European Championships: Mens Qualifying Round

The following men have qualified for the short program at the European Championships and will join the men who had a direct entry.  The short program is scheduled for Thursday, January 27th at 8:00am EST.

1. Jorik Hendrickx, BEL: 118.46
2. Kim Lucine, MON: 115.12
3. Denis Wieczorek, GER: 119.96
4. Zoltan Kelemen, ROU: 106.57
5. Javier Raya, ESP: 100.82
6. Moris Pfeifhofer, SUI: 100.73
7. Justus Strid, DEN: 100.42
8. Maxim Shipov, ISR: 98.84
9. Maciej Cieplucha, POL: 97.14
10. Stephane Walker, SUI: 95.51
11. Ali Demirboga, TUR: 92.58

Canadian Nationals: Mens Free Skate

1. Patrick Chan: 103.41 TES + 93.66 PCS = 197.07
1. He executed a Quadruple Toe, Quadruple Toe + Triple Toe, Triple Lutz, Level 3 Step Sequence, Level 4 Sit Spin, Triple Axel, Triple Lutz + Single Loop + Triple Salchow, Level 3 Camel Spin, Triple Flip, Triple Loop + Double Toe, Double Axel, and Level 3 Combination Spin with all positive GOEs.
2. Shawn Sawyer: 75.09 TES + 76.36 PCS = 151.45
1. He executed a Triple Axel, Triple Flip + Triple Toe, Triple Lutz, Triple Salchow, Level 4 Sit Spin, Triple Loop, Triple Flip (under-rotated) + Triple Loop, Level 2 Step Sequence, Double Axel, Level 4 Camel Spin, Double Axel + Double Toe + Double Loop and Level 4 Combination Spin with only one negative GOE.
3. Joey Russell: 67.49 TES + 68.12 PCS -1.00 = 134.61
1. He executed a Triple Axel, Triple Flip + Triple Loop, Triple Lutz + Double Toe + Double Loop, Level 3 Sit Spin, Double Axel, Level 2 Step Sequence, Triple Flip (under-rotated and fall), Triple Lutz, Triple Salchow +Triple Toe, Double Axel, Level 3 Sit Spin, and Level 4 Combination Spin with only three negative GOEs.
4. Kevin Reynolds: 67.33 TES + 63.76 PCS -1.00 =130.09
1. He executed a Double Salchow, Quadruple Toe, Triple Axel, Level 4 Upright Spin, Triple Loop, Triple Axel (under-rotated) + Double Toe, Triple Lutz, Level 3 Sit Spin, Level 2 Step Sequence, Triple Salchow, Triple Flip + Triple Toe + Double Loop, and Level 4 Combination Spin with only four negative GOEs.
5. Liam Firus: 62.82 TES + 61.92 PCS = 124.74
1. He executed a Triple Lutz + Triple Toe, Double Axel + Triple Toe, Triple Flip (edge call), Level 4 Sit Spin, Level 2 Step Sequence, Triple Loop, Triple Salchow, Triple Lutz, Double Axel + Double Toe + Single Loop, Double Flip, Level 3 Combination Spin and Level 4 Sit Spin with only three negative GOEs.
6. Elladj Balde: 61.25 TES + 63.84 PCS -1.00 = 124.09
1. He executed a Triple Axel (fall), Double Axel + Triple Toe, Triple Lutz, Level 3 Sit Spin, Level 2 Step Sequence, Triple Flip, Triple Lutz + Double Toe, Triple Salchow, Double Axel, Triple Loop, Level 1 Combination Spin and Level 4 Combination spin with only three negative GOEs.
7. Ronald Lam: 62.72 TES + 54.58 PCS = 117.30
1. He executed a Triple Axel, Triple Lutz + Triple Toe, Single Loop, Level 2 Upright Spin, Triple Flip (edge call)+ Double Toe + Double Toe, Triple Lutz, Triple Salchow, Triple Flip + Double Toe, Level 3 Step Sequence, Double Axel, Level 3 Sit Spin and Level 3 Combination Spin with only four negative GOEs.
8. Samuel Morais: 62.29 TES + 51.00 PCS =113.29
1. He executed a Triple Axel, Triple Lutz + Triple Toe, Triple Axel + Salchow, Level 4 Sit Spin, Triple Lutz, Triple Salchow, Level 3 Step Sequence, Triple Flip (under-rotated), Double Axel + Double Axel Sequence, Triple Loop, Level 4 Upright Spin, and Level 3 Combination Spin with only three negative GOEs.
9. Dave Ferland: 58.61 TES + 54.60 PCS =113.21
1. He executed a Triple Axel, Triple Loop, Triple Flip (under-rotated), Level 3 Sit Spin, Level 2 Step Sequence, Triple Salchow, Triple Toe, Triple Salchow + Double Toe + Double Loop, Level 2 Sit Sopin, Triple Loop + Double Toe, Double Axel + Double Axel Sequence, and Level 3 Combination Spin with five positive GOEs.
10. Maxime-Billy Fortin: 54.81 TES + 56.70 PCS =
1. He executed a Single Axel, Triple Flip + Triple Toe, Triple Lutz, Level 3 Sit Spin, Triple Salchow, Triple Loop, Level 1 Combination Spin, Triple Flip, Triple Salchow + Double Toe, Level 3 Step Sequence, Double Axel and Level 1 Camel Spin with only three negative GOEs.

Final Results:

1. Patrick Chan: 285.85
2. Shawn Sawyer: 229.09
3. Joey Russell: 204.02
4. Kevin Reynolds: 191.85
5. Elladj Balde: 190.16
6. Liam Firus: 185.40
7. Ronald Lam: 174.69
8. Ian Martinez: 169.38
9. Marc-Andre Craig: 165.82
10. Maxime-Billy Fortin: 163.77

Canadian Nationals: Free Dance

1. Crone/Poirier: 50.08 TES + 48.33 PCS = 98.41
1. They executed a Level 4 Dance Spin, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 3 Diagonal Step Sequence, Level 4 Twizzles, Level 4 Serpentine Lift, Level 3 Serpentine Step Sequence and Level 4 Rotational Lift with all positive GOEs.
2. Weaver/Poje: 50.83 TES + 46.71 PCS = 97.54
1. They executed a Level 3 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Twizzles, Level 4 Dance Spin, Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 4 Curve Lift, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 4 Diagonal Step Sequence, and Level 4 Rotational Lift with all positive GOEs.
3. Paul/Islam: 48.67 TES + 43.66 PCS = 92.33
1. They executed a Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 3 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Twizzles, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 4 Spins, Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 3 Diagonal Step Sequence and Level 4 Curve Lift with all positive GOEs.
4. Ralph/Hill: 45.49 TES + 40.81 PCS = 86.30
1. They executed a Level 4 Spin, Level 3 Diagonal Step Sequence, Level 4 Reverse Rotational Lift, Level 3 Twizzles, Level 4 Stationary Lift, Level 3 Circular Step Sequence and Level 4 Straight Line Lift with all positive GOEs.
5. Harvey/Gagnon: 41.58 TES + 39.03 PCS = 80.61
1. They executed a Level 3 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 4 Twizzles, Level 1 Rotational Lift, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 3 Dance Spins, Level 3 Diagonal Step Sequence and Level 4 Curve Lift with no negative GOEs.
6. Arnold/Trojek: 43.16 TES + 35.43 PCS = 78.59
1. They executed a Level 4 Curve Lift, Level 4 Twizzles, Level 3 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 4 Dance Spin, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 3 Diagonal Step Sequence and Level 3 Rotational Lift with no negative GOEs.
7. Dupont/Connolly: 39.17 TES + 28.17 PCS = 67.34
1. They executed a Level 3 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Dance Spins, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 2 Diagonal Step Sequence, Level 4 Curve Lift, Level 3 Twizzles, Level 4 Curve Lift and Level 4 Rotational Lift with only one negative GOE.
8. Arrotta/Nickel: 34.34 TES + 29.61 PCS -2.00  = 61.95
1. They executed a Level 4 Spin, Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 3 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 3 Diagonal Step Sequence, Level 4 Curve Lift, and Level 2 Curve Lift with only one negative GOE.  They received no credit for their twizzles
9. Letourneau/Boczar: 34.07 TES + 27.28 PCS = 61.35
1. They executed a Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 4 Rotational Lift, Level 4 Twizzles, Level 1 Circular Step Sequence, Level 4 Combination Lift, Level 3 Dance Spins and Level 2 Diagonal Step Sequence with three positive GOEs.
10. Bissonnette/Chatham: 26.74 TES + 22.84 PCS = 49.58
1. They executed a Level 4 Straight Line Lift, Level 1 Circular Step Sequence, Level 2 Dance Spin, Level 3 Twizzles, Level 4 Curve Lift, Level 1 Diagonal Step Sequence, and a Combination Lift with Level 4 and Level 1 sections with no positive GOEs.

Total Scores:

1. Crone/Poirier: 164.21
2. Weaver/Poje: 163.18
3. Paul/Islam: 153.90
4. Ralph/Hill: 143.57
5. Harvey/Gagnon: 135.95
6. Arnold/Trojek: 125.72
7. Arrotta/Nickel: 108.93
8. Dupont/Connolly: 108.66
9. Letourneau/Boczar: 100.91
10. Bissonnette/Chatham: 83.80

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.

U.S. Nationals: Junior Dance Preview

Like pairs, these teams almost all have international experience this season.  Lichtman and Copely won two medals on the JGP circuit to qualify for the JGP Final.  They have really come into their own this season and have surpassed teams that performed better than them at nationals last season.  They are coached by Zoueva and Shpilband which has given them a leg up.  All the novice medalists from last season qualifed (except the Phams withdrew due to injury) and are in a position to medal at the junior level.  Yang and Baker have a 5 point lead over the others in terms of sectionals scores but the next 4 teams are right on their tail.  This will be a tight race for the podium and the 3 spots on the Junior Worlds team.

The teams:

Lichtman/Copely: They won gold at JGP Austria and bronze at Germany to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they finished 5th.  They finished 8th at nationals last season as juniors. 

Yang/Baker: They finished 7th at JGP Japan and 10th at Czech Republic.  They qualified with a 1st place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  They are the reigning national silver medalists at the novice level.

Olson/Cowan: They finished 6th at JGP Austria and 8th at Czech Republic.  They qualified with a 1st place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  They finished 5th at nationals last season as juniors.

Bonacorsi/Mager: They won bronze at JGP Romania and finished 5th at Great Britain.  They qualified with a 1st place finish at Eastern sectionals.  They finished 6th at nationals last season as juniors.

Aldridge/Eaton: They finished 6th at JGP France and 4th at Great Britain.  They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  They are the reigning national champions at the novice level.

Cannuscio/McManus: They won silver at JGP France and finished 4th at JGP Japan.  They qualfied with a 2nd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  They finished 7th at nationals last season as juniors. 

Gamelin/Gamelin: They finished 16th at JGP Germany.  They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  They finished 5th at nationals last season as novices.

McNamara/Carpenter: They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  They finished 6th at nationals last season as novices. 

Heritage/Fast: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  They finished 9th at nationals last season as novices. 

Wojton/Soyfer: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  They finished 11th at nationals last season as juniors. 

Buckner/Taylor: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  They finished 7th at nationals last season as novices. 

Glastris/Allison: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

Dzierzanowski/Dispenza: They qualified with a 5th place finish at Eastern sectionals.

Pham/Pham had qualified but have withdrawn.

U.S. Nationals: Junior Pairs Preview

Most of the competitors here have competed internationally this season.  Cain and Reagan qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final and placed a respectable 5th.  They also won a silver medal at one of their assignments.  They are also one of two novice medalists from last season competing here at the junior level.  They should be the favorites here, but they don't have a large margin of error, having been beat by Duarte/Grafton at one of the JGP assignments.  This should be a tight race for the podium as there are 5 teams with sectional scores within 10 points of each other.   Only two teams are returning to the junior level, having competed here last season, and this experience could pay off, but their scores at sectionals have them toward the bottom of the group.  Carman and Reiss are the only ones in this field to have competed at the Junior World Championships, which could be in their favor.  I think there will be 1-2 spots for junior pairs teams on the Junior Worlds team so it will be important to finish not just on the podium, but at the top of the podium.

The teams:

Cain/Reagan: They finished 6th at JGP Great Britain and 2nd at Czech Republic to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they finished 5th.  They are the reigning national champions at the novice level.

Garza/Frazier: They finished 8th at JGP Austria. They qualified with a 1st place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  They are the reigning national bronze medalists at the novice level.

Poapst/Knierim: They qualified with a 1st place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

Calalang/Sidhu: They finished 10th at JGP Czech Republic.  They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.

Sowa/Leenen: They finished 7th at JGP Pokal der Blauen.  They qualified with a 1st place finish at Eastern sectionals.  They finished 9th last season at nationals at the novice level.

Duarte/Grafton: They finished 5th at JGP Great Britain and 7th at Czech Republic.  They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  They are the reigning national pewter medalists at the novice level.

Andrews/LeDuc: They finished 8th at JGP Great Britain.  They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

Carman/Reiss:  They finished 12th at the Junior World Figure Skating Championships.  They finished 5th at JGP Austria and 8th at Pokal der Blauen.  They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  They finished 5th at nationals last season as juniors.

Denney/Raad: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  They finished 7th last season at nationals at the junior level.

Bautista/Harris: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Eastern sectionals.

Oltmanns/Santillan: They finished 11th at JGP Austria.  They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  They finished 6th at nationals last season at the novice level.

Guterres/Schumann: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Pacific Coast Sectionals.  They finished 7th at nationals last season at the novice level.

Rybka/Blackmer qualified but the team has since split up and there is no alternate.

U.S. Nationals: Junior Ladies Preview

Courtney Hicks finished 9 points ahead of the rest of the field at sectionals and Lauren Dinh finished 10 points ahead of the rest of the pack.  These two ladies should be able to make the podium if they skate like they did at sectionals.  Katarina Kulgeyko and Ashley Cain both won medals as novices last season and are competing for the first time as juniors.  Ashley Cain and Mary Beth Marley are juggling double duty as they compete in singles and pairs but their double training throughout the season could pay off here.  Both of them are in medal contention in their pair events so they have nothing to lose here in singles and may be able to turn in a better performance without the added pressure.  Nina Jiang is the only one in the field with international singles experience and is looking to move up after her 5th place finish at nationals last season.  With so many of the skaters that competed on the Junior Grand Prix competing at the senior level, there will likely be few spots for the junior skaters on the Junior Worlds team.  These ladies will have to really impress if they want to earn one of those spots.

Courtney Hicks: She qualified with a 1st place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  She finished 5th at nationals last season at the novice level.

Lauren Dinh: Dinh qualified with a 1st place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

McKinzie Daniels: She qualified with a 2nd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  She finished 9th at nationals last year as a junior.

Katarina Kulgeyko: She qualified with a 2nd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  She is the reigning national bronze medalist at the novice level.

Nina Jiang: She finished 5th at JGP Courchevel. Jiang qualified with a 3rd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  She finished 5th at nationals last season at the junior level.

Polina Edmunds: She qualified with a 3rd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  She finished 6th at nationals last year as a novice.

Allison Timlen: She qualified with a 1st place finish at Eastern sectionals.  She finished 11th at nationals last season as a novice.

Haley Dunne: She qualified with a 2nd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  She finished 13th at nationals last season at the junior level.

Ashley Cain: Cain qualified with a 4th place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  She is the reigning national silver medalist at the novice level.

Mary Beth Marley: Marley qualified with a 4th place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  She is the 2009 national silver medalist at the novice level.

Elise Eng: She qualified with a 3rd place finish at Eastern sectionals.

Nicole Rajic: She qualified with a 4th place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  She finished 12th at nationals last year at the novice level.

U.S. Nationals: Junior Mens Preview

Aaron has the most experience in this field as the only medalist from last season returning at the junior level.  He also won two medals on the JGP and finished just off the podium in 4th at the Junior Grand Prix Final.  This is his event to lose, and at the very least he'll be in the podium.  There was a half a point difference between the two Alexanders at their sectional championship and that should be a good match up at nationals as well.  Zahradnicek might have the slight edge as he is the only other skate in this field with international experience.  Emmauel Savary, Philip Warren and Harrison Choate will be challenging them for the podium, having come up from the novice level just this year. 

The skaters:

Max Aaron: Aaron won bronze at JGP Courcheval and silver at SBC Cup to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final, where he finished 4th.  He is the reigning national bronze medalist at the junior level.

Alexander Zahradnicek: He finished 9th at JGP Cup of Austria.  He qualified with a 1st place finish at Eastern sectionals.  He finished 5th at nationals last year as a junior.

Alexander Aiken: He qualified with a 2nd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  He finished 10th at nationals last year as a junior.

Emmanuel Savary: He qualified with a 3rd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  He is the reigning national silver medalist at the novice level.

Philip Warren: He qualified with a 1st place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  He is the reigning national pewter medalist at the novice level.

Harrison Choate: He qualified with a 4th place finish at Eastern sectionals.  He finished 6th at nationals last season as a novice.

Steven Evans: He qualified with a 1st place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

TJ Yang: He qualified with at 2nd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

Timothy Koleto: He qualified with a 3rd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  He finished 11th at nationals last year as a novice.

Ryan Hartley: He qualified with a 4th place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

David Wang: He qualified with a 2nd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.

Shotaro Omari: He qualified with a 3rd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  He finished 9th at nationals last season as a novice.

Will Michael: He qualified with a 5th place finish at Pacific Coast Sectionals.

Note: Joey Millet qualified with a 4th place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  He has since withdrawn from the event

U.S. Nationals: Novice Dance Preview

Two of the three medalists from last seasons intermediate championships have qualified at the novice level.  The Parsons siblings are the favorites going into the event, holding a nearly 11 point lead over the field.  After that there are 5 teams with less than 5 points separating their sectionals scores who will fight for the other spots on the podium.  Like the other novice disciplines, there are a lot of newcomers to nationals and the majority of the teams did not compete at nationals last season.  There is a little less guess work in ice dance as there is less risk for falls as they do not execute jumps, but with two different compulsories and a free dance there is room to move in the standings especially as the compulsories might suit some of the teams more than others and there are different compulsories at nationals than were skated at sectionals.

The teams:

Parsons/Parsons: They qualified with a 1st place finish at Eastern sectionals. 

Hawayek/Bramonte: They qualified with a 1st place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

Pogrebinsky/Gudis: They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  They are the reigning national bronze medalists at the intermediate level.

Moore/Klaber: They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  They are the reigning national silver medalists at the intermediate level.

Oi/Jahnke: They qualified with a 1st place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.

Mancini/Brooks: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

Howe/Farmer: They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.

Grant/Skala: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Eastern sectionals.

Jeandell/Dodge: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Eastern sectionals.

Schmucker/Munday: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

DeMaria/Miller: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  They are the reigning pewter medalists at the intermediate level.

Deissroth/Mueller: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.

U.S. Nationals: Novice Pairs Preview

This should be a good competition as all the medalists from last year's intermediate level have qualified at the novice level.  Less than 10 points separated the top 5 teams at sectionals and three other teams were close to these scores.  Novice teams do short programs and free skates for the first time, so there are more elements to execute and more ice time.  This really leaves the door open for any of these pairs to shine and take the top spot on the podium.  The majority of the field did not attend nationals last season (either didn't qualify or are new partnerships) so this is another group of skaters eager to leave their mark on the national stage and many participating at this level for the first time.

The teams:

Aaron/Settlage: They qualified with a 1st place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.

Goldberg/Dolkiewicz: They qualified with at 1st place finish at Eastern sectionals.  They are the reigning national silver medalists at the intermediate level.

Shaughnessy/Morgan: They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Eastern sectionals.

Bergdolt/Addison: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  They are the reigning bronze medalists at the intermediate level.

Liu/Perini: They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.

de la Mora/Wilson: They qualified with a 1st place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  They are the reigning national champions at the intermediate level.

Fields/Pacini: They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

Smith/Segall: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Eastern sectionals.

Pearce/Norris: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.

Unger/Przepioski: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.

Griffin/Griffin: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.

U.S. Nationals: Novice Ladies Preview

Miller outscored the field by nearly 12 points at sectionals and has positioned herself as a favorite for the podium going into this event.  Barbie Long and Mariah Bell seemed poised to nab the other two podium spots.  If this happens, girls from the Midwestern sectional will sweep the podium at nationals.  Barbie Long is the only medalist from last season returning to the event and none of the girls competed as novices at the national level last season, making this a relatively young field.  I think this will make this a competitive event as these girls will likely have a larger audience than at any previous event they've participated in and this will factor into how well they complete their programs.  This makes it anyone's game, and the mental component will play a large role.

The skaters are:

Hannah Miller: She qualified with a 1st place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  She finished 5th at nationals last season at the intermediate level.

Barbie Long: Long qualified with a 2nd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  She is the reigning national bronze medalist at the intermediate level.

Mariah Bell: She qualified with a 3rd place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  She finished 8th at nationals last season at the intermediate level.

Jessica Pfund: Pfund qualified with a 4th place finish at Midwestern sectionals.  She finished 9th at nationals last season at the intermediate level.

Ana Draovitch: She qualified with a 1st place finish at Eastern sectionals.  She finished 17th at nationals last season at the intermediate level.

Jordan Bauth: Bauth qualified with a 2nd place finish at Eastern sectionals.  She finished 6th at nationals last season at the intermediate level.

Mia Eisenhandler: She qualified with a 3rd place finish at Eastern sectionals.

Viviana Mathis: Mathis qualified with a 4th place finish at Eastern sectionals.

Katia Gorodetsky: She qualified with a 1st place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.

Alana Walker: She qualified with a 2nd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.

Ysabel Tran: Tran qualified with a 3rd place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.  She finished 12th at nationals last season at the intermediate level.

Amanda Hofmann: She qualified with a 4th place finish at Pacific Coast sectionals.

Canadian Nationals: Dance Preview

Canada has 3 spots at 4 Continents and 3 spots at the World Championships.

NOTE: Virtue and Moir announced on January 17th that they will not compete at nationals.  They still plan to compete at Four Continents and Worlds. 
If Virtue and Moir do decide to compete, I don't think they'll have any problem taking gold here.  Crone and Poirier haven't been able to come close to Davis and White's scores and Virtue/Moir had a 40 point lead over Crone/Poirier at nationals last season.  I don't expect the gap to be that big this year, but even out of shape I think they'll win.  They are very genuine in their performances and their program components alone should keep them ahead.

I'm not crazy about Crone/Poiriers short dance but they've been receiving acclaim for their free dance this season.  They won two Grand Prix medals and won a medal at the Grand Prix Final for the first time.  There will be a battle for the silver medal, but I think they have the edge based on their results this season.

Weaver and Poje are one of my favorite teams and I adore their short dance.  There seems to be something off about their free dance and while it's entertaining, it doesn't seem to suit them as well as their elegant short dance.  I think they can pull off the upset and beat Crone and Poirier if they've worked on their free dance.  I think they're also hungry to pull off the upset, having lost out on going to the Olympics by only .30 last season.

Ralph/Hill and Paul/Islam will likely battle it out for 4th place.  Ralph and Hill have some decent programs but still come off a bit junior.  I think the edge goes to Paul and Islam.  They've been called Virtue and Moir 2.0 and their free dance is enchanting.  While I like their short dance, the judges don't seem to and they had a disastrous outing at their second Grand Prix and had to withdraw due to injury.  If they're back to top form, they should finish 4th here.

The teams:

Dupont/Connolly: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Challenge.

Letourneau/Boczar: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Challenge.  They finished 13th at nationals last season.

Bissonnette/Chatham: They qualified with a 5th place finish at Challenge.

Harvey/Gagnon: They finished 5th in their last international assignment at JGP Golden Lynx 2008.  They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Challenge.  They finished 6th at nationals last season. 

Arrotta/Nickel: They finished 4th as juniors at nationals last season.

Paul/Islam: They are the reigning World Junior silver medalists.  They finished 4th at Skate Canada and withdrew from Cup of Russia.  They are the reigning junior national champions.

Arnold/Trojek: They finished 7th at Skate Canada.  They finished 10th at nationals last season.

Ralph/Hill: Ralph and Hill placed 6th at the Four Continents Championships.  They finished 7th at Cup of China and 6th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  They are the 2008 junior national champions.  They qualified with a 1st place finish at Challenge.  Their best finish at nationals was last season when they placed 4th.

Weaver/Poje: Weaver and Poje are the reigning Four Continents champions.  They are the 2007 World Junior Bronze Medalists.  They finished 5th at the Grand Prix Final after winning silver at NHK Trophy and finishing 4th at Skate America.  They are the 2007, 2009 and 2010 national bronze medalists and 2008 national silver medalists.

Crone/Poirier: They finished 14th at the Olympics and 7th at the World Championships.  They won bronze at the Grand Prix Final after winning gold at Skate Canada and silver at Skate America.  They are the 2007 junior national champions.  They are the 2009 and 2010 national silver medalists.

Virtue/Moir: Virtue and Moir are the reigning Olympic and World Champions.  They sat out the Grand Prix season due to injury.  They are the 2006 World Junior Champions.  They are the 2006 and 2007 Four Continents Bronze medalists, 2009 silver medalists, and 2008 champions.  They are the 2009 World Bronze medalists and 2008 silver medalists.  They are the 2004 national junior champions, 2006 national bronze medalists and 2007 national silver medalists.  They are competing for their 4th consecutive national title.

Canadian Nationals: Pairs Preview

Canada has 3 spots at 4 Continents and 2 spots at the World Championships.

Moore-Towers and Moscovitch are the favorites in this event, having won two medals on the Grand Prix circuit and qualifying for the Grand Prix Final.  I love their carefree style and they have a ton of sparkle and personality on the ice.  They are only in their second season as a team and I see big things for them in the future.  Their position on the top of the podium should be relatively safe, barring any major catastrophes.

Brodeur/Mattatall should secure a podium spot here.  They had personal best scores in their 6th place finish at NHK Trophy and although they finished 4th at Trophee Eric Bompard, it was a weak field and they let a medal slip away when she didn't seem to have her feet underneath her the entire competition.  They'll need to step it up here if they want to win silver or have a shot at the top of the podium.

Lawrence/Swiegers are another young team that won their first Grand Prix medal this season and are looking for their first national medal.  They'll be challenged by Duhamel and Radford who are a new team this season but had a good start at Skate Canada with a 5th place finish.  They blew away the field at Challenge, winning by almost 40 points.  With more training time and another competition on their belt, they have a good shot at the podium here. 

Three young teams are competing here but I don't see them really challenging the top 4.  They'll likely be fighting for spots on the Junior Worlds team.


The teams in reverse qualification order:

Gelinas/Struthers: They qualified with a 6th place finish at Challenge.

Godin/Evans: They qualified with a 4th place finish at Challenge.  They finished 11th at nationals last season.

Arseneault/Cote: They qualified with a 3rd place finish at Challenge.

Purdy/Marinaro: They finished 8th at the World Junior Championships with personal best scores across the board.  They finished 10th at JGP J. Curry Memorial and 9th at Czech Skate.  They qualified with a 2nd place finish at Challenge.  They are the reigning junior national champions. 

Duhamel/Radford: They finished 5th at Skate Canada.  They qualified with a 1st place finish at Challenge.

Jones/Gaskell: They placed 7th at the World Junior Championships.  They finished 6th at the Junior Grand Prix Final after placing 6th at Cup of Austria and 4th at Pokal der Blauen.  They are the 2009 national junior champions.  They finished 9th at nationals last season. 

Hole/Johnson: They finished 10th at the World Junior Championships.  They finished 8th at Cup of China with personal best scores across the board.  They qualified with a 5th place finish at Challenge.  They finished 7th at nationals last season.

Lawrence/Swiegers: They finished 4th at World Juniors in 2009.  They won bronze at Skate Canada with personal best scores across the board and finished 5th at Cup of Russia.  They finished 6th at nationals last season.

Moore-Towers/Moscovitch: They placed 9th at Four Continents.  They finished 6th at the Grand Prix Final after winning silver at Skate Canada with personal best scores across the board and silver at Skate America with personal best short program and total scores.  They finished 5th at nationals last season.

Brodeur/Mattatall: They finished 7th at Four Continents with a personal best short program.  They finished 6th at NHK Trophy with a personal best total score and 4th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  They are the 2009 national bronze medalists.  They finished 4th at nationals last season.

Note: Dube/Davison are out for the season due to an injury.  Dube is skating in singles.

Canadian Nationals: Ladies Preview

Canada has 3 spots at Four Continents and 2 spots at the World Championships.

Cynthia Phaneuf is looking to win her first national title since 2004.  She finished 4th at both of her Grand Prix assignments but has struggled with consistency.  She was in the lead after the short program at Skate Canada but mistakes in her free skate dropped her off the podium.  This is probably still her event to lose, but she faces competition and will need to skate clean.

Fighting for the top spot will be Amelie Lacoste, the only Canadian lady to medal at the Grand Prix this season.  She wasn't able to repeat this at Skate America, but still finished a respectable 5th.  She knows how to capitalize when other ladies make errors and I could see her slipping into 1st if Phaneuf has problems.

The third podium spot will likely go to Myriane Samson who has had a good season on the Grand Prix, breaking her own personal best scores at both competitions.

Vanessa Grenier, Alexandra Najarro, and Adriana DeSanctis took home the medals from Challenge.  Their scores were all close but they didn't have a huge lead over the rest of the pack.  Kate Charbonneau could also impress but she has not been the most consistent in her results.  Jessica Dube is also competing here due to the injury to Bryce Davison that ended their season.  With additional practice on her jumps and programs I could see her moving up a few spots here, but jumps have been her struggle in pairs over the last few seasons and she is attempting jumps she hasn't executed in years.

The skaters in reverse qualification order:

Daniela-Bella Favot: She qualified with a 15th place finish at Challenge.  She finished 11th at nationals last season.

Karine Chevrier: She qualified with a 14th place finish at Challenge.

Jessica-Amy Sergeant: She qualified with a 13th place finish at Challenge.

Kelsey McNeil: She qualified with a 12th place finish at Challenge.

Sarah Jourdain: She qualified with an 11th place finish at Challenge.

Jacqueline Lenuik: She qualified with a 10th place finish at Challenge.

Izabel Valiquette: She qualified with a 9th place finish at Challenge.  She finished 12th at nationals last season.

Rylie McCulloch-Casarsa: She finished 9th at her last international assignment, JGP Lake Placid 2009.  She qualified with an 8th place finish at Challenge.  She finished 9th at nationals last season.

Jessica Dube: Dube competed at the Olympics and World Championships with her partner Bryce Davison.  She qualified with a 7th place finish at Challenge.  She won gold in Pairs at nationals last season.

Devon Neuls: She qualified with a 6th place finish at Challenge.

Kate Charbonneau: Charbonneau finished 6th at the World Junior Championships with personal best scores across the board.  She finished 15th at JGP Cup of Austria and 13th at Pokal der Blauen.  She is the 2009 junior national champion.  She qualified with a 5th place finish at Challenge.  She finished 7th at nationals last season.

Dallas Daniel:  She qualified with a 4th place finish at Challenge.  She finished 10th at nationals last season.

Adriana DeSanctis: She qualified with a 3rd place finish at Challenge.  She finished 6th at nationals last season.

Alexandra Najarro: Najarro finished 10th at JGP Brasov Cup and 7th at the J. Curry Memorial.  She qualified with a 2nd place finish at Challenge.  She finished 15th at nationals last season.

Vanessa Grenier: She finished 12th at JGP Courcheval.  She qualified with a 1st place finish at Challenge.  Her highest finish at nationals was last season when she placed 8th.

Amelie Lacoste: Lacoste placed 7th at Four Continents.  She won bronze at Skate Canada with personal best scores across the board and 5th at Skate America.  She is the 2005 junior national champion and the 2009 national bronze medalist.  She finished 5th at nationals last season.

Myriane Samson: Samson finished 29th at the World Championships and 8th at Four Continents.  She finished 7th at Skate Canada earlier this season with personal best scores across the board and 8th at Cup of Russia with a personal best free skate.  Her best finish at nationals was last season when she won bronze.

Cynthia Phaneuf: Phaneuf finished 12th at the Olympics and 5th at Worlds with a personal best free skate and total score.  She is the 2004 Four Continents silver medalist.  She finished 4th at Skate Canada and Trophee Eric Bompard.  She is the 2004 national champion; 2005, 2009 and 2010 national silver medalist; and 2008 national bronze medalist.

Canadian Nationals: Mens Preview

Canada has 3 spots for both the 4 Continents Championships and the World Championships.

This is Patrick Chan's competition to lose.  He is the Grand Prix Final Champion and two-time World Silver Medalist.  He has added quads to his arsenal this season and his free skate is one of the best put together and beautifully choreographed routines I have seen.  He has recently announced that he is has been practicing two quads in his free skate and might try it at nationals.  He's had trouble staying on his feet this season, but his program components are consistently through the roof and I think he can fall here and still be safe. 

Kevin Reynolds has two 4th place finishes on the Grand Prix and has some high power jumps, including two quads in his short program.  He seems to have problems landing them consistently and without the program components to back them up, he needs to stay on his feet but should have no problem making the podium. 

Shawn Sawyer had a respectable Grand Prix season and his Alice in Wonderland free skate is full of nuances and is extremely enjoyable to watch.  He has great artistry and flexibility but doesn't have the jump content to push him higher on the world stage.

Rogozine is also looking to make a splash in his second season as a senior nationally.  He was the top qualifier to the Junior Grand Prix Final but struggled with his short program and was only able to take home the bronze from the competition.  He should put the greatest pressure on Sawyer for the third podium spot and is looking to make his first senior worlds team.

Ian Martinez and Marc-Andre Craig were neck and neck to go 1-2 at Challenge.  This was the first year that Eastern and Western Challenge were combined, so I expect to see a little movement as skaters perform better or worse but the placements should stay relatively the same and these two had a lead over the rest of the field.  One of them could challenge for a podium spot if there are lots of mistakes upon the top 4.

Liam Firus and Samuel Morais lead the young skaters competing on the senior level for the first time.  They went 3-4 at Challenge and may be looking to move up a position or two and secure their Junior World Championships slots.

The skaters in reverse qualification order:

Charles Dion: He qualified with a 14th place finish at Challenge.  He finished 10th at nationals at the junior level last season.

Patrick Wong: He qualified with a 13th place finish at Challenge.  He finished 14th at nationals last season.

Raphael Yacobi-Harris: He qualified with a 12th place finish at Challenge.  He finished 6th at nationals at the junior level last season.

Andrew Lum: Lum finished 14th at his last international appearance on the JGP circuit in 2008.  He qualified with an 11th place finish at Challenge.  He finished 17th at nationals last season.

Ronald Lam: He finished 20th at the World Junior Championships last season with a personal best short program.  He qualified with a 10th place finish at Challenge.  He finished 9th at nationals last season. 

Dave Ferland: Ferland finished 12th at his last international appearance on the JGP circuit in 2008.  He qualified with a 9th place finish at Challenge.  He finished 15th at nationals last season.

Maxime-Billy Fortin:  He qualified with an 8th place finish at Challenge. 

Patrick Myzyk: He qualified with a 7th place finish at Challenge.  He finished 15th at nationals at the junior level last season.

Elladj Balde: He finished 8th at Junior Worlds in 2009.  He is the 2008 junior national champion.  He qualified with a 6th place finish at Challenge.  He last appeared at nationals in 2009 when he finished 10th.

Samuel Morais: Morais finished 6th at JGP Cup of Austria and 7th at Pokal der Blauen.  He qualified with a 5th place finish at Challenge.  He is the reigning junior national silver medalist.

Liam Firus: He finished 5th at the JGP Brasov Cup and won bronze at J. Curry Memorial.  He qualified with a 4th place finish at Challenge.  He is the reigning junior national champion. 

Joey Russell: Russell finished 11th at Four Continents last season with personal best free skate and total scores.  He is the 2006 national junior champion.  He qualified with a 3rd place finish at Challenge.  He had his best finish at nationals last season when he placed 5th.   

Marc-Andre Craig: He finished 11th at his last international competition, NHK Trophy 2006.  He qualified with a 2nd place finish at Challenge.  He finished 10th at nationals last season.

Ian Martinez: Martinez finished 10th at his last international competition, Skate America 2008.  He qualified with a 1st place finish at Challenge.  He had his best finish at nationals last season, placing 6th.

Andrei Rogozine: He placed 6th at the World Junior Championships last season.  He won bronze at the Junior Grand Prix Final after winning gold at both JGP Courchevel and SBC Cup.  He is the 2009 national junior champion and placed 11th in seniors last season. 

Shawn Sawyer: Sawyer placed 7th at Four Continents with a personal best score in the free skate.  He placed 8th at his first Grand Prix assignment last season before winning silver at Skate America.  He finished 5th at the NHK Trophy and 8th at Skate America.  He finished 4th at nationals last season, and he is a three time national bronze medalist.

Kevin Reynolds: Reynolds finished 11th at Worlds with a personal best free skate score and won bronze at Four Continents with a personal best short program.  He finished 4th at Skate Canada with a personal best total score and 4th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  His highest finish at nationals was last season when he won bronze.

Patrick Chan: Chan finished 5th at the Olympics and won silver at worlds.  He is the 2009 Four Continents Champion and World Silver Medalist.  He is the 2007 World Junior Silver Medalist.  He won the Grand Prix Final with a personal best free skate and total score after winning gold at Skate Canada and silver at Rostelecom Cup.  He is going for his 4th consecutive national title.

Note: Jeremy Ten has withdrawn due to surgery.

U.S. Figure Skating Championships Schedule

The 2011 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships are being held in Greensboro, NC.  I'll be posting event previews later this month as well as results and scores as soon as they are available.  I'll be covering novice, junior and senior level events.  I have highlighted the events that I currently plan to live-blog.  Please check back for updates to the schedule.  All times Eastern Standard Time.

Jan. 23
10:00 a.m.: Novice compulsory dance
12:45 p.m.: Novice ladies short program
2:30 p.m.: Novice men's short program
4:15 p.m.: Novice pairs short program
7:30 p.m.: Junior men's short program

Jan. 24
10:30 a.m.: Novice free dance
12:30 p.m.: Novice ladies free skate
3:45 p.m.: Novice men's free skate
5:45 p.m.: Novice pairs free skate
8:45 p.m.: Junior ladies short program

Jan. 25
11:00 a.m.: Junior short dance
8:30 p.m.: Junior men's free skate

Jan. 26
11:00 a.m.: Junior pairs short program
1:30 p.m.: Junior dance free dance
9:00 p.m.: Junior ladies free skate

Jan. 27
3:30 p.m.: Senior pairs short program
7:15 p.m.: Senior ladies short program

Jan. 28
11:00 a.m.: Junior pairs free skate
3:00 p.m.: Senior short dance
7:30 p.m.: Senior men's short program

Jan. 29
10:45 a.m.: Senior pairs free skate (Groups 1-3)
12:35 p.m.: Senior free dance (Groups 1-2)
3:00 p.m.: Senior pairs free skate (Groups 4-5) and Senior free dance (Groups 3-4)
6:40 p.m.: Senior ladies free skate 

Jan. 30
1:35 p.m.: Senior men's free skate 

European Figure Skating Championships Schedule

The 2011 European Championships are being held in Bern, Switzerland.  I will be publishing event previews later this month and scores and results as soon as they are available.

All times are eastern standard time.

January 24th

• 6:00am Ice Dance Preliminaries
• 10:00am Mens Preliminaries

January 25th

• 4:00am Ladies Preliminaries

January 26th

• 9:30am Short Dance
• 1:15pm Pairs Short Program

January 27th

• 8:00am Mens Short Program
• 1:15pm Pairs Free Skate

January 28th

• 8:00am Ladies Short Program
• 1:00pm Free Dance

January 29th

• 7:00am Ladies Free Skate
• 12:15pm Mens Free Skate

Canadian Figure Skating Championships Schedule

The BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships are being held in Victoria, British Columbia. 
All times are eastern standard time.  I'll be publishing event previews later this month and will be providing scores and results as soon as they are available.

January 21st

• 4:15pm Pairs Short Program
• 6:50pm Short Dance
• 9:20pm Ladies Short Program

January 22nd

• 5:00pm Ladies Free Skate
• 8:20pm Mens Short Program
• 11:50pm Pairs Free Skate

January 23rd

• 3:00pm Free Dance
• 5:45pm Mens Free Skate

Breaking Down the Elements: Pattern Dance Element Levels and GOE (Jr and Sr Dance)

Calling specifications for Pattern Dance Element:
Basic Requirement for calling a Sequence of the Pattern Dance Element Level 1 (sequence or section) is that at least 50% of the prescribed steps must be completed by both partners and at least the requirements for Level 1 are fulfilled (1 Key Point in the sequence or section is executed correctly).  If no Key Point is executed correctly, the section/sequence gets NO LEVEL.
--Each sequence/section is called as a separate element
--The level is called after conclusion of each sequence/section by the TS based on the sum of correctly executed Key Points
--If all Key Points are performed correctly the sequence/section gets Level 4
--The level for the sequence/section is downgraded by one level for each Key Point performed incorrectly

Junior: The following features for each Key Point are to be taken into consideration by the Technical Panel to establish the level of each sequence of the Viennese Waltz.
1st Sequence (VWSeq1)

• Man's Steps 9-10--Man's Closed Choctaw
• Entry on Clean LFI edge
• Correct placement of free foot (toe of free foot placed on the ice behind the heel of the skating foot)
• correct turn
• exit on clean RBO edge
• Lady's steps 10-11--Lady's Open Mohawk
• entry on clean LFO edge
• correct placement of free foot (heel of free foot placed on the ice at the inner side of the skating foot)
• correct turn
• exit on clean RBO edge
• Man and Lady's Steps 19-20
• correct Cross-Roll
• correct cross behind/cross in front
• correct change of edge
• Man and Lady's Steps 23-24
• Lady--correct CR FRO and 3 turn; Man--correct CR LBO
• correct outside Sw for both

2nd Sequence: (VWSeq2)

• Man and Lady's Steps 4-5
• correct cross-roll
• correct cross behind/cross in front
• correct change of edge
• Man's Steps 9-10--Man's Closed Choctaw
• Entry on Clean LFI edge
• Correct placement of free foot (toe of free foot placed on the ice behind the heel of the skating foot)
• correct turn
• exit on clean RBO edge
• Lady's steps 10-11--Lady's Open Mohawk
• entry on clean LFO edge
• correct placement of free foot (heel of free foot placed on the ice at the inner side of the skating foot)
• correct turn
• exit on clean RBO edge
• Man and Lady's Steps 23-24
• Lady--correct CR FRO and 3 turn; Man--correct CR LBO
• correct outside Sw for both

Senior: The following features will be taken into consideration by the Technical Panel to establish the level of each section of the Golden Waltz
Section 1: (GWSe1)

• Man and Lady's Steps 1-4 (Walk Around 3 Turn)
• correct placement of the feet (between the feet of the partner)
• correct turns
• Man's Step 15a-15b (xb-LFI-opMo)
• entry on clean LFI edge
• correct placement of free foot (heel of free foot placed on ice at the inner side of the skating foot)
• correct turn
• exit on clean RBI edge
• Lady's Step 15 (xb-LFI-Br)
• entry on clean LFI edge
• correct turn
• exit on LBO edge
• Lady's Step 21 (Shoot the Duck and side by side Three Turn LFI)
• thigh of the skating leg at least parallel to the ice and the free leg straight and extended forward parallel to the ice
• correct turn ending with front coupees

Section 2: (GWSe2)

• Man's Steps 26a-26c (RBO 3-Turn, Pivot, RFI-LBI SprE)
• correct pivot position (toe picks of the left foot touches the ice)
• correct full inside spread eagle position
• Lady's Step 30b (Twizzles and layback position)
• correct back outside twizzle of full two rotations
• layback position--free leg stretched in front in line with upper body
• layback position--body less than 45 degrees above horizontal line
• layback position--position must be maintained through the entrance, turn and exit of the RBO3
• Man's and Lady's Steps 34-35 (RFI SwOpCho-LBO)
• entry on clean RFI edge
• correct placement of free foot (heel of free foot placed on ice at the inner side of the skating foot)
• correct turn
• exit on correct LBO edge
• Man and Lady's Steps 39-40 (XB-LFI OpCho-RBO)
• entry on clean LFI edge
• correct placement of free foot (heel of free foot placed on ice at the inner side of the skating foot)
• correct turn
• exit on correct RBO edge

Marking Guide for GOE for Sequence/Sections of Pattern Dance Element
Quality/correctness of edges for the whole of sequence/section

• 40% or less clean steps/turns with many errors: -3
• 50% clean steps/turns with 2 major errors: -2
• 60% clean steps/turns with 1 major error: -1
• 75% clean steps/turns with no major errors: 0
• 80% clean steps/turns with no major errors: +1
• 90% clean steps/turns with no major errors: +2
• 100% clean steps/turns: +3

Depth of edges

• very flat: -3
• generally flat: -2
• some flats: -1
• shallow: 0
• good curves: +1
• deep: +2
• very deep: +3

Correct holds

• 40%: -3
• 50%: -2
• 60%: -1
• 75%: 0
• 80%: +1
• 90%: +2
• 100%: +3

Correct pattern (correct tracking and restart and its repetition if more than one sequence is required)

• 40%: -3
• 50%: -2
• 60%: -1
• 75%: 0
• 80%: +1
• 90%: +2
• 100%: +3

Correct timing (holding edges/steps for required number of beats)

• 40%: -3
• 50%: -2
• 60%: -1
• 75%: 0
• 80%: +1
• 90%: +2
• 100%: +3

Other Adjustments
Loss of balance without additional support by one partner: reduce sequence/section by 1 grade
Loss of balance without additional support by both partners: no higher than 0
Stumble (loss of balance with additional support by hand and/or free foot) by one partner: not higher than 0
Stumble by both partners: not higher than -1
Fall by one partner: not higher than -2
Fall by both partners: mark as -3
Sequence/section missed through interruption, up to 1/4: not higher than -1
Sequence/section missed through interruption, up to 1/2: not higher than -2
Sequence/section missed through interruption, more than 1/2: mark as -3

Breaking Down the Elements: Novice Free Dance

The Novice Free Dance consists of elements in 4 categories completed in 3:00 +/- 10 seconds.

Lifts

• Maximum of 3
• One may be a long lift (maximum 12 seconds)
• Short lifts are a maximum or 6 seconds
• No part of the costume may be used as any support in a lift which is considered for level. If this occurs the lift will get a level according to calling specifications and a 1 point deduction by the referee and judging panel will be applied.

Dance Spins

• 1
• Spin is a minimum of 3 revolutions on 1 foot by both partners OR a combination apin with a minimum of 3 revolutions on each foot by both partners

 Step Sequences

• Maximum of 1
• Midline, diagonal, circular or serpentine in hold.  Must use full ice surface.  Non touching midline sequence not permitted.
• Skated in dance holds or variations thereof except hand-in-hand hold in sustained position with fully extended arms.  Any separation to change a hold must not exceed 1 measure of music.
• Lifts, jumps of more than 1/2 rotation, stops, dance spins, pirouettes, pattern regression and loops are not to be included in step sequences.

 Twizzles

• 1 set of synchronized twizzles

Additional Information

• Combined dance spin and lift are permitted but are to be counted as separate elements: i.e. as 1 of the permitted lifts and 1 dance spin.
• Kneeling or sliding on 2 knees and/or sitting on the ice are not permitted.  It will be considered as a fall and the appropraite deduction will be applied by the Technical Panel.
• Other illegal elements
• Jumps of more than one revolution or jumps of one revolution skated at the same time by both partners
• Lying on the ice

The main differences between novice and junior is that the novice program is 30 seconds shorter, there are no options for the number of lifts, no additional lifts, spins or twizzles may be performed for choreography points, and there is only one step sequence