	57.43	30.25		27.18	6.86	6.61	6.96	6.79	6.75	0.00	#7
7	Joshi HELGESSON	SWE	49.67	25.93		24.74	6.18	5.89	6.18	6.36	6.32	1.00	#6
8	Sofia BIRYUKOVA	RUS	44.39	21.42		23.97	6.21	5.75	6.07	6.04	5.89	1.00	#2
9	Ying ZHANG	CHN	43.38	22.95		21.43	5.79	5.04	5.36	5.43	5.18	1.00	#1
10	Bingwa GENG	CHN	36.53	16.27		21.26	5.54	5.07	5.29	5.29	5.39	1.00	#3

Cup of China Short Dance Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Ded. -	StN.
1	Nathalie PECHALAT / Fabian BOURZAT	FRA	69.15	34.00		35.15	8.67	8.50	8.92	8.88	8.92	0.00	#8
2	Kaitlyn WEAVER / Andrew POJE	CAN	65.59	32.83		32.76	8.17	7.96	8.29	8.25	8.25	0.00	#7
3	Ekaterina BOBROVA / Dmitri SOLOVIEV	RUS	64.32	31.50		32.82	8.17	7.75	8.33	8.46	8.25	0.00	#6
4	Madison CHOCK / Evan BATES	USA	59.26	30.90		28.36	6.96	6.83	7.25	7.25	7.13	0.00	#2
5	Charlene GUIGNARD / Marco FABBRI	ITA	55.57	29.17		26.40	6.50	6.33	6.75	6.71	6.67	0.00	#3
6	Victoria SINITSINA / Ruslan ZHIGANSHIN	RUS	55.09	28.25		26.84	6.67	6.50	6.71	6.92	6.71	0.00	#4
7	Xintong HUANG / Xun ZHENG	CHN	46.76	21.99		24.77	6.25	5.88	6.25	6.38	6.17	0.00	#5
8	Xiaoyang YU / Chen WANG	CHN	42.97	20.58		22.39	5.54	5.38	5.83	5.71	5.54	0.00	#1

Cup of China Dance Preview

Pechalat and Bourzat are the reigning World Bronze medalists but this could be a three-way race for gold.  Weaver and Poje train alongside the French and were nipping at their heels all season, finishing just off the podium in 4th place at Worlds.  Bobrova and Soloviev showed great improvement in their posture and expression at Skate America and narrowly defeated Weaver and Poje for the silver medal. These teams will be neck and neck and any mistake could cost them the title.

Pechalat and Bourzat are debuting here while the other two teams have already competed twice.  They won't have the benefit of judge's feedback on their levels and choreography and will have to shake off some of the competitive rust.

Weaver and Poje lost ground when they didn't achieve the levels they were looking for in their free dance.  If they can clean up those elements they should be able to edge out a lead over the Russians.  They'll need at least a silver medal if they want a chance to make the Grand Prix Final.

Bobrova and Soloviev have tended the last few seasons to start strong and gradually slip as the season continues.  They'll need to buck this trend and show improvement from event to event if they want to hold off up and coming Russian teams.  They'l need a medal of any kind to have a shot at the Final but a silver medal or better will give them their best chance.

Two potential spoilers are Chock and Bates who have not won a Grand Prix medal yet but have received rave reviews for their Dr. Zhivago free dance and Sinitsina and Zhiganshin, the reigning World Junior Champions who are making their senior debut.

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

Bios of the competitors:
Weaver/Poje, CAN: They finished 4th at Worlds and are the reigning Four Continents Bronze Medalists.  They won bronze at Skate America.  They placed 4th at the Grand Prix Final last season.  They are the 2010 Four Continents Champions and 2007 World Junior Bronze Medalists.  Their personal best is 166.55.  She is 23 and he is 25.

Huang/Zheng, CHN: They placed 12th at Worlds.  They placed 5th at Cup of China and 6th at Trophee Eric Bompard last season.  Their personal best is 130.29.  She is 25 and he is 25.

Yu/Wang, CHN: They placed 7th at Four Continents.  They finished 6th at Cup of China last season.  Their personal best is 125.75.  She is 26 and he is 26.

Pechalat/Bourzat, FRA: They are the reigning World Bronze Medalists and European Champions.  They won silver at Skate America and Trophee Eric Bompard last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won bronze.  They are the 2011 European Champions.  Their personal best is 169.69.  She is 28 and he is 31.

Guignard/Fabbri, ITA: They placed 11th at Europeans.  Their personal best is 129.46.  She is 23 and he is 24.

Bobrova/Soloviev: RUS: They placed 7th at Worlds and are the reigning European Silver Medalists.  They won silver at Skate America.  They placed 6th at the Grand Prix Final last season.  They are the 2011 European Silver Medalists and  2007 World Junior Champions.  Their personal best is 163.52.  She is 22 and he is 23.

Sinitsina/Zhiganshin, RUS: They are the reigning Junior World Champions.  They won gold at JGP Poland and JGP Austria last season to qualify for the JGP Final where they won gold.  Their personal best is 153.81.  She is 17 and he is 20.

Chock/Bates, USA: They finished 4th at Skate Canada and 5th at Trophee Eric Bompard last season.  Their personal best is 135.10.  She is 20 and he is 23.

Cup of China Pairs Preview

Due to injuries, the field at this event has shrunk to only six teams but there will still be a fierce battle for the podium.  Pang and Tong won the silver medal at Skate America despite toning down some of their technical fire due to knee injuries.  If they can maintain their level of skating or even improve the number of successful jumps, they could earn their second Grand Prix medal of the season.

Kavaguti and Smirnov open their season here.  After four Grand Prix medals last season (including one at the Final) they missed Europeans due to injury and finished 7th at Europeans.  She's had shoulder injuries that have impacted their career for years and make some of their innovative lifts difficult to perform.

After Moore-Towers and Moscovitch failed to make the Grand Prix Final last season and then missed out on the Canadian Worlds team, they vowed to retool their training and programs and regain their competitiveness.  They won gold at the U.S. Figure Skating Classic earlier this season and are determined to regain their spot as the top Canadian Pairs team.

Stolbova and Klimov are an up and coming Russian Pairs team.  They already have two World Junior medals as well as a European medal.  They won the silver medal at Cup of Nice this past weekend so they'll have a quick turnaround for this event which could affect their ability to perform at the highest level.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Pang/Tong
Silver: Kavaguti/Smirnov
Bronze: Moore-Towers/Moscovitch

Bios of the competitors:
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN: They won bronze at Skate America and Cup of China last season.  Their personal best is 177.43.  She is 20 and he is 28.

Pang/Tong, CHN: They finished 4th at Worlds.  They won silver at Skate America.  They are the 2010 Olympic Silver Medalists; 2006 and 2010 World Champions; 2007 World Silver Medalists; 2004 and 2011 World Bronze Medalists; 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2011 Four Continents Champions; and 2003, 2005 and 2007 Four Continents Silver Medalists.  Their personal best is 213.31.  She is 32 and he is 33.

Peng/Zhang, CHN: This is their international debut.  She is 15 and he is 28.

Wang/Zhang, CHN: This is their international debut.  She is 15 and he is 24.

Kavaguti/Smirnov, RUS: They finished 7th at Worlds last season.  They won gold at Cup of China and NHK Trophy and silver at Rostelecom Cup last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won bronze.  They are the 2009 and 2010 World Bronze Medalists, 2010 European Champions, 2009 and 2011 European Silver Medalists and 2008 European Bronze Medalists.  Their personal best is 213.15.  She is 30 and he is 28.

Stolbova/Klimov, RUS: They are the reigning European Bronze Medalists.  They placed 7th at Trophee Eric Bompard and 5th at Rostelecom Cup last season.  They are the the 2011 World Junior Silver Medalists and 2010 World Junior Bronze Medalists.  Their personal best is 171.81.  She is 20 and he is 22.

Cup of China Ladies Preview

This event is filled with skaters who have had up and down seasons over the last few years and it really could be anybody's game.

Julia Lipnitskaia is making her Grand Prix debut after winning every event she entered last season, including the World Junior title.  She made her senior debut at Finlandia Trophy earlier this season and showed some cracks when she finished 2nd in the short program, but she pulled up in the free skate to win the gold medal.  She is well known for her impressive flexibility, especially in her spins as well as her jump arsenal including triple+triples.  If she can hit her jumps, she can earn the gold medal here.

Kiira Korpi struggled with injuries last season but nearly beat Lipnitskaia at Finlandia Trophy.  Her style on the ice is mesmerizing and she can easily win the PCS scores but she'll need to land her triple+triples and other jumps, especially in her free skate if she wants to win her first Grand Prix medal since 2010.

Mao Asada qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season after two medals on the Grand Prix but had to withdraw due to the sudden death of her mother.  While her free skate was one of the best choreographed of the season she struggled to land the jumps toward the end of the season and finished 6th at Worlds for the 2nd year in a row.

Mirai Nagasu could win the whole event or fall somewhere toward the middle of the pack.  She has a history of making silly mistakes in her programs such as falling out of spins that cost her big points.     She changed her coaching situation in the off-season and seemed much happier and relaxed on the ice at an exhibition performance in September.  She is also only scheduled for one Grand Prix event this season so she'll want to put up a good score and get herself in a better position for two Grand Prix events in the Olympic year.  She had a decent showing at Finlandia but finished 3rd behind two ladies that are competing here by almost 20 points.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Julia Lipnitskaia
Silver: Mao Asada
Bronze: Kiira Korpi

Bios of the competitors:
Amelie Lacoste, CAN: She finished 16th at Worlds and 7th at Four Continents.  She placed 8th at Skate Canada.  Her personal best is 157.26.  She is 23 years old.


Bingwa Geng, CHN: She finished 11th at Four Continents.  She placed 8th at Cup of China last season.  Her personal best is 142.48.  She is 18 years old.

Zijun Li, CHN: She placed 5^th at the World Junior Championships.  She won the silver medal at JGP Latvia and JGP Austria last season to qualify for the JGP Final where she finished 4th.  Her personal best is 157.70.  She is 15 years old. 

Ying Zhang, CHN: This is her international debut.  She is 15 years old. 

Kiira Korpi, FIN: She is the reigning European Silver Medalist.  She placed 6th at NHK Trophy and 5th at Rostelecom Cup last season.  She is the 2007 and 2011 European Bronze Medalist.  Her personal best is 169.74.  She is 24 years old.

Mao Asada, JPN: She placed 6th at Worlds and is the reigning Four Continents Silver Medalist.   She won silver at NHK Trophy and gold at Rostelecom Cup last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  She is the 2010 Olympic Silver Medalist, 2008 and 2010 World Champion, 2007 World Silver Medalist, 2008 and 2010 Four Continents Champion, 2001 Four Continents Silver Medalist, 2009 Four Continents Bronze Medalist, 2005 World Junior Champion and 2006 World Junior Silver Medalist.  Her personal best is 205.50.  She is 22 years old.

Sofia Biryukova, RUS: She finished 4th at Cup of Russia last season.  Her personal best is 166.07.  She is 18 years old.

Julia Lipnitskaia, RUS: She is the reigning World Junior Champion.  She won gold at JGP Poland and Italy last season to qualify for the JGP Final where she won gold.  Her personal best is 187.05.  She is 14 years old.

Joshi Helgesson, SWE: She placed 10th at Europeans and 9th at Junior Worlds.  She placed 10th at Skate America last season.  Her personal best is 149.08.  She is 19 years old.

Mirai Nagasu, USA: She finished 5th at Skate Canada and won silver at Cup of China last season.  She is the 2011 Four Continents bronze medalist, 2007 World Junior silver medalist and 2008 World Junior bronze medalist.  Her personal best is 190.15.  She is 19 years old.