Rostelecom Cup Pairs Preview

Both Kavaguti and Smirnov and Savchenko and Szolkowy have qualified for the Grand Prix Final and are competing in their third event of the season and their second head to head competition.  Kavaguti/Smirnov have two gold medals and their Claire de Lune program was magical at their first event but lost some of its sparkle in the second event.  Kavaguti is also suffering from a shoulder injury and competed with muscle tape covering her back and arms at their last event.  Savchenko and Szolkowy opened their season with a gold medal finish at Skate America with a come behind victory after she fell on the triple axel attempt in the short program.  They have yet to land the jump but are getting credit for full rotation.  They dropped to 3rd at NHK Trophy after they aborted a lift at the end of their free skate.

Berton and Hotarek caught the attention of many at Europeans last season and finished 4th at NHK Trophy earlier this season.  If they can win gold or silver they'll qualify for the Final.  With both top teams already qualified, they may be taking this opportunity to try out some new elements which could lead to errors and give Berton and Hotarek the opening they need to qualify.

Three teams are making their debut on the Grand Prix circuit for the season.  Jones and Gaskell of Canada and Cain and Reagan of the United States are both coming up from the junior ranks.  The real spoiler will be Gerboldt and Enbert of Russia who have an incredibly elegant and classically Russian style on the ice and finished in the top 4 at Europeans last season but missed a chance at Worlds due to the depth of the Russian pairs discipline.

Volosozhar/Trankov, Kavaguti/Smirnov, Savchenko/Szolkowy, Zhang/Zhang and Takahashi/Tran have already qualified for the Final.  If Berton/Hotarek finish 3rd or lower than Duhamel/Radford will claim the last spot in the Final.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Silver: Kavaguti/Smirnov
Bronze: Gerboldt/Enbert

Bios of the competitors:
Jones/Gaskell, CAN: They finished 6th at Junior Worlds.  They placed 6th at JGP Austria and 4th at JGP Germany last season to qualify for the JGP Final where they finished 6th.  Their personal best is 133.41.  She is 15 and he is 21.

Savchenko/Szolkowy, GER: They are the reigning World Champions and European Champions.  They won gold at Skate America and bronze at NHK Trophy to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  They qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and won gold.  They are the 2010 Olympic bronze medalists; the 2009 and 2008 World Champions; 2010 World silver medalists; 2007 World bronze medalists; 2009, 2008 and 2007 European Champions; and the 2010 and 2006 European silver medalists.  Their personal best is 217.85.  She is 27 and he is 32.

Berton/Hotarek, ITA: They finished 10th at Worlds and 5th at Europeans.  They placed 4th at NHK Trophy.  Their personal best is 164.83.  She is 21 and he is 27.

Gerboldt/Enbert, RUS:  They placed 4th at Europeans.  They placed 4th at Cup of Russia last season.  Their personal best is 169.95.  She is 22 and he is 22.

Kavaguti/Smirnov, RUS: They finished 4th at Worlds and are the reigning European silver medalists.  They won gold at Cup of China and NHK Trophy to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  They are the 2009 and 2010 World bronze medalists, 2010 European Champions, 2009 European silver medalists and 2008 European bronze medalists.  Their personal best is 213.15.  She is 29 and he is 27.

Stolbova/Klimov, RUS: They are the reigning World Junior Silver Medalists.  They placed 7th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  They qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final last season and won silver.  They are the 2010 World Junior bronze medalists.  Their personal best is 159.79.  She is 19 and he is 21.

Cain/Reagan, USA: They finished 4th at Junior Worlds.  They won silver at JGP Czech Republic and placed 6th at JGP Great Britain last season to qualify for the JGPF where they finished 5th.  Their personal best is 135.40.  She is 16 and he is 22.

Cup of Nice Senior Pairs Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	57.64	31.52		26.12	6.45	6.15	6.75	6.60	6.70	0.00	#8
2	Katarina GERBOLDT / Aleksander ENBERT	RUS	55.18	29.22		25.96	6.75	6.35	6.20	6.55	6.60	0.00	#6
3	Ashley CAIN / Joshua REAGAN	USA	53.04	29.56		24.48	5.95	5.85	6.30	6.30	6.20	1.00	#12
4	Mary Beth MARLEY / Rockne BRUBAKER	USA	52.04	27.04		25.00	6.40	5.95	6.40	6.25	6.25	0.00	#10
5	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	51.12	27.04		24.08	5.95	5.75	6.25	6.10	6.05	0.00	#3
6	Mari VARTMANN / Aaron VAN CLEAVE	GER	48.12	25.84		23.28	5.95	5.60	5.90	5.90	5.75	1.00	#11
7	Evgenia TARASOVA / Egor CHUDIN	RUS	43.10	24.78		19.32	5.00	4.60	4.85	5.00	4.70	1.00	#7
8	Klara KADLECOVA / Petr BIDAR	CZE	42.94	23.14		19.80	4.80	4.70	5.05	5.10	5.10	0.00	#4
9	Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT	FRA	41.90	22.26		19.64	5.15	4.55	4.95	5.05	4.85	0.00	#1
10	Stacey KEMP / David KING	GBR	40.16	22.76		18.40	4.70	4.40	4.70	4.75	4.45	1.00	#14
11	Danielle MONTALBANO / Evgeni KRASNOPOLSKY	ISR	39.16	21.04		19.12	4.80	4.50	4.75	4.95	4.90	1.00	#13
12	Yuliya LAVRENTYEVA / Yuriy RUDIK	UKR	38.88	21.32		17.56	4.45	4.10	4.55	4.50	4.35	0.00	#2
13	Ronja ROLL / Gustav FORSGREN	SWE	32.28	17.88		15.40	3.95	3.65	3.85	3.95	3.85	1.00	#5

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Katarina GERBOLDT / Aleksander ENBERT	RUS	112.66	57.90		55.76	7.20	6.65	7.10	7.00	6.90	1.00	#12
2	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	110.22	56.06		54.16	6.80	6.55	6.85	6.85	6.80	0.00	#13
3	Mary Beth MARLEY / Rockne BRUBAKER	USA	107.04	54.40		52.64	6.80	6.45	6.60	6.55	6.50	0.00	#10
4	Ashley CAIN / Joshua REAGAN	USA	100.96	50.60		51.36	6.25	6.25	6.55	6.60	6.45	1.00	#11
5	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	92.75	45.19		48.56	6.10	6.00	5.95	6.25	6.05	1.00	#9
6	Mari VARTMANN / Aaron VAN CLEAVE	GER	91.62	46.74		46.88	6.00	5.70	5.90	5.95	5.75	2.00	#8
7	Klara KADLECOVA / Petr BIDAR	CZE	88.04	44.40		44.64	5.55	5.45	5.50	5.70	5.70	1.00	#6
8	Evgenia TARASOVA / Egor CHUDIN	RUS	87.70	44.18		43.52	5.65	5.20	5.40	5.55	5.40	0.00	#7
9	Stacey KEMP / David KING	GBR	83.45	45.57		40.88	5.20	5.00	5.05	5.20	5.10	3.00	#4
10	Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT	FRA	77.57	36.69		42.88	5.55	5.20	5.30	5.45	5.30	2.00	#5
11	Danielle MONTALBANO / Evgeni KRASNOPOLSKY	ISR	74.74	39.14		37.60	4.80	4.65	4.40	5.00	4.65	2.00	#3
12	Yuliya LAVRENTYEVA / Yuriy RUDIK	UKR	73.63	40.43		33.20	4.35	4.05	4.25	4.20	3.90	0.00	#2
13	Ronja ROLL / Gustav FORSGREN	SWE	62.73	33.61		29.12	3.90	3.50	3.65	3.70	3.45	0.00	#1

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	167.86	1	2
2	Katarina GERBOLDT / Aleksander ENBERT	RUS	167.84	2	1
3	Mary Beth MARLEY / Rockne BRUBAKER	USA	159.08	4	3
4	Ashley CAIN / Joshua REAGAN	USA	154.00	3	4
5	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	143.87	5	5
6	Mari VARTMANN / Aaron VAN CLEAVE	GER	139.74	6	6
7	Klara KADLECOVA / Petr BIDAR	CZE	130.98	8	7
8	Evgenia TARASOVA / Egor CHUDIN	RUS	130.80	7	8
9	Stacey KEMP / David KING	GBR	123.61	10	9
10	Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT	FRA	119.47	9	10
11	Danielle MONTALBANO / Evgeni KRASNOPOLSKY	ISR	113.90	11	11
12	Yuliya LAVRENTYEVA / Yuriy RUDIK	UKR	112.51	12	12
13	Ronja ROLL / Gustav FORSGREN	SWE	95.01	13	13

European Championships: Pairs Free Skate

1. Savchenko/Szolkowy, GER: 64.22 TES + 69.67 PCS = 133.89 Total: 206.20
2. Kavaguti/Smirnov, RUS: 65.62 TES + 68.50 PCS = 134.12 Total: 203.61
3. Bazarova/Larionov, RUS: 64.89 TES + .46 PCS = 125.35 Total: 188.24
4. Gerboldt/Enbert, RUS: 59.23 TES + 54.22 PCS -1.00 = 112.45 Total: 169.95
5. Berton/Hotarek, ITA: 53.35 TES + 52.40 PCS -1.00 = 104.75 Total: 164.83
6. Hausch/Wende, GER: 46.40 TES + 49.71 PCS = 96.11 Total: 149.97
7. Kadlecova/Bidar, CZE: 47.91 TES + 44.58 PCS -1.00 = 91.49 Total: 139.94
8. Kemp/King, GBR: 41.90 TES + 40.68 PCS -3.00 = 79.58 Total: 128.04 
9. Canac/Bonheur, FRA: 42.08 TES + 40.24 PCS = 82.32 Total: 125.34
10. Bakirova/Kamianchuk, BLR: 42.39 TES + 36.82 PCS = 79.21 Total: 120.72
11. Gierok/Just, GER: 42.24 TES + 36.12 PCS - 1.00 = 77.36 Total: 118.06
12. Gillespie/Dematte, ITA: 39.02 TES + 36.40 PCS = 75.42 Total: 115.53
13. Zabijako/Kulbach, EST: 37.81 TES + 34.65 PCS -1.00 = 71.46 Total: 106.47 
14. Hoolin/Safranek, GBR: 35.07 TES + 32.68 PCS = 67.75 Total: 104.16
15. Martini/Kiefer, AUT: 35.66 TES + 30.47 PCS = 66.13 Total: 100.87

European Championships: Pairs Short Program

1. Savchenko/Szolkowy, GER: 37.92 TES + 34.39 PCS = 72.31
2. Kavaguti/Smirnov, RUS: 37.57 TES + 31.92 PCS = 69.49
3. Bazarova/Larionov, RUS: 34.21 TES + 28.68 PCS = 62.89
4. Berton/Hotarek, ITA: 33.97 TES + 26.11 PCS = 60.08
5. Gerboldt/Enbert, RUS: 31.56 TES + 25.94 PCS = 57.50
6. Hausch/Wende, GER: 31.46 TES + 23.40 PCS -1.00 = 53.86
7. Kemp/King, GBR: 27.61 TES + 20.85 PCS = 48.46
8. Kadlecova/Bidar, CZE: 26.05 TES + 22.40 PCS = 48.45
9. Canac/Bonheur, FRA: 23.11 TES + 19.91 PCS = 43.02
10. Bakirova/Kamianchuk, BLR: 24.03 TES + 17.48 PCS = 41.51
11. Gierok/Just, GER: 23.50 TES + 18.20 PCS - 1.00 = 40.70
12. Gillespie/Dematte, ITA: 22.10 TES + 18.01 PCS = 40.11
13. Hoolin/Safranek, GBR: 20.67 TES + 16.74 PVS -1.00 = 36.41
14. Zabijako/Kulbach, EST: 19.74 TES + 17.27 PCS - 2.00 = 35.01
15. Martini/Kiefer, AUT: 19.39 TES + 15.35 PCS = 34.74

WD: Montalbano/Krasnopolski, ISR

Europeans: Pairs Preview

Savchenko and Szolkowy should walk away with this title.  Their total score for this season is over 27 points higher than the rest of the field.  They have room to make mistakes and still easily win gold.  I'm not crazy about their short program this season including the costume Savchenko wore at the GPF but I love the playfulness they've injected into their free skate and the ease with which they execute their movements.  They lost their title to the Russians last year and I don't see that happening again. 

Bazarova and Larionov have the 3rd best total scores of the season.  I adore both of their programs and they have such an ease and grace when on the ice.  It's hart to believe that she is just 17 as there is so much maturity in their programs.  They have had a bit of struggle with consistency, having a few problems in their free skates including a disastrous outing at the Grand Prix Final where they were only able to finish 5th.  They finished 4th at their nationals and with only two spots on their Worlds team, they'll need a medal finish here to be considered for one of those spots.  They finished 5th at Europeans last season, but they should be able to move up and get a medal this year.

Kavaguti and Smirnov had to miss their first Grand Prix due to injury.  Their scores put them 4th for the season, but I expect these to improve.  They finished 2nd at their nationals ahead of Bazarova and Larionov so I would expect them to finish in front of them here.  They are the reigning European Champions, but I think it will be difficult for them to hold on to their title. 

Gerboldt/Enbert are a new team this season and they finished 4th at their first Grand Prix event and finished 3rd at Russian nationals.  They've put up some impressive scores and I expect that trend to continue.  They could be a medal threat here and I expect them to at least finish in the top 5.

Hausch/Wende won a bronze at Trophee Eric Bompard and finished 9th at Europeans last season.  While I don't see them on the podium here, I believe they can have a top 5 finish here.

Kadlecova and Bidar are one of the young teams at the event and will be looking for a good finish at their first Europeans.

Missing from this competition are the reigning Russian Champions, Volosozhar and Trankov.  She competed for Ukraine last season and is ineligible to compete until Worlds.  Also missing will be Iliushechkina and Maisuradze who finished 4th at the Grand Prix Final and have the 6th best score for the season.  Their 5th place finish at Russian Nationals has ended their season.  They will compete at Winter Universaide later this month.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Silver: Kavaguti/Smirnov
Bronze: Bazarova/Larionov

My USFSA Fantasy Team:
A) Savchenko/Szolkowy
B) Gerboldt/Enbert
C) Gierok/Just
The teams:

Martini/Kiefer, AUT: They placed 20th at Junior Worlds. 

Bakirova/Kamianchuk, BLR: They finished 19th at Worlds and 17th at Europeans. 

Kadlecova/Bidar, CZE: They finished 14th at the World Junior Championships.  They finished 7th at both their Junior Grand Prix assignments and placed 6th at Trophee Eric Bompard with a personal best short program.

Nabijako/Kulbach, EST: This is their first season together.

Canac/Bonheur, FRA:  This is their first season together.  They are the reigning national champions.

Gierok/Just, GER: This is their first season together.

Hausch/Wende, GER: They finished 17th at the Olympics, 14th at Worlds and 9th at Europeans with a personal best short program.  They finished 7th at NHK Trophy with a personal best free skate and total score and won bronze at Trophee Eric Bompard with personal best scores across the board..

Savchenko/Szolkowy, GER: They won bronze at the Olympics with a personal best short program score and silver at Worlds and Europeans (with a personal best free skate and total score).  They have 2 additional Gold and 1 Bronze medal at the World Championships and 3 Gold and a silver at Europeans.  They won gold at Skate America and Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won gold.

Hoolin/Safranek, GBR: They are the reigning national silver medalists.

Kemp/King, GBR: They placed 16th at Olympics (with a personal best total score) and Worlds and 11th at Europeans with a personal best free skate.  They finished 8th at Skate Canada and Skate America.

Montalblano/Krasnopolski, ISR: They finished 25th at Worlds and 18th at Europeans.

Berton/Hotarek, ITA: They finished 11th at the World Championship with personal best scores across the board.  They placed 6th at Cup of Russia with personal best free skate and total scores.

Gillespie/Dematte, ITA: They finished 8th and 11th at their two JGP assignments this season.

Bazarova/Larionov, RUS: They finished 11th at the Olympics, 8th at Worlds and 5th at Europeans.  They won silver at NHK Trophy with personal best scores across the board and at Trophee Eric Bompard with personal best scores across the board to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 5th.

Gerboldt/Enbert, RUS: They finished 4th at Cup of Russia.

Kavaguti/Smirnov, RUS: They finished 4th at the Olympics with a personal best short program, won bronze at Worlds and are the reigning European champions with a personal best free program and total score.  They also won bronze at the World Championships in 2009 and a silver and bronze at Europeans.  They won gold at Cup of Russia.

Russian Figure Skating Championships

Men: 2 spots at Euros

Short Program Results (17 competed, 5 listed here)
1. Konstantin Menshov: 78.42 (39.70 TES + 38.72 PCS)
2. Artur Dmitriev: 77.65 (41.08TES + 36.57 PCS)
3. Ivan Tretiakov: 72.05 (37.33 TES + 35.72 PCS -1.00)
4. Alexei Gorshkov: 69.98 (36.40 TES + 33.58 PCS)
5. Zhan Bush: 69.05 (34.90 TES + 34.15 PCS)
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13. Sergei Voronov: 60.14 (24.25 TES + 35.89 PCS)
Artem Borodulin withdrew due to illness

Complete results here: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffsrussia.ru%2Fupl%2Fresults%2Frusnat2011%2Findex.htm

Free Skate Results (17 competed, top 5 listed)
1. Konstantin Menshov: 146.75 (65.61 TES + 81.14 PCS)
2. Artur Gachinski: 146.53 (65.03 TES + 81.50 PCS)
3. Sergei Voronov: 144.57 (69.21 TES + 75.36 PCS)
4. Zhan Bush: 135.93 (64.65 TES + 71.28 PCS)
5. Alexei Gorshkov: 133.52 (61.80 TES + 72.72 PCS)

Complete results here: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffsrussia.ru%2Fupl%2Fresults%2Frusnat2011%2FSEG097.HTM

Final Results (Top 5)
1. Konstantin Menshov: 225.17
2. Artur Gachinski: 211.28
3. Zhan Bush: 204.98
4. Sergei Voronov: 204.71
5. Ivan Tretiakov: 204.54

Complete results here: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffsrussia.ru%2Fupl%2Fresults%2Frusnat2011%2Findex.htm

Pairs: 3 spots at Euros, 2 spots at Worlds

Short Program Results (11 competed, 7 listed here)
1. Volosozhar/Trankov: 72.71 (38.21 TES + 34.50 PCS)
2. Kavaguti/Smirnov: 68.15 (34.49 TES + 33.66 PCS)
3. Bazarova/Larionov: 67.83 (37.21 TES + 30.62 PCS)
4. Gerboldt/Enbert: 61.99 (33.93 TES + 28.06 PCS)
5. Stolbova/Klimov: 61.03 (32.50 TES + 28.53 PCS)
6. Iliushechkina/Maisuradze: 58.68 (30.60 TES + 29.08 PCS -1.00)
7. Mukhortova/Blanchard: 53.78 (26.26 TES + 28.52 PCS -1.00)

Complete results here: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffsrussia.ru%2Fupl%2Fresults%2Frusnat2011%2Findex.htm

Free Skate Results (11 competed, 8 listed)
1.Volosozhar/Trankov: 141.95 (70.28 TES + 71.67 PCS)
2. Kavaguti/Smirnov: 133.29 (63.05 TES + 70.24 PCS)
3. Bazarova/Larionov: 127.94 (66.18 TES + 61.76 PCS)
4. Iliushechkina/Maisuradze: 120.81 (61.44 TES + 60.37 PCS -1.00)
5. Gerboldt/Enbert: 120.78 (60.54 TES + 60.24 PCS)
6. Stolbova/Klimov: 107.05 (52.98 TES + 56.07 PCS -2.00)
7. Martyusheva/Rogonov: 96.11 (49.62 TES + 47.49 PCS -1.00)
8. Mukhortova/Blanchard: 94.85 (41.36 TES + 55.49 PCS -2.00)

Complete Results here: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffsrussia.ru%2Fupl%2Fresults%2Frusnat2011%2Findex.htm

Final Results
1. Volosozhar/Trankov: 214.66
2. Kavaguti/Smirnov: 201.44
3.Bazarova/Larionov: 195.77
4. Gerboldt/Enbert: 182.77
5. Iliushechkina/Maisuradze: 179.49
6. Stolbova/Klimov: 168.08
7. Mukhortova/Blanchard: 148.63

Complete results here: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffsrussia.ru%2Fupl%2Fresults%2Frusnat2011%2Findex.htm

Dance: 3 spots at Euros, 2 spots at Worlds

Short Dance Results (9 competed, 5 listed here)
1. Bobrova/Soloviev: 65.34 (32.72 TES + 32.62 PCS)
2. Ilinykh/Katsalapov: 62.30 (31.00 TES + 31.30 PCS)
3. Riazanova/Tkachenko: 62.17 (31.14 TES + 31.03 PCS)
4. Gorshkova/Boutique: 57.30 (29.01 TES + 28.29 PCS)
5. Khokhlova/Andreev: 53.74 (26.22 TES + 27.52 PCS)

Complete results here: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffsrussia.ru%2Fupl%2Fresults%2Frusnat2011%2Findex.htm

Free Dance Results: (9 competed, 4 listed here)
1. Bobrova/Soloviev: 99.59 (49.15 TES + 50.44 PCS)
2. Riazanova/Tkachenko: 98.28 (49.20 TES + 49.08 PCS)
3. Khoklova/Andreev: 92.00 (46.49 TES + 45.51 PCS)
4. Ilnykh/Katsalapov: 87.42 (38.65 TES + 48.77 PCS)

Complete results here: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffsrussia.ru%2Fupl%2Fresults%2Frusnat2011%2FCAT046RS.HTM

Final Results
1. Bobrova/Soloviev: 164.93
2. Riazanova/Tkachenko: 160.45
3. Ilnykh/Katsalapov: 149.72
4. Khoklova/Andreev: 145.74

Complete Results here: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffsrussia.ru%2Fupl%2Fresults%2Frusnat2011%2FCAT046RS.HTM

Ladies: 2 spots at Euros, 2 spots at Worlds

Short Program Results (16 competed, 9 listed here)

1. Ksenia Makarova: 64.16 (32.30 TES + 31.86 PCS)

2. Adelina Sotnikova: 63.79 (33.50 TES + 31.29 PCS)

3. Alena Leonova: 60.14 (29.34 TES + 30.80 PCS)

4. Sophia Biryukova: 59.49 (29.16 TES + 30.33 PCS)

5. Julia Lipnitskii: 59.13 (33.10 TES + 26.03 PCS)

6. Pauline Agafonova: 58.42 (32.01 TES + 26.41 PCS)

7. Elizabeth Tuktamysheva: 56.30 (27.33 TES + 29.97 PCS -1.00)

8. Maria Artemyev: 54.63 (27.86 TES + 26.77 PCS)

9. Pauline Shelepen: 53.89 (28.53 TES + 25.36 PCS)

Complete results here: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffsrussia.ru%2Fupl%2Fresults%2Frusnat2011%2Findex.htm

Free Skate Results (16 competed, 8 listed)
1. Adelina Sotnikova: 133.65 (68.00 TES + 65.65 PCS)
2. Alena Leonova: 127.54 (61.76 TES + 65.78 PCS)
3. Elizabeth Tuktamysheva: 124.41 (62.93 TES + 61.48 PCS)
4. Julia Lipnitskii: 117.14 (63.16 TES + 53.98 PCS)
5. Rosa Scheveleva: 110.48 (59.06 TES + 51.42 PCS)
6. Ksenia Makarova: 109.75 (48.88 TES + 61.87 PCS -1.00)
7. Paulia Shelepen: 105.14 (55.41 TES + 49.73 PCS)
8. Sofia Biryukova: 99.65 (42.42 TES + 58.23 PCS -1.00)

Complete results here: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffsrussia.ru%2Fupl%2Fresults%2Frusnat2011%2FCAT046RS.HTM

Final Results (Top 7)
1. Adelina Sotnikova: 197.44
2. Alena Leonova: 187.68
3. Elizabeth Tuktamysheva: 180.71
4. Julia Lipnitskii: 176.27
5. Ksenia Makarova: 173.91
6. Sofia Biryukova: 159.14
7. Paulina Shelepen: 159.03
Note: Leonova, Makarova and Biryukova are age eligible for Euros and Worlds.

Complete results at: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffsrussia.ru%2Fupl%2Fresults%2Frusnat2011%2FCAT046RS.HTM

Rostelecom Cup Pairs Preview

This is a relatively new/young field as several of the teams are in one of their first senior seasons or one of their first seasons together.  This is Kavaguti and Smirnov's only assignment this season and they should be able to easily pull off a gold medal, provided they are back to their full form.  If Kavaguti and Smirnov are skating at full capacity look for a 20 point or more gap between 1st and 2nd place.  Lawrence and Swiegers skated to personal best scores at Skate Canada and if they repeat that here they should end up on the podium.  Takahashi and Tran won bronze at NHK earlier this season but they'll need to step up their scores here to guarantee another podium placement.  They have had a long season already with 2 Junior Grand Prixs and 1 Grand Prix under their belt and we'll see if their stamina can hold out.  Evora and Ladwig need a podium finish here and their scores keep them in the mix.  If they can land their jumps, they have the best lifts in the world and can really rack up the points in that category.  Their performance scores were also low at their last event and I know they can connect more to each other and the programs and hopefully pull that score up.  Gerboldt and Enbert are in their 2nd international competition together but they won their first assignment and could step onto the medal stand.   

My podium predictions are:
Gold: Kavaguti/Smirnov
Silver: Lawrence/Swiegers
Bronze: Takahashi/Tran

My USFSA Fantasy Team is:
A) Kavaguti/Smirnov
B) Lawrence/Swiegers
C) Gerboldt/Enbert

Information on all the teams is below.

Paige Lawrence/Rudi Swiegers, CAN: They finished 4th at World Juniors last season.  They placed 7th at their Grand Prix debut at NHK Trophy last season.  They won bronze at Skate Canada earlier this season with personal best scores across the board.

Stefania Berton/Ondrej Hotarek, ITA: They finished 11th at the World Championship with personal best scores across the board.  This is their Grand Prix debut.

Narumi Takahashi/Mervin Tran, JPN: They finished 5th at Four Continents last season.  They are the reigning World Junior Silver medalists.  They won two silvers at their Junior Grand Prix assignments earlier this season, qualifying them for the Junior Grand Prix Final.  They won bronze at NHK with a personal best short program earlier this season.

Katarina Gerboldt/Alexander Enbert, RUS: They are in their first season together.  They won Coup de Nice, an international B assignment, earlier this season.  This is their Grand Prix debut.

Yuko Kavaguti/Alexander Smirnov, RUS: They finished 4th at the Olympics with a personal best short program, won bronze at Worlds and are the reigning European champions with a personal best free program and total score.  They also won bronze at the World Championships in 2009 and a silver and bronze at Europeans.  They won silver at both of their assignments last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they placed 5th.

Tatiana Novik/Mikhail Kuznetsov, RUS:  They placed 2nd and 5th at their two Junior Grand Prix assignments last season to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they placed 4th.  This is their Grand Prix debut.

Amanda Evora/Mark Ladwig, USA: They placed 10th at the Olympics with personal best scores in the short and free programs and 9th at the World Championships.  They placed 7th and 5th at their Grand Prix assignments last season. They finished 5th at Cup of China earlier this season.

Britney Simpson/Nathan Miller, USA: They placed 5th at the World Junior Championships last season.  They placed 3rd and 4th at their two Junior Grand Prix assignments last season and qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they placed 6th.  They finished 6th in their Grand Prix debut at Skate Canada with personal best scores across the board.