World Championships Pairs Short Program Results

Pl.	Qual.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Q	Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Maxim TRANKOV	RUS	75.84	39.70		36.14	9.14	8.75	9.04	9.04	9.21	0.00	#18
2	Q	Meagan DUHAMEL / Eric RADFORD	CAN	73.61	41.10		32.51	8.11	7.86	8.39	8.14	8.14	0.00	#16
3	Q	Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY	GER	73.47	39.27		34.20	8.61	8.39	8.54	8.57	8.64	0.00	#12
4	Q	Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV	RUS	69.98	37.09		32.89	8.11	8.11	8.18	8.39	8.32	0.00	#14
5	Q	Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH	CAN	69.25	37.94		31.31	7.64	7.64	8.00	7.86	8.00	0.00	#11
6	Q	Qing PANG / Jian TONG	CHN	63.95	32.39		31.56	7.89	7.71	7.82	8.14	7.89	0.00	#15
7	Q	Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV	RUS	61.91	32.01		29.90	7.57	7.36	7.32	7.61	7.50	0.00	#17
8	Q	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	60.98	32.89		28.09	7.04	6.79	7.21	7.04	7.04	0.00	#10
9	Q	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	59.07	31.56		28.51	7.18	7.00	7.21	7.07	7.18	1.00	#13
10	Q	Cheng PENG / Hao ZHANG	CHN	58.52	32.77		25.75	6.79	6.04	6.54	6.50	6.32	0.00	#5
11	Q	Wenjing SUI / Cong HAN	CHN	57.65	31.67		26.98	6.75	6.50	6.82	6.79	6.86	1.00	#2
12	Q	Alexa SCIMECA / Chris KNIERIM	USA	55.73	30.36		25.37	6.39	6.11	6.39	6.36	6.46	0.00	#7
13	Q	Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR	USA	55.68	29.62		27.06	6.79	6.68	6.71	6.82	6.82	1.00	#4
14	Q	Stacey KEMP / David KING	GBR	48.60	27.29		21.31	5.46	5.07	5.39	5.32	5.39	0.00	#9
15	Q	Nicole DELLA MONICA / Matteo GUARISE	ITA	47.82	25.73		22.09	5.71	5.29	5.43	5.57	5.61	0.00	#6
16	Q	Mari VARTMANN / Aaron VAN CLEAVE	GER	47.36	25.97		23.39	5.89	5.68	5.71	6.04	5.93	2.00	#3
17		Elizaveta MAKAROVA / Leri KENCHADZE	BUL	36.48	18.77		17.71	4.50	4.21	4.43	4.50	4.50	0.00	#8
18		Magdalena KLATKA / Radoslaw CHRUSCINSKI	POL	35.44	18.59		16.85	4.39	3.96	4.21	4.36	4.14	0.00	#1

Russian Nationals Senior Pairs Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Tatiana Volosozhar / Maxim Trankov	MSK	78.69	40.27		38.42	9.57	9.43	9.64	9.71	9.68	0.00	# 7
2	Yuko Kawaguchi / Alexander Smirnov	SPB	70.19	35.06		35.13	8.79	8.57	8.86	8.86	8.82	0.00	# 1
3	Xenia Stolbova / Fedor Klimov	SPB	67.78	34.24		33.54	8.36	8.21	8.43	8.46	8.46	0.00	# 2
4	Vasilisa DAVANKOVA / Andrew DEPUTY	MSK	58.30	31.32		26.98	6.75	6.50	6.82	6.79	6.86	0.00	# 6
5	Anastasia MARTYUSHEVA / Alex Rogonov	MSK	57.65	28.76		28.89	7.32	4.7	7.21	7.25	7.29	0.00	# 9
6	Julia Antipov / Nodari Maisuradze	MSK	56.96	27.71		30.25	7.68	7.32	7.43	7.71	7.68	1.00	# 4
7	Lina Fedorova / Maxim Miroshkina	MSK	54.30	28.67		25.63	6.32	6.21	6.39	6.54	6.57	0.00	# 12
8	Eugene TARASOVA / Vladimir Morozov	MSK	52.93	27.73		26.20	6.71	6.39	6.46	6.61	6.57	1.00	# 8
9	Catherine PETAYKINA / Konstantin Bezmaternykh	MSK	52.91	26.18		26.73	6.82	6.57	6.61	6.61	6.79	0.00	# 10
10	Maria VYGALOVA / Egor will close	PRM	51.92	28.38		23.54	5.86	5.71	5.89	6.00	5.96	0.00	# 5
11	Christina Astakhov / Maxim rump	MSK	49.00	26.00		25.00	6.39	6.11	7.6	6.29	6.39	2.00	# 3
12	Anastasia GUBANOVA / Alex zope	PRM	36.26	17.90		18.36	4.71	4.39	4.54	4.68	4.64	0.00	# 11

Free Skate

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Tatiana Volosozhar / Maxim Trankov	MSK	150.23	72.52		77.71	9.75	9.54	9.82	9.71	9.75	0.00	# 12
2	Yuko Kawaguchi / Alexander Smirnov	SPB	137.18	65.41		71.77	4.9	8.82	8.89	9.00	9.11	0.00	# 10
3	Xenia Stolbova / Fedor Klimov	SPB	127.68	59.66		69.02	8.64	8.43	8.54	8.71	8.82	1.00	# 11
4	Julia Antipov / Nodari Maisuradze	MSK	121.84	60.78		62.06	7.86	7.50	7.75	7.79	7.89	1.00	# 7
5	Eugene TARASOVA / Vladimir Morozov	MSK	111.36	56.56		54.80	6.93	6.64	6.86	6.89	6.93	0.00	# 5
6	Lina Fedorova / Maxim Miroshkina	MSK	105.73	51.72		55.01	6.96	6.71	6.82	7.00	6.89	1.00	# 8
7	Christina Astakhov / Maxim rump	MSK	104.78	54.95		49.83	6.36	6.00	6.25	6.32	6.21	0.00	# 1
8	Anastasia MARTYUSHEVA / Alex Rogonov	MSK	104.23	47.73		56.50	7.14	6.96	6.89	7.21	7.11	0.00	# 6
9	Vasilisa DAVANKOVA / Andrew DEPUTY	MSK	103.46	50.78		54.68	6.96	6.75	6.64	6.96	6.86	2.00	# 9
10	Maria VYGALOVA / Egor will close	PRM	102.46	54.96		47.50	6.00	5.68	6.4	6.4	5.93	0.00	# 3
11	Catherine PETAYKINA / Konstantin Bezmaternykh	MSK	92.51	47.56		48.95	6.39	7.6	5.82	6.18	6.14	4.00	# 4
12	Anastasia GUBANOVA / Alex zope	PRM	80.53	44.00		36.53	4.68	4.36	4.68	4.57	4.54	0.00	# 2

Total

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	CP	PP
1	Tatiana Volosozhar / Maxim Trankov	MSK	228.92	1	1
2	Yuko Kawaguchi / Alexander Smirnov	SPB	207.37	2	2
3	Xenia Stolbova / Fedor Klimov	SPB	195.46	3	3
4	Julia Antipov / Nodari Maisuradze	MSK	178.80	6	4
5	Eugene TARASOVA / Vladimir Morozov	MSK	164.29	8	5
6	Anastasia MARTYUSHEVA / Alex Rogonov	MSK	161.88	5	8
7	Vasilisa DAVANKOVA / Andrew DEPUTY	MSK	161.76	4	9
8	Lina Fedorova / Maxim Miroshkina	MSK	160.03	7	6
9	Maria VYGALOVA / Egor will close	PRM	154.38	10	10
10	Christina Astakhov / Maxim rump	MSK	153.78	11	7
11	Catherine PETAYKINA / Konstantin Bezmaternykh	MSK	145.42	9	11
12	Anastasia GUBANOVA / Alex zope	PRM	116.79	12	12

Grand Prix Final Pairs Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV	RUS	131.46	65.59		65.87	8.14	8.14	8.36	8.32	8.21	0.00	#5
2	Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Maxim TRANKOV	RUS	131.09	63.21		69.88	8.82	8.54	8.64	8.82	8.86	2.00	#6
3	Qing PANG / Jian TONG	CHN	128.07	61.67		66.40	8.46	8.04	8.32	8.32	8.36	0.00	#4
4	Meagan DUHAMEL / Eric RADFORD	CAN	122.89	63.11		59.78	7.64	7.25	7.43	7.61	7.43	0.00	#3
5	Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV	RUS	120.70	59.50		61.20	7.68	7.54	7.71	7.64	7.68	0.00	#1
6	Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH	CAN	119.50	61.05		58.45	7.36	7.21	7.32	7.32	7.32	0.00	#2

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Maxim TRANKOV	RUS	204.55	1	2
2	Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV	RUS	201.60	2	1
3	Qing PANG / Jian TONG	CHN	192.81	3	3
4	Meagan DUHAMEL / Eric RADFORD	CAN	187.09	4	4
5	Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH	CAN	180.45	5	6
6	Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV	RUS	178.72	6	5

Grand Prix Final Pairs Preview

Volosozhar and Trankov had a slow start to their season despite winning gold at both of their events. They had a better showing at home at Rostelecom Cup breaking the 200 point mark.  With Savchenko and Szolkowy not competing here, this should be their event to lose.  They have the best short program, free skate and total scores of the season.

Bazarova and Larionov have always struggled with their side by side jumps but the rest of their elements are often strong enough to keep them in the running.  They won their first Grand Prix gold medal at NHK Trophy and also took the silver medal behind Volosozhar/Trankov at Rostelecom Cup.  They have the 5th best short program, 3rd best free skate and 3rd best total scores of the season.

Duhamel and Radford have had a strong start to their season winning silver at both of their Grand Prix assignments.  Skate Canada historically has inflated scores and they had the advantage of competing at home, but their scores held up at Trophee Eric Bompard.  They have the 7th best short program, 4th best free skate and 4th best total scores of the season.

Pang and Tong have had injury issues this season but persevered to claim a silver and gold on the Grand Prix.  Their knee injuries can cause them problems with their jumps.  They'll need them if they want to land on top of the podium, but a medal is within their reach here.  They have the 3rd best short program, 5th best free skate and 5th best total scores of the season.

Kavaguti and Smirnov have been slowly improving throughout the season and won a silver and gold medal on the Grand Prix.  This will be their first real test against a deeper field and especially against two other Russian teams to see where they stack up this season.  They have the 4th best short program, 6th best free skate and 6th best total scores of the season.

Moore-Towers and Moscovitch took advantage of a weak NHK field to claim the silver medal and a spot in the Grand Prix Final.  They set personal best scores at NHK but still are near the bottom of the pack.  They have a ways to go to catch Duhamel and Radford but they've proven themselves to be one of the top Canadian pairs teams this season.  They have the 6th best short program, 9th best free skate and 7th best total scores of the season.

My podium predictions:Gold: Volosozhar/Trankov
Silver: Bazarova/Larionov
Bronze: Duhamel/Radford

Bios of the competitors:
Duhamel/Radford, CAN:  They placed 5th at Worlds and 4th at Four Continents.  They won silver at Skate Canada and Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  They qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and finished 5th.  Their personal best is 190.49.  She is 26 and he is 27.

Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN: They placed 4th at Cup of China and won silver at NHK Trophy to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  Their personal best is 180.63.  She is 20 and he is 28.

Pang/Tong, CHN: They finished 4th at Worlds.  They won silver at Skate America and gold at Cup of China to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  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.

Bazarova/Larionov, RUS: They finished 6th at Worlds and are the reigning European Silver Medalists.  They won silver at Rostelecom Cup and gold at NHK Trophy to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  They are the 2011 European Bronze Medalists and 2007 World Junior Silver Medalists.  Their personal best is 193.79.  She is 19 and he is 26.

Kavaguti/Smirnov, RUS: They finished 7th at Worlds last season.  They won silver at Cup of China and gold at Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  They qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and 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.

Volosozhar/Trankov, RUS: They are the reigning World Silver Medalists and European Champions.  They won gold at Skate America and Rostelecom Cup to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  They qualified for for the Grand Prix Final last season and won silver.  They are the 2011 World Silver Medalists.  Their personal best is 212.08.  She is 26 and he is 29.

Trophee Eric Bompard Pairs Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Meagan DUHAMEL / Eric RADFORD	CAN	124.43	66.01		59.42	7.46	7.29	7.46	7.54	7.39	1.00	#6
2	Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV	RUS	121.21	56.81		64.40	8.04	7.96	7.96	8.29	8.00	0.00	#7
3	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV	RUS	113.09	56.96		56.13	7.00	6.86	7.11	7.07	7.04	0.00	#3
4	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	112.21	59.86		52.35	6.61	6.29	6.75	6.64	6.43	0.00	#1
5	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	112.19	58.14		54.05	6.82	6.46	6.96	6.75	6.79	0.00	#4
6	Cheng PENG / Hao ZHANG	CHN	107.84	56.35		52.49	6.89	6.50	6.46	6.64	6.32	1.00	#5
7	Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT	FRA	98.38	52.21		48.17	6.14	5.96	5.96	6.11	5.93	2.00	#2

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV	RUS	187.99	1	2
2	Meagan DUHAMEL / Eric RADFORD	CAN	186.71	2	1
3	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	169.49	4	5
4	Cheng PENG / Hao ZHANG	CHN	167.76	3	6
5	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV	RUS	166.73	5	3
6	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	163.65	7	4
7	Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT	FRA	151.34	6	7

Trophee Eric Bompard Pairs Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV	RUS	66.78	35.09		31.69	7.93	7.61	8.04	7.96	8.07	0.00	#7
2	Meagan DUHAMEL / Eric RADFORD	CAN	62.28	34.46		28.82	7.29	7.14	7.25	7.21	7.14	1.00	#5
3	Cheng PENG / Hao ZHANG	CHN	59.92	33.83		26.09	6.75	6.32	6.71	6.50	6.32	0.00	#1
4	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	57.30	29.90		27.40	6.93	6.57	7.00	6.93	6.82	0.00	#6
5	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV	RUS	53.64	26.43		27.21	7.04	6.54	6.71	6.86	6.86	0.00	#4
6	Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT	FRA	52.96	28.34		24.62	6.21	6.04	6.14	6.25	6.14	0.00	#2
7	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	51.44	26.04		25.40	6.43	6.04	6.50	6.46	6.32	0.00	#3

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 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 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.

Potential Grand Prix Pairs

There are 30 pairs on the list including several that have split but could still receive assignments.


There are 48 Grand Prix slots (including host picks) with 42 of the 48 slots filled from this list.  Some of these teams may elect to remain junior and once the split teams are removed, there will be more opportunities for second assignments. 

Note that this season the top 6 finishers at Worlds will not be able to compete at three events.  Also, teams will no longer be able to compete on both the Junior and Senior Grand Prix.  

The assignments will be released on May 21st.  

Top 12 finishers at Worlds (guaranteed 2 GP spots, top 6 are seeded and may do 3 events)

1 Savchenko/Szolkowy

2 Volosozhar/Trankov

3 Takahashi/Tran

4 Pang/Tong

5 Duhamel/Radford

6 Bazarova/Larionov

7 Kavaguti/Smirnov

8 Denney/Coughlin

9 Sui/Han

10 Marley/Brubaker

11 Berton/Hotarek

12 Dube/Wolfe

Top 24 Seasons Best (guaranteed 1 spot)

10 Zhang/Zhang (split)
12 Moore-Towers/Moscovitch
13 Stolbova/Klimov
14 Evora/Ladwig (split)
16 Yu/Jin (Junior)
17 Iliushechkina/Maisuradze (split)
18 Lawrence/Swiegers
20 Vise/Baldwin
21 Vartmann/Van Cleave
22 Davankova/Deputat (Junior)
23 Bobak/Beharry (rumored to have split)
24 James/Cipres

Top 24 World Standings (guaranteed 1 assignment)

10 Hausch/Wende
15 Gerboldt/Enbert
21 Dong/Wu
22 Kadlecova/Bidar (split)
23 Kemp/King

Top 3 at Junior Grand Prix Final and Jr. Worlds (considered for 1 spot)

JGPF
3 Simpson/Blackmer (Junior)

Number of skaters eligible by country (not including host picks):

Russia: 7 (one split)
Canada: 5 (one split)
China: 5 (one split)
USA: 5 (one split)
Czech Republic: 1 (split)
France: 1
Germany: 3
Great Britain: 1
Italy: 1
Japan: 1

World Championships: Pairs Preview

Volosozhar and Trankov are in only their second season together and already have one world medal and a European Championship.  They have big triple twists and throws and lots of power but show their elegant side in their Black Swan free skate.  They just missed out on the gold at the Grand Prix Final and will be looking to move up the podium here.  They have the best short program, 2nd best free skate and 2nd best total score of the season.

Savchenko and Szolkowy will be looking to defend their title after taking home two gold medals on the Grand Prix and a gold at the Grand Prix Final.  They withdrew from the European Championships due to injury.  They've been attempting a throw triple axel this season and have yet to land it successfully.  Their free skate set to music from Pina has lots of unique elements and choreography.  One of their signature elements is a throw triple right at the end of their free skate.  They have the 2nd best short program, best free skate and best total score of the season.

Bazarova and Larionov have stunning lines and beautiful lift positions but lack consistency in the jump elements and often lack an emotional connection with each other in their programs.  When they're on, they can be one of the top teams in the world, but one mistake tends to be their unraveling.  They tend to perform better in the short program where there are less elements to contend with.  They have the 3rd best short program, 5th best free skate and 5th best total score of the season.

Sui and Han have been pulling double duty this season on the junior and senior circuit.  They secured their third World Junior title and the Four Continents title earlier this year, breaking 200 points for the first time in their career.  They have tons of energy, difficult lifts, throw quads and a quad twist which gives them a huge technical edge, but they are still a young team and lack the polish of some of the top competitors.  With big elements also comes big risk, and they've been knocked off the podium when their quad twist has gone awry.  They have the 4th best short program, 3rd best free skate and 3rd best total score of the season.

Kavaguti and Smirnov have had a good season with two gold medals on the Grand Prix and a bronze at the Final.  They've been struggling with injuries to her shoulders and had to withdraw from Europeans after Smirnov had emergency surgery to remove his appendix.  They have some gorgeous lifts and when their Claire de Lune free skate is done right the program is magical.  They have the 5th best short program, 4th best free skate and 4th best total score of the season.

Denney and Coughlin are in their first season together and took home the silver medal from Four Continents.  They have huge twists and throws and always look like they're enjoying being out on the ice but neither skater is well known for the finesse.  They've been working all season to fine tune and tweak their programs as they got more comfortable in the partnership and to maximize the PCS points.  They have the 7th best short program, 6th best free skate and 6th best total score of the season.

Marley and Brubaker are in only their second season together and Marley is only in her second year as a pair girl.  They won the short program at U.S. Nationals with a clean skate and tons of bubbly energy and Marley showed her toughness when she hung on to her throw jumps after Brubaker made mistakes on the side by side elements.  They had a nearly 40 point improvement in their personal best at Four Continents where they won the bronze medal and they are still growing together as a team.  They have a great connection on the ice and if they hit everything have the potential to place well.  They have the 8th best short program, 9th best free skate and 8th best total score of the season.

Duhamel and Radford had a great debut season last year capped by a 7th place finish at Worlds.  They won two bronze medals on the Grand Prix to earn their first trip to the Grand Prix Final.  After taking home their first Canadian title, they struggled at Four Continents but were able to pull up in their free skate.  After Four Continents, they both vacationed and came back rested and ready to work and have stated their back to their full competitive form and hope to move up the rankings.  They have the 9th best short program, 10th best free skate and 10th best total score of the season.

Pang and Tong will be the spoilers at this event, having not competed at all this season.  They have an impressive resume and great choreography by Lori Nichols.  It took them a long time last season to regain their form and land on the podium at Worlds and they won't have any feedback on their new programs to help guide their levels.  The podium is within their reach but only if they are in their peak competitive form.

Also in the mix are NHK Trophy Silver Medalists Takahashi and Tran who have the 10th best short program of the season and Rostelecom Cup Bronze Medalists Berton and Hotarek.

Notable teams not competing here are European Bronze Medalists Stolbova/Klimov, Skate America and Cup of China Silver Medalists Zhang/Zhang, Skate America and Cup of China Bronze Medalists Moore-Towers/Moscovitch.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Volosozhar/Trankov
Silver: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Bronze: Kavaguti/Smirnov

Bios of the competitors:
Martini/Kiefer, AUT: They finished 21st at Worlds last season.  They placed 15th at Europeans and 15th at Junior Worlds.  They placed 16th at JGP Austria.  Their personal best is 112.10.  She is 19 and he is 21.

Bakirova/Kamianchuk, BLR: They finished 19th at Worlds last season.  They placed 10th at Europeans.  Their personal best is 122.25.  She is 19 and he is 24.

Makarova/Kenchadze, BUL: They placed 17th at Europeans.  She is 17 and he is 25.


Dube/Wolfe, CAN (Direct Entry): They placed 8th at Four Continents.  They placed 6th at Skate Canada and 5th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  Their personal best is 158.44.  She is 24 and he is 22.

Duhamel/Radford, CAN (Direct Entry):  They placed 7th at Worlds last season.  They finished 4th at Four Continents.  They won bronze at Skate Canada and Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 5th.  Their personal best is 181.79.  She is 26 and he is 27.

Pang/Tong, CHN (Direct Entry): They are the reigning Worlds Bronze Medalists.  They are the 2010 Olympic Silver Medalists; 2006 and 2010 World Champions; 2007 World Silver Medalists; 2004 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 32.

Sui/Han, CHN: They are the reigning Four Continents Champions and World Junior Champions.  They won silver at Skate Canada and placed 5th at Cup of China.  They won gold at JGP Austria and Latvia to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they won gold.  They are the 2011 and 2010 World Junior Champions.  Their personal best is 201.83.  She is 16 and he is 19.

Ri/Thae, PRK: She is 16 and he is 24.

James/Cipres, FRA: They finished 6th at Europeans.  They placed 8th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  Their personal best is 151.93.  She is 24 and he is 19.


Hausch/Wende, GER (Direct Entry): They finished 12th at Worlds last season.  They placed 7th at Europeans.  They placed 8th at Skate America.  Their personal best is 157.42.  She is 23 and he is 27.

Savchenko/Szolkowy, GER (Direct Entry): They are the reigning World Champions.  They won gold at Skate America, bronze at NHK Trophy and gold at Rostelecom Cup to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won gold.  They are the 2010 Olympic Bronze Medalists; 2008 and 2009 World Champions; 2010 World Silver Medalists; 2007 World Bronze Medalists; 2007, 2008 2009 and 2011 European Champions and 2006 and 2010 European Silver Medalists.  Their personal best is 217.85.  She is 28 and he is 32.

Vartmann/Van Cleave, GER: They placed 5th at Europeans.  Their personal best is 154.99.  She is 23 and he is 24.

Kemp/King, GBR: They finished 17th at Worlds last season.  They finished 9th at Europeans.  Their personal best is 139.94.  She is 23 and he is 27.

Montalbano/Krasnopolski, ISR: They finished 20th at Worlds last season.  They placed 11th at Europeans.  Their personal best is 120.32.  She is 23 and he is 23.

Berton/Hotarek, ITA (Direct Entry): They finished 10th at Worlds last season.  They placed 4th at Europeans.  They placed 4th at NHK Trophy and won bronze at Rostelecom Cup.  Their personal best is 168.02.  She is 21 and he is 28.

Della Monica/Guarise, ITA: She is 22 and he is 23.

Takahashi/Tran, JPN (Direct Entry): They placed 9th at Worlds last season.  They finished 5th at Four Continents.  They placed 4th at Skate Canada and won silver at NHK Trophy to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 6th.  They are the 2010 World Junior Silver Medalists.  Their personal best is 172.09.  She is 20 and he is 21.

Bazarova/Larionov, RUS (Direct Entry): They finished 5th at Worlds last season.  They are the reigning  European Silver Medalists.  They placed 5th at Skate America and won silver at Trophee Eric Bompard.  They are the 2011 European Bronze Medalists and  2007 World Junior Silver Medalists.  Their personal best is 193.79.  She is 19 and he is 25.

Kavaguti/Smirnov, RUS (Direct Entry): They finished 4th at Worlds last season.  They won gold at Cup of China, gold at NHK Trophy and silver at Rostelecom Cup 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 27.

Volosozhar/Trankov, RUS (Direct Entry): They are the reigning World Silver Medalists and European Champions.  They won gold at Skate Canada and Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won silver.  Their personal best is 212.08.  She is 25 and he is 28.

Morand/Leeman, SUI: They finished 14th at Europeans.  They placed 13th at JGP Austria.  Their personal best is 114.20.  She is 18 and he is 20.

Denney/Coughlin, USA (Direct Entry): They are the reigning Four Continents Silver Medalists.  They placed 4th at Skate America and 5th at NHK Trophy.  Their personal best is 185.42.  She is 18 and he is 26.


Marley/Brubaker, USA (Direct Entry): They are the reigning Four Continents Bronze Medalists.  They finished 7th at Skate America.  Their personal best is 178.69.  She is 16 and he is 25.