Bavarian Open Senior Pairs Results

Pl.	Name	Club	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV		RUS	59.84	33.44		26.40	6.75	6.25	6.65	6.60	6.75	0.00	#4
2	Julia ANTIPOVA / Nodari MAISURADZE		RUS	59.74	34.42		25.32	6.60	6.10	6.35	6.30	6.30	0.00	#1
3	Mari VARTMANN / Aaron VAN CLEAVE		GER	49.20	25.76		23.44	6.05	5.45	6.10	5.90	5.80	0.00	#2
4	Stina MARTINI / Severin KIEFER		AUT	40.50	21.62		18.88	4.85	4.45	4.80	4.80	4.70	0.00	#5
5	Marcelina LECH / Jakub TYC		POL	36.34	19.66		17.68	4.65	4.20	4.50	4.55	4.20	1.00	#3
6	Camille FOUCHER / Mark MAGYAR		HUN	32.28	15.52		16.76	4.45	4.00	4.15	4.25	4.10	0.00	#6

Free Skate

Pl.	Name	Club	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV		RUS	123.03	65.71		57.32	7.13	6.88	7.31	7.31	7.19	0.00	#5
2	Julia ANTIPOVA / Nodari MAISURADZE		RUS	114.24	60.33		53.91	6.81	6.44	6.88	6.81	6.75	0.00	#6
3	Mari VARTMANN / Aaron VAN CLEAVE		GER	102.68	54.17		48.51	6.19	5.75	6.13	6.19	6.06	0.00	#4
4	Marcelina LECH / Jakub TYC		POL	78.53	42.02		36.51	4.75	4.31	4.63	4.69	4.44	0.00	#3
5	Stina MARTINI / Severin KIEFER		AUT	73.78	38.87		36.91	4.75	4.31	4.69	4.69	4.63	2.00	#1
6	Camille FOUCHER / Mark MAGYAR		HUN	69.39	36.06		33.33	4.44	3.88	4.13	4.25	4.13	0.00	#2

Total

FPl.	Name	Club	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV		RUS	182.87	1	1
2	Julia ANTIPOVA / Nodari MAISURADZE		RUS	173.98	2	2
3	Mari VARTMANN / Aaron VAN CLEAVE		GER	151.88	3	3
4	Marcelina LECH / Jakub TYC		POL	114.87	5	4
5	Stina MARTINI / Severin KIEFER		AUT	114.28	4	5
6	Camille FOUCHER / Mark MAGYAR		HUN	101.67	6	6

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

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

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 Preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cup of Nice Pairs Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Alexa SCIMECA / Chris KNIERIM	USA	59.01	33.03		25.98	6.58	6.25	6.75	6.33	6.58	0.00	#5
2	Vasilisa DAVANKOVA / Andreï DEPUTAT	RUS	50.38	26.46		23.92	6.33	5.75	6.00	6.00	5.83	0.00	#2
3	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV	RUS	48.32	24.14		25.18	6.58	6.08	6.17	6.33	6.33	1.00	#1
4	Nicole DELLA MONICA / Matteo GUARISE	ITA	44.52	22.60		21.92	5.58	5.08	5.50	5.58	5.67	0.00	#6
5	Julia LAVRENTIEVA / Yuriy RUDYK	UKR	42.07	21.53		20.54	5.50	4.92	5.25	4.92	5.08	0.00	#4
6	Stina MARTINI / Severin KIEFER	AUS	34.85	18.27		16.58	4.50	4.08	4.08	4.08	4.00	0.00	#3
7	Ronja ROLL / Gustav FORSGREN	SWE	29.53	15.73		14.80	3.83	3.50	3.83	3.67	3.67	1.00	#7

Free Skate

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV	RUS	106.72	56.32		52.40	6.83	6.42	6.42	6.50	6.58	2.00	#5
2	Alexa SCIMECA / Chris KNIERIM	USA	96.99	49.99		48.00	6.33	5.83	5.92	5.92	6.00	1.00	#7
3	Nicole DELLA MONICA / Matteo GUARISE	ITA	92.95	49.35		43.60	5.58	5.08	5.42	5.67	5.50	0.00	#4
4	Vasilisa DAVANKOVA / Andreï DEPUTAT	RUS	75.16	39.35		38.81	5.67	4.92	4.17	5.08	4.42	3.00	#6
5	Julia LAVRENTIEVA / Yuriy RUDYK	UKR	72.91	34.58		39.33	5.17	4.83	4.83	4.92	4.83	1.00	#3
6	Stina MARTINI / Severin KIEFER	AUT	64.35	32.89		31.46	4.33	3.67	3.83	3.83	4.00	0.00	#2
7	Ronja ROLL / Gustav FORSGREN	SWE	53.92	28.12		26.80	3.58	3.00	3.42	3.42	3.33	1.00	#1

Total

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Alexa SCIMECA / Chris KNIERIM	USA	156.00	1	2
2	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV	RUS	155.04	3	1
3	Nicole DELLA MONICA / Matteo GUARISE	ITA	137.47	4	3
4	Vasilisa DAVANKOVA / Andreï DEPUTAT	RUS	125.54	2	4
5	Julia LAVRENTIEVA / Yuriy RUDYK	UKR	114.98	5	5
6	Stina MARTINI / Severin KIEFER	AUT	99.20	6	6
7	Ronja ROLL / Gustav FORSGREN	SWE	83.45	7	7

Europeans Pairs Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Maxim TRANKOV	RUS	137.65	67.07		70.58	8.79	8.50	8.75	8.96	9.11	0.00	#15
2	Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV	RUS	126.90	63.81		63.09	7.86	7.71	8.04	7.89	7.93	0.00	#16
3	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV	RUS	113.15	57.28		55.87	7.00	6.75	6.96	7.14	7.07	0.00	#14
4	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	104.61	51.50		54.11	6.75	6.57	6.68	6.93	6.89	1.00	#13
5	Mari VARTMANN / Aaron VAN CLEAVE	GER	102.99	54.15		48.84	6.18	5.89	6.14	6.18	6.14	0.00	#9
6	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	100.12	51.94		48.18	6.11	5.79	6.18	6.07	5.96	0.00	#10
7	Maylin HAUSCH / Daniel WENDE	GER	94.79	47.24		50.55	6.43	6.14	6.14	6.50	6.39	3.00	#12
8	Stacey KEMP / David KING	GBR	92.64	51.22		42.42	5.29	5.07	5.43	5.36	5.36	1.00	#7
9	Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT	FRA	86.07	43.03		45.04	5.93	5.50	5.36	5.79	5.57	2.00	#11
10	Lubov BAKIROVA / Mikalai KAMIANCHUK	BLR	83.19	45.44		37.75	4.89	4.39	4.75	4.82	4.75	0.00	#3
11	Danielle MONTALBANO / Evgeni KRASNOPOLSKI	ISR	78.63	39.37		39.26	5.11	4.64	4.82	5.04	4.93	0.00	#5
12	Carolina GILLESPIE / Luca DEMATTE	ITA	77.36	39.00		38.36	4.86	4.68	4.64	4.93	4.86	0.00	#8
13	Stina MARTINI / Severin KIEFER	AUT	74.05	40.48		34.57	4.46	4.18	4.32	4.43	4.21	1.00	#4
14	Alexandra HERBRIKOVA / Rudy HALMAERT	CZE	72.88	36.45		37.43	4.96	4.54	4.57	4.79	4.54	1.00	#6
15	Anais MORAND / Timothy LEEMANN	SUI	72.72	38.91		34.81	4.50	4.18	4.29	4.50	4.29	1.00	#1
16	Sally HOOLIN / James HUNT	GBR	60.67	31.05		30.62	3.89	3.71	3.75	4.00	3.79	1.00	#2

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Maxim TRANKOV	RUS	210.45	1	1
2	Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV	RUS	193.79	2	2
3	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV	RUS	171.81	3	3
4	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	158.99	4	4
5	Mari VARTMANN / Aaron VAN CLEAVE	GER	154.99	7	5
6	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	151.93	8	6
7	Maylin HAUSCH / Daniel WENDE	GER	148.82	5	7
8	Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT	FRA	139.98	6	9
9	Stacey KEMP / David KING	GBR	138.39	9	8
10	Lubov BAKIROVA / Mikalai KAMIANCHUK	BLR	122.25	14	10
11	Danielle MONTALBANO / Evgeni KRASNOPOLSKI	ISR	120.32	12	11
12	Carolina GILLESPIE / Luca DEMATTE	ITA	120.11	11	12
13	Alexandra HERBRIKOVA / Rudy HALMAERT	CZE	115.87	10	14
14	Anais MORAND / Timothy LEEMANN	SUI	114.20	13	15
15	Stina MARTINI / Severin KIEFER	AUT	112.10	15	13
16	Sally HOOLIN / James HUNT	GBR	94.08	16	16
17	Elizabeta MAKAROVA / Leri KENCHADZE	BUL	FNR	17
18	Maria PALIAKOVA / Mikhail FOMICHEV	BLR	FNR	18
WD	Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY	GER

Europeans 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	72.80	37.94		34.86	8.75	8.43	8.75	8.79	8.86	0.00	#15
2	Q	Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV	RUS	66.89	36.27		30.62	7.68	7.39	7.75	7.79	7.68	0.00	#19
3	Q	Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV	RUS	58.66	31.80		26.86	6.64	6.54	6.79	6.82	6.79	0.00	#16
4	Q	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	54.38	28.36		27.02	6.68	6.50	6.64	7.00	6.96	1.00	#17
5	Q	Maylin HAUSCH / Daniel WENDE	GER	54.03	28.69		25.34	6.43	6.11	6.32	6.39	6.43	0.00	#13
6	Q	Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT	FRA	53.91	31.62		22.29	5.79	5.25	5.71	5.61	5.50	0.00	#4
7	Q	Mari VARTMANN / Aaron VAN CLEAVE	GER	52.00	27.40		24.60	6.21	5.96	6.21	6.25	6.11	0.00	#18
8	Q	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	51.81	29.24		22.57	5.79	5.36	5.75	5.64	5.68	0.00	#3
9	Q	Stacey KEMP / David KING	GBR	45.75	25.80		19.95	5.11	4.75	5.04	5.11	4.93	0.00	#12
10	Q	Alexandra HERBRIKOVA / Rudy HALMAERT	CZE	42.99	24.47		18.52	4.71	4.36	4.82	4.61	4.64	0.00	#2
11	Q	Carolina GILLESPIE / Luca DEMATTE	ITA	42.75	23.26		19.49	4.82	4.61	5.00	4.93	5.00	0.00	#9
12	Q	Danielle MONTALBANO / Evgeni KRASNOPOLSKI	ISR	41.69	23.89		18.80	4.79	4.57	4.71	4.79	4.64	1.00	#6
13	Q	Anais MORAND / Timothy LEEMANN	SUI	41.48	23.91		18.57	4.82	4.43	4.71	4.71	4.54	1.00	#5
14	Q	Lubov BAKIROVA / Mikalai KAMIANCHUK	BLR	39.06	20.23		18.83	4.93	4.54	4.54	4.82	4.71	0.00	#11
15	Q	Stina MARTINI / Severin KIEFER	AUT	38.05	20.56		17.49	4.36	4.11	4.43	4.43	4.54	0.00	#10
16	Q	Sally HOOLIN / James HUNT	GBR	33.41	17.50		15.91	4.14	3.79	3.93	4.07	3.96	0.00	#8
17		Elizabeta MAKAROVA / Leri KENCHADZE	BUL	32.80	18.23		15.57	4.14	3.71	3.79	4.00	3.82	1.00	#1
18		Maria PALIAKOVA / Mikhail FOMICHEV	BLR	28.33	17.25		15.08	4.00	3.68	3.61	3.93	3.64	4.00	#7
WD		Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY	GER											#14

Europeans Pairs Preview

Savchenko and Szolkowy enter this event as the reigning European and World Champions.  They just took home the Grand Prix Final title and the only mistake on their perfect record was a bronze medal finish at NHK Trophy where they botched a lift in their free skate which cost them the title.  They have been working on adding the throw triple axel to their short program but recently have been opting for a clean skate instead of the difficult element.  Their programs are flawlessly put together this season and really stand out against the field.

On their heels will be Volosozhar and Trankov who won the silver medal at Worlds in their first major competition together.  They won gold at both their Grand Prix events to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  They almost withdrew due to a groin injury but decided to compete and overtook the Germans in the short program and ended up taking 2nd overall by just tenths of a point.  Fully healthy, they should put up quite a fight for the gold medal.  Their programs show off very different sides of their skating from their Evanescence short program to their ballet inspired free skate.

Bazarova and Larionov started off slow with a 5th place finish at Skate America but rebounded to the silver medal at Trophee Eric Bompard.  They have all the potential to be one of the top teams in the World with lines to die for but they have trouble landing their jumps.  If they can stand up on their individual elements they have the capability to repeat as the bronze medalists.

Berton and Hotarek have the makings of a great team with nice expression on the ice, good lines and nice side by side elements.  They don't have some of the technical difficulty of the top teams, including only having a double twist.  They won their fist Grand Prix medal this season and will be looking to move up from their 5th place finish last season at Europeans.

Hausch and Wende won their first Grand Prix medal last season but didn't have the same results this season, finishing 8th at Skate America.  They finished 6th at Europeans last season.


My podium predictions:
Gold: Volosozhar/Trankov
Silver: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Bronze: Bazarova/Larionov

Bios of the competitors:

Martini/Kiefer, AUT: They finished 21st at Worlds, 15th at Europeans and 16th at Junior Worlds.  They placed 16th at JGP Austria.  Their personal best is 100.87.  She is 18 and he is 21.

Bakirova/Kamianchuk, BLR: They finished 19th at Worlds and 10th at Europeans.  Their personal best is 120.72.  She is 19 and he is 24.

Paliakova/Fomichev, BLR: They finished 18th at Junior Worlds.  They placed 8th at JGP Poland and 9th at JGP Estonia.  Their personal best is 109.01.  She is 19 and he is 20.

Makarova/Kenchadze, BUL: She is 17 and he is 25.

Herbrikova/Halmaert, CZE: She is 19 and he is 21.

James/Cipres, FRA: They placed 8th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  Their personal best is 133.31.  She is 14 and he is 19.

Popova/Massot, FRA: She is 18 and he is 22.

Hausch/Wende, GER: They finished 12th at Worlds and 6th at Europeans.  They placed 8th at Skate America.  Their personal best is 157.42.  She is 23 and he is 27.

Savchenko/Szolkowy, GER: They are the reigning World and European 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 and 2009 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: She is 23 and he is 24.

Hoolin/Hunt, GBR: She is 19 and he is 21.

Kemp/King, GBR: They finished 17th at Worlds and 8th at Europeans.  Their personal best is 139.94.  She is 23 and he is 27.

Montalbano/Krasnopolski, ISR: They finished 20th at Worlds.  She is 23 and he is 23.

Berton/Hotarek, ITA: They finished 10th at Worlds and 5th 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.

Gillespie/Dematte, ITA: They placed 12th at Europeans and 10th at Junior Worlds.  Their personal best is 116.44.  She is 18 and he is 21.

Bazarova/Larionov, RUS: They finished 5th at Worlds and are the reigning European Bronze Medalists.  They placed 5th at Skate America and won silver at Trophee Eric Bompard.  They are the 2007 World Junior Silver Medalists.  Their personal best is 188.24.  She is 18 and he is 25.

Stolbova/Klimov, RUS: They are the reigning World Junior Silver Medalists.  They placed 7th at Trophee Eric Bompard and 5th at Rostelecom Cup.  They are the the 2010 World Junior Bronze Medalists.  Their personal best is 159.79.  She is 19 and he is 21.

Volosozhar/Trankov, RUS: They are the reigning World Silver Medalists.  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 12th at Junior Worlds.  They placed 13th at JGP Austria.  Their personal best is 113.30.  She is 18 and he is 20.