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

Russian Nationals Pairs Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
A	Vera Bazarova / Yuri Larionov	MPAs	68.83	35.71		33.12	8.36	4.8	8.32	8.43	8.25	0.00	# 6
2	Anastasia MARTYUSHEVA / Alex ROGONOV	MOS	60.25	32.19		6.28	7.00	6.86	7.00	7.18	4.7	0.00	# 2
3	Xenia Stolbova / Feodor Klimov	SPB	58.46	29.48		28.98	7.36	4.7	7.21	7.25	7.36	0.00	# 9
4	Love Ilyushechkin / Nodari Maisuradze	MOS	57.00	27.45		29.55	7.46	7.29	7.25	7.61	7.32	0.00	# 1
5	Katarina Gerboldt / Alexander ENBERT	SPB	56.67	28.15		28.52	7.18	6.86	7.11	7.29	7.21	0.00	# 7
6	Tatyana Novikov / Andrew NOVOSELOV	MOS	54.09	28.15		25.94	6.54	6.21	6.50	6.68	6.50	0.00	# 12
7	Vasilisa DAVANKOVA / Andrew MP	MOS	53.32	29.86		23.46	6.4	5.71	5.89	5.86	5.82	0.00	# 3
8	Catherine PETAYKINA / Maxim Kurdyukov	MOS	51.25	28.65		22.60	5.82	5.43	5.64	5.75	5.61	0.00	# 5
9	Tatiana TUDVASEVA / Sergey LISEV	PfP	49.00	25.86		23.14	5.89	5.50	5.82	5.89	5.82	0.00	# 11
10	Oksana NAGALATY / Konstantin Bezmaternykh	SPB	45.34	23.74		22.60	5.89	5.43	5.61	5.75	5.57	1.00	# 10
11	Maria VYGALOVA / Egor will close	PfP	42.90	25.67		18.23	4.68	4.36	4.64	4.57	4.54	1.00	# 8
12	Yana Volkova / Alex PETRYANIN	PfP	33.08	17.53		16.55	4.29	4.4	4.11	4.21	4.4	1.00	# 4

Russian Championship 2012

Pairs - Free Skating

Result Details

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
A	Vera Bazarova / Yuri Larionov	MPAs	126.03	60.48		65.55	8.29	8.00	8.18	8.29	8.21	0.00	# 11
2	Xenia Stolbova / Feodor Klimov	SPB	123.67	59.86		63.81	7.75	7.79	7.8	8.14	8.14	0.00	# 12
3	Anastasia MARTYUSHEVA / Alex ROGONOV	MOS	119.69	58.49		61.20	7.71	7.39	7.68	7.79	7.68	0.00	# 9
4	Katarina Gerboldt / Alexander ENBERT	SPB	117.72	58.72		59.00	7.36	7.11	7.43	7.54	7.43	0.00	# 6
5	Vasilisa DAVANKOVA / Andrew MP	MOS	115.47	61.18		54.29	6.93	6.50	6.86	6.89	6.75	0.00	# 7
6	Love Ilyushechkin / Nodari Maisuradze	MOS	110.74	52.64		59.10	7.50	7.36	7.21	7.50	7.36	1.00	# 10
7	Catherine PETAYKINA / Maxim Kurdyukov	MOS	106.21	53.79		52.42	6.61	6.43	6.57	6.61	6.54	0.00	# 8
8	Tatyana Novikov / Andrew NOVOSELOV	MOS	101.87	50.10		51.77	6.61	6.29	6.50	6.57	6.39	0.00	# 5
9	Tatiana TUDVASEVA / Sergey LISEV	PfP	93.78	51.15		42.63	5.46	5.18	5.43	5.32	5.25	0.00	# 3
10	Maria VYGALOVA / Egor will close	PfP	93.08	53.00		41.08	5.18	4.96	5.21	5.18	5.14	1.00	# 2
11	Yana Volkova / Alex PETRYANIN	PfP	81.26	44.48		36.78	4.75	4.46	4.64	4.57	4.57	0.00	# 4
12	Oksana NAGALATY / Konstantin Bezmaternykh	SPB	77.64	38.34		41.30	5.39	5.4	5.00	5.25	5.14	2.00	# 1

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	KP	PP
A	Vera Bazarova / Yuri Larionov	MPAs	194.86	A	A
2	Xenia Stolbova / Feodor Klimov	SPB	182.13	3	2
3	Anastasia MARTYUSHEVA / Alex ROGONOV	MOS	179.94	2	3
4	Katarina Gerboldt / Alexander ENBERT	SPB	174.39	5	4
5	Vasilisa DAVANKOVA / Andrew MP	MOS	168.79	7	5
6	Love Ilyushechkin / Nodari Maisuradze	MOS	167.74	4	6
7	Catherine PETAYKINA / Maxim Kurdyukov	MOS	157.46	8	7
8	Tatyana Novikov / Andrew NOVOSELOV	MOS	155.96	6	8
9	Tatiana TUDVASEVA / Sergey LISEV	PfP	142.78	9	9
10	Maria VYGALOVA / Egor will close	PfP	135.98	11	10
11	Oksana NAGALATY / Konstantin Bezmaternykh	SPB	122.98	10	12
12	Yana Volkova / Alex PETRYANIN	PfP	114.34	12	11

NHK Trophy Pairs Preview

Kavaguti and Smirnov and Savchenko and Szolkowy both come into this event with gold medals and this is the first of their two meetings this series (three if they both make the Grand Prix Final as expected).  They both have huge throws and twists and rank among the World's top teams.

Savchenko and Szolkowy are adding a throw triple axel to their repertoire this season, and after missing the jump at Skate America, they found themselves in 5th place after the short program.  Their free skate is so good, that they came back to win the gold medal in the event.  They've shown that they can take big risks, make mistakes and still come out on top.

Kavaguti and Smirnov missed the beginning of the season last year due to injury and have decided to keep their Clair de Lune free skate this season.  Although the program is mesmerizing and they hit all their elements, their score still put them below the Germans.  Kavaguti is very flexible and has long legs but sometimes she ends up looking awkward because she doesn't quite know how to use that length to her advantage and achieve the long sweeping lines that Russian pairs teams are known for.  They have less room to make mistakes if they want to win gold, especially if the Germans hit the throw triple axel.

While these two teams will be battling it out for gold, there are four teams fighting for the last spot on the podium.  Takahashi and Tran are in their first full senior season.  They had good success, winning two medals last year, but seemed to run out of steam by the end of the season after competing in 8 ISU events.  They have a very contemporary style and although they didn't medal at their first event, they did set a new personal best and finished just off the podium.

Denney and Coughlin are a new team this season and have huge twists and throws and are even planning on adding quads in the future.  They have been consistent in their short program, setting themselves up to win a medal, but their inexperience has shown through in their free skate.  With more time, they should be able to work out these kinks, hit all the elements, and add more finesse to their program to improve the PCS scores.

Berton and Hotarek had a breakout season, placing in the top 5 at Europeans and top 10 at Worlds.  They've been consistent in their two Senior B events this season and while this is their season debut on the Grand Prix, they've had a chance to get feedback on their programs and make changes for this event.

Iliushechkina and Maisuradze qualified for the Final last season and even took home a gold medal from Skate Canada.  Their 5th place finish there this season was a disappointment.  Their biggest struggle was their side by side jumps.  While they also are able to complete elements, they don't always finish everything off and earn negative or low GOEs.  Especially in their short program, it's full of energy and very fast, but that can lead to them giving points away trying to keep up with the music.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Silver: Kavaguti/Smirnov
Bronze: Takahashi/Tran

Bios of the competitors:  
Purich/Schultz, CAN: They finished 5th at Junior Worlds.  They won bronze at JGP Great Britain and Czech Republic last season to qualify for the JGPF where they finished 7th.  Their personal best is 131.77.  She is 16 and he is 21.

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

Berton/Hotarek, ITA: They finished 10th at Worlds and 5th at Europeans.  They placed 6th at Cup of Russia last season.  Their personal best is 164.83.  She is 21 and he is 27.

Takahashi/Tran, JPN: They finished 9th at Worlds, 7th at Four Continents and are the reigning World Junior bronze medalists.  They finished 4^th at Skate Canada.  They qualified for the JGP Final last season and won gold.  They are the 2010 World Junior silver medalists.  Their personal best is 169.41.  She is 19 and he is 21.

Iliushechkina/Maisuradze, RUS: They finished 5^th at Skate Canada.  They qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and finished 4th.  They are the 2009 World Junior Champions and 2008 World Junior silver medalists.  Their personal best is 177.44.  She is 19 and he is 23.

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

Castelli/Shnapir, USA: They finished 4th at Skate Canada and 6th at Skate America last season.  They are the 2009 World Junior bronze medalists.  Their personal best is 159.85.  She is 21 and he is 24.

Denney/Coughlin, USA: They finished 4^th at their Grand Prix debut, Skate America.  Their personal best is 175.40.  She is 18 and he is 25.

Skate Canada Pairs Preview

Volosozhar and Trankov are making their Grand Prix debut here after winning the silver medal at Worlds in their first year as a team.  They have big elements and classic Russian style including gorgeous positions in their lifts.  They'll be tough to beat here, especially as they have had more time to develop and settle into their partnership.

Duhamel and Radford are also in their second season together and finished a respectable 7th at Worlds after winning the silver medal at Four Continents.  They are working on their triple twist and a hard landing at Worlds broke his nose in their short program.  They have a high technical content and side by side jumps that other teams aren't attempting.  If they can clean up their pairs elements, they should do well here.

Sui and Han are the reigning Grand Prix Final bronze medalists and started off the season well at their JGP events showcasing a quad twist for the first time.  They also have quad throws in their arsenal and extremely difficult entrances and exits from their lifts.  Their teammates Yu and Jin also worked out the kinks at two JGP events and showed significant improvements.

Lawrence and Swiegers and Iliushechkina and Maisuradze are two young teams that have lots of energy and enjoyable programs and also have a great shot at walking away from this event with a medal.  Takahashi and Tran finished 3rd at Junior Worlds and train alongside Lawrence and Swiegers.

My podium predictions:

Gold: Volosozhar/Trankov

Silver: Sui/Han

Bronze: Iliushechkina/Maisuradze

Bios of the competitors:

Dube/Wolfe, CAN: This is their Grand Prix debut.  She is the 2005 World Junior Silver Medalist, 2008 World Bronze Medalist and 2009 Four Continents Silver Medalist with her former partner.  She is 23 and he is 21.

Duhamel/Radford, CAN: They finished 7th at Worlds and won silver at Four Continents.  They placed 5th at Skate Canada last season.  Their personal best is 181.79.  She is 25 and he is 26.

Lawrence/Swiegers, CAN: They are the reigning Four Continents bronze medalists.  They won bronze at Skate Canada and finished 5th at Cup of Russia last season.  Their personal best is 171.73.  She is 21 and he is 24.

Sui/Han, CHN: They are the 2010 and 2011 World Junior Champions.  They won gold at JGP Latvia and Austria.  They won silver at Cup of China and bronze at Skate America last season to qualify for the GPF where they won bronze.  They won silver at JGP Austria and gold at JGP Germany last season to qualify for the JGPF but they withdrew to focus on the senior competition.  Their personal best is 179.04.  She is 16 years old and he is 19.

Yu/Jin, CHN: They took home the silver from JGP Latvia and Austria.  They won bronze at JGP Austria and gold at JGP Czech Republic last season to qualify for the JGPF where they won bronze.  Their personal best is 154.37.  She is 15 and he is 17.

Takahashi/Tran, JPN: They finished 9th at Worlds, 7th at Four Continents and are the reigning World Junior bronze medalists.  They won bronze at NHK Trophy and silver at Cup of Russia last season.  They won silver at JGP Great Britain and JGP Germany last season to qualify for the JGP Final where they won gold.  They are the 2010 World Junior silver medalists.  Their personal best is 165.47.  She is 19 and he is 21.

Iliushechkina/Maisuradze, RUS: They won gold at Skate Canada and finished 4th at Cup of China last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 4th.  They are the 2009 World Junior Champions and 2008 World Junior silver medalists.  Their personal best is 177.44.  She is 19 and he is 23.

Volosozhar/Trankov, RUS: They are the reigning World silver medalists.  This is their Grand Prix debut.  Their personal best is 210.73.  She is 25 and he is 27.

Ondrej Nepela Memorial Pairs Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Maxim TRANKOV	RUS	123.67	58.19		66.48	8.25	8.15	8.10	8.60	8.45	1.00	#4
2	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	109.15	53.71		55.44	6.85	6.65	6.85	7.15	7.15	0.00	#3
3	Lubov ILIUSHECHKINA / Nodary MAISURADZE	RUS	100.94	43.18		57.76	7.35	7.20	6.95	7.40	7.20	0.00	#5
4	Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SCHNAPIR	USA	94.11	48.23		48.88	6.30	5.95	5.90	6.35	6.05	3.00	#1
5	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	90.93	44.53		46.40	6.00	5.65	5.70	6.00	5.65	0.00	#2

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Maxim TRANKOV	RUS	190.15	1	1
2	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	163.83	3	2
3	Lubov ILIUSHECHKINA / Nodary MAISURADZE	RUS	161.06	2	3
4	Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SCHNAPIR	USA	147.97	4	4
5	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	125.93	5	5

Ondrej Nepela Memorial Pairs Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Maxim TRANKOV	RUS	66.48	34.32		32.16	8.05	7.80	8.05	8.20	8.10	0.00	#5
2	Lubov ILIUSHECHKINA / Nodary MAISURADZE	RUS	60.12	32.36		27.76	6.90	6.70	6.90	7.15	7.05	0.00	#2
3	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	54.68	29.28		25.40	6.35	6.05	6.20	6.55	6.60	0.00	#4
4	Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SCHNAPIR	USA	53.86	28.42		25.44	6.35	6.05	6.45	6.50	6.45	0.00	#3
5	Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES	FRA	35.00	13.88		22.12	5.60	5.30	5.35	5.80	5.60	1.00	#1

Winter Universiade

The Winter Universiade is being held February 1-5 in Turkey and is open to any college age athlete.

Men (30 competed):
1. Nobunari Oda, JPN: 223.15
2. Sergei Voronov, RUS: 204.54
3. Daisuke Murakami, JPN: 202.83
4. Jinlin Guan, CHN: 195.74
5. Chafik Besseghier, FRA: 186.22
7. Paolo Bacchini, ITA: 180.53
9. Yannick Ponsero, FRA: 172.30
14. Javier Raya, ESP: 152.11

Ladies (32 competed):
1. Candice Dider, FRA: 144.08
2. Sonia Lafuente, ESP: 143.43
3. Shion Kokubun, JPN: 141.80
7. Elena Glebova, EST: 127.87

Pairs (5 competed):
1. Iliushechkina/Maisuradze, RUS: 175.03
2. Dong/Wu, CHN: 140.26
3. Zhang/Wang, CHN: 137.19

Dance (13 competed):
1. Gorshkova/Butikov, RUS: 135.53
2. Agafonova/Ucar, TUR: 127.13
3. Frolenkova/Kasalo, UKR: 121.96

Complete results at: http://www.isuresults.com/results/wu2011/index.htm

Grand Prix Final--Pairs Free Skate

Group 1

Kirsten Moore-Towers/Dylan Moscovitch, CAN

• Triple Twist--big crash into him on the landing but otherwise good
• 3T + 2A seq--She has a really low landing on the second jump but their timing was good
• 3LoTh--Another low landing but she hangs on to it
• Group 5 Lift--Nice position in this axel lift with a flip exit
• 3S--She takes a knee and spins around out of the landing
• Choreographic Spirals--They have decent positions here and I like their connection with each other
• Death Spiral--I wish she had a little more arch to her back and she kept her legs together
• Pairs spin--Nice position changes and nice transition out of the spins
• Group 5 Lift--Into the 2nd half and the bonus.  Great ice coverage throughout this lift and he skates on one leg.  Flip exit
• 3STh--Great landing on this jump
• Flying combination spin--Great unison on these spins
• Group 3 Lift--He lifts her from a lunge position on the ice and her air position is good.

59.21 TES + 52.63 PCS -1.00 = 110.84 and into 1st place

Lubov Iliushechkina/Nodari Maisuradze, RUS

• 3S--nice timing and well landed for both of them
• Triple Twist--Great height and an easy catch for him away from his body
• 3T +2T seq--Great timing and beautifully executed
• 3FTh--Her air position was wobbly and she landed funny but she really fought for the landing and pulled it off
• Group 5 Lift--her air position is exquisite and the transition out of the lift is seamless
• Pairs spin--Their positions are different but their spins are super slow
• 3LoTh--Into the 2nd half and the bonus.  Great throw and a great landing from her
• Group 5 Lift--Great position where she is on her back and he's holding her with only one hand
• Combination spin--Timing looks slightly off but otherwise fine.
• Group 3 Lift--Press lift to a hip hold and onto her back again with only one hand holding
• Choreographic Spirals--Interesting with her foot on his body
• Death spiral--Nive position for her but a little bobble on the ending.
• Their program was solid, but the top teams will have 5 of their elements in the bonus and they only have 3.  This could hurt them in terms of their technical scores matching up with the teams above them.

60.99 TES + 56.39 PCS = 117.38 new seasons best and into 1st place

Wenjing Sui/Cong Han, CHN

• I like the matching roses on the back of their costumes
• 2A +2A seq--well timed and nicely done
• 4STh--They have so much speed going into it.  She completes the rotations but two foots it and falls to her knees.  I can't wait to see them actually land this in competition.
• 3T--He turns out of it
• Death Spiral
• Flying Combination Spin--Tons of speed and good unison 
• Choreographic Spirals--Incredible position for her in the spiral--reminescent of Caroline Zhang's pearl
• 3FTh--Into the bonus.  Huge throw and she really holds her landings with a nice high free leg
• Triple Twist--Nice and high with her arm over her head and he catches her away from his body
• Group 4 Lift--He flips her from upside down and presses into the lift.  The position changes are great and effortless.
• Pairs spin--Not a lot of speed through these spins but the positions are good.
• Group 5 Lift--Incredible one handed lift into the air
• Group 5 Lift--I like her flexibility but she could use a little more stretch through her legs in her air positions.
• I'm not sure if they can hold off the Russians with the two mistakes at the top of the program but they have some completely incredible moves that no one else can do and are a delight to watch.

63.28 TES + 55.27 PCS -1.00 = 117.55 new seasons best and into 1st place

Group 2

Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov, RUS

• 3T--She was sideways in the air and two footed the jump
• Triple Twist--Nice high throw and a clean catch away from his body
• 3FTh--She was a little off in the air and manages to hold on to the landing but doesn't get her free leg all teh way extended back
• 2A + 2A seq--She falls on the first jump and can't complete the combination and he falls on the 2nd jump
• Pairs spin--Great positions in their pairs spin and she is so stretched out through her legs
• Choreographic spirals--Nice position for both of them and I like thir movement around each other
• Group 5 Lift--Into the bonus.  Her air position is great and the exit is very intricate but so effortless
• 3LoTh--She nails this jump and has a great landing
• Group 3 Lift--Nice positions and position changes
• Flying Combination Spin--Great speed and unison and good positions
• Group 5 Lift--Great flight positions and he sets her down with one hand
• Death Spiral--Nice death spiral with the hand change.
• Some unfortunate mistakes at the top but otherwise a really nice program.  It's going to be close for the bronze.

57.40 TES + 57.54 PCS -2.00 = 112.94 and into 3rd place

Qing Pang/Jian Tong, CHN

• 2A+2A sequence--Nicely done but I'd like to see them hold on to their landings a little longer.
• 2T--I think he may have done a triple but she doubled hers
• Group 5 Lift--Nice press lift but her position could be a little more stretched
• Flying combination spin--Good speed and unison and their positions are nice
• Pair spin--Nice positions in this spin and good transitions between the positions
• Triple Twist--Into the bonus with great height and an easy catch away from his body.
• 3STh--Great height and a great landing by her
• Choreographic spirals--Nice stretched out positions
• Group 5 Lift--Nice position from her but I'd love to see slightly more arch in her back
• 3LoTh--She is forward and touches a hand to the ice, but otherwise good.
• Death Spiral--Not crazy about her death spiral position and I prefer the legs together
• Group 4 Lift--She could use a wider split position in this lift.
• Overall a good solid program but it doesn't wow me or touch me like Impossible Dream did last year.

55.20 TES + 66.10 PCS = 121.30 and into 1st place

Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy, GER

• She has sequins in all the wrong places on this costume.
• 3FTh--Huge throw with an easy landing
• 3T +3T Seq--slight timing issue on the 2nd set but otherwise solid
• Death Spiral--Not crazy about this death spiral position
• Flying Combination Spin--Great speed through their positions and a slight timing issue--he either let go too early or lost his leg
• Choreographic Spirals--She really shows off her fliexibility here
• Triple Twist--Into the bonus.  Good height but a little bit of a crash landing.
• 2S--She was a little wobbly on the landing but held on to it.
• Group 5 Lift--Nice air positions for her and a difficult position for him
• Pairs spin--Good positions but a little slow and nice transitions between the positions
• Group 5 Lift--Nicely done
• Group 3 Lift--Nice hold on her hip with one hand and a toss into a flip exit
• 3STh--Great throw and an easy landing for her
• Solid program and they should easily win gold.

67.48 TES + 68.84 PCS = 136.32 new seasons best and into 1st place

Top 3:
1) Savchenko/Szolkowy
2) Pang/Tong
3) Sui/Han

Top TES: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Top PCS: Savechenko/Szolkowy

Gold: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Silver: Pang/Tong
Bronze: Sui/Han

Grand Prix Final--Pairs Short Program

Group 1

Wenjing Sui/Cong Han, CHN

• 2A--clean and very together
• 3 Twist--She has her arms over her head and he catches her away from his body
• 3FThrow--huge throw, great ice coverage, her free leg is so high on the ending!
• Straight line step sequence--I like their step sequence and how they play off of each other but I think they get too far apart at times
• Flying combination spin--Really fast spins, they lose their unison though-it looks like he's one spin ahead
• Group 5 Lift-Nie entry into their lift and great flexibility for her through the position change
• Death Spiral--I like her position in the death spiral and I like their entry into it as well. 
• Cute, fun program with tons of personality.  They get a lot of love from the home crowd.

34.54 TES + 26.95 PCS = 61.49 new seasons best and into 1st place

Lubov Iliushechkina/Nodari Maisuradze, RUS

• This is another young team that I love.  Such spunk and personality in their program.
• They have so much speed at the top of this program it's like they were shot out of a cannon
• 3T--He turns out of his but hers was nicely landed and the timing was great
• 3LoThrow--Nicely landed, great height and ice coverage
• 3 Twist--Nice high throw but he caught her a little close to his body
• Death Spiral--Her position is great and I love how far back he leans in his pivot position but it seems like he struggles to het her back up
• Combination spin--These spins are nicely timed and show off great flexibility for both of them
• Straight line step sequence--She looked like she was falling off her posiiton on some of the steps at the beginning but I like how close together they skate the step sequence
• Group 5 Lift -- I love her stretched out air position.  It looks like he drops her out of the position change but I think it's just the transition to the ending pose which could be cleaned up a little.

32.67 TES + 27.39 PCS = 60.06 into 2nd place

Kirsten Moore-Towers/Dylan Moscovitch, CAN

• Another great young team that has renewed my faith in pairs this season and made it one of the more interesting disciplines to watch.
• 3 Twist-Not as high in the air as the other two teams and she lands close to his body
• 3T--Nicely done and well timed
• Group 5 Lift--Nice air position for her and he holds her with one hand and a flip exit.
• 3LoThrow--Low landing but she hangs on to it and manages to get her free leg all the way extended
• Death Spiral--I hate the upside down death spiral but she has one of the best positions while doing it out of the teams that attempt it
• Straight line step sequence--I like that their music builds during this step sequence and that they mirror each other but also have their own choreography.  He took a weird stumble at the end before the spins but they have a great connection and she waits for him before the spins
• Flying combination spin--Nice fast spins and good unison

32.44 TES + 27.29 PCS -1.00 = 58.73 and into 3rd place

Group 2

Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov, RUS

• I love her dress, don't love his costume
• 3T--his landing was a little off but he holds on to it and their timing was great
• 3 Twist--Great height and the catch was away from his body
• 3FThrow--Great height and ice coverage and a beautiful landing
• Death spiral--She looks sideways which I don't like but otherwise good
• Flying combination spin--Nice positions, good flexibility, timing a little off in some places but just slightly
• Group 5 Lift--her air positions are exquisite and the position change is one of my favorite lift positions this season with him holding her with one hand on her hip and the exit is effortless
• Straight line step sequence--Nice step sequence with good unison

35.16 TES + 28.70 PCS = 63.86 and into 1st place

Qing Pang/Jian Tong, CHN

• I really love her costume and head piece for this program
• 3T--Nicely done and well timed
• 3 Twist--Good height and he catches her away from his body
• Death spiral--Great position and a nice change of hand
• 3LoThrow--Not as much ice coverage as Sui/Han but good height and really good landing
• Group 5 Lift--I'd like to see a bit more split from her in the 2nd position of their lift but otherwise well done
• Straight line step sequence--They've received really low Levels on this element this seasonand there's still not a log of content here
• Flying combination spin--Way off on their timing and they really lose speed at the end
• They've changed up some of the order of their elements.  I wonder why?

35.64 TES + 32.99 PCS = 68.63 new seasons best and into 1st place

Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy, GER

• Savchenko got a new costume for the Final.  I don't like the bright white bra and panties under the sheer white dress.  It's a little too exhibitionist.
• 3FThrow--huge height and great landing.
• 3 Twist -- Good height but she lands a little close and it looks like he gives her a push away from his body
• 3T--good timing and nicely landed
• Group 5 Lift--Good speed through the position changes and a nice flip exit
• Death Spiral--She does the slightly sideways death spiral as well
• Straight line step sequence--I like the intricate arm changes in the hold section of their step sequence
• Flying combination spin--slight unison issue at the beginning of their spins but they fix it quick, great speed through the sequence, timing issue at the end
• Looks like they had some extra music at the end and the took their time getting into the ending pose

40.63 TES + 33.77 PCS = 74.40 new seasons best and into 1st place

Top 3:
1) Savchenko/Szolkowy
2) Pang/Tong
3) Bazarova/Larionov

Top TES: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Top PCS: Savchenko/Szolkowy

Grand Prix Final--Pairs Preview

Savechenko and Szolkowy easily have the top 2 scores of the season and if they perform as they did in their two assignments, should have a good shot at the gold here.  Pang and Tong will give them a run for their money and can outscore Savchenko/Szolkowy if they perform their best, but they don't seem to be in top form yet this season and they had a lot of problems at Cup of China. 

Bazarova and Larionov have come into their own this season and have set two new personal bests despite a few errors in their programs.  They have all the characteristics of the great Russian teams with exquisite lines, great lifts, and flawless technique.  If they can skate two clean programs, they could potentially challenge for silver here, but should be able to land on the podium.  Moore-Towers and Moscovitch have emerged as the pairs team to beat in Canada with the absence of Dube and Davison.  They also have momentum behind them as they've set new personal bests at both their events.  Their scores are lower than Bazarova/Larionov but if they skate clean, they could challenge for the podium. 

Ilushechkina/Maisuradze are proving to be another young up and coming Russian pair team.  I especially love the personality in their short program which contrasts with some of the older teams more serious programs.  Their scores are some of the lowest in the bunch and their technical and performance components fall below the other competitors.  They also fell off the podium in their second event with a significantly lower score.  Look for them to regroup here but it will be difficult for them to make the podium.  Sui and Han have had a standout first season on the senior circuit, nearly defeating Pang and Tong at Cup of China and winning bronze at Skate America.  Their short program is full of personality and they have all the trademark Chinese elements including huge throws and they have a quad throw in their free program.  I think they'll see an improvement in their scores here, but it will also be difficult for them to make the podium.

My predictions in order of finish:
Gold: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Silver: Pang/Tong
Bronze: Bazarova/Larionov
4th: Moore-Towers/Moscovitch
5th: Sui/Han
6th: Iliushechkina/Maisuradze

My USFSA Fantasy Team is:
A) Savchenko/Szolkowy
B) Moore-Towers/Moscovitch

Competitors in order of qualification:

Aliona Savchenko/Robin 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.  They took home bronze from the GPF last season.  This is their 6th consecutive trip to the Final.

Qing Pang/Jang Tong, CHN: Pang and Tong won silver at the Olympics (with personal bests in the free skate and total score) and are the reigning World Champions (with a personal best short program).  They also won the World Championships in 2006.  They are three time Four Continents gold medalists and two time silver medalists.  They won gold at NHK Trophy and Cup of China.  They took home silver from the GPF last season.  This is their 7th trip to the Final.

Vera Bazarova/Yuri 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 silver at Trophee Eric Bompard again with personal best scores across the board.

Kirsten Moore-Towers/Dylan Moscovitch, CAN: They placed 9th at Four Continents.  They won silver at Skate Canada this season with personal best scores across the board and silver at Skate America with personal best short program and total scores.

Lubov Iliushechkina/Nodari Maisuradze, RUS: They are the 2009 World Junior Champions.  They won Skate Canada with personal best free skate and total scores and they placed 4th at Cup of China.

Wenjing Sui/Cong Han, CHN: Sui and Han are the reigning World Junior Champions. They won the silver medal at Cup of China with personal best scores across the board and bronze at Skate America with a personal best free skate in their first season on the Grand Prix.  They won the JGPF last season and qualified again this season, but withdrew to focus on the senior Final.

Cup of China Pairs Short Program

Kaleigh Hole/Adam Johnson, CAN

• They seem very slow even in the way they skate across the ice 
• She needs to stretch through her free leg throughout the entire program
• Triple twist--very clunky catch; she crashed into him and he had to grab her with two hands
• Triple salchow--she has a sideways air position and takes a hard fall
• Lift--good, basic entrance, bobbled the exit a little bit
• Thriple salchow throw--she doesn't quite two foot it but she lands almost in a lunge
• Level 4 combination spin--she needs a lot more stretch through her legs, unison is good, the last spin needs more speed
• Level 2 step sequence--they get very far apart halfway through and it could use a lot more speed and attack
• Level 1 death spiral--really ugly entrance into the spiral but she had a nice position

Amanda Evora/Mark Ladwig, USA

• A much flashier costume and a lot more makeup for Amanda this year
• Great speed at the top of the program
• Level 1 Triple twist--twist looked good but the catch wasn't clean
• Triple toe loop--he turns out of it but doesn't put his free leg down
• I like the transitions between all of their elements
• Spread eagle into Throw triple loop--she gets a ton of air but is a little forward on her landing
• Level 3 combination spin--their spins are slow, off-unison, and she needs a lot more stretch through her leg on the 3rd set
• Level 2 step sequence--she had a bobble and it seemed slow and simple.  They could add more here to bring up the level and get more points
• Level 1 death spiral--I didn't like her entrance into the death spiral and she seemed a little crooked during the element
• Level 4 Lift--He lifts her from the knee and the flip exit will get them some extra points
• They need to work on their speed and attack during this program and bring the levels up to be on par with the top teams but it has potential

Lubov Iliushechkina/Nodari Maisuradze, RUS

•  I can't believe she's 19--she looks 12
• Lots of speed into the Triple toe--it looked clean to me but the judges downgraded it because it was underroated
• She almost two foots the Throw triple loop but is able to keep her free leg up
• Some of their movements look flaily because they're quick but not quite controlled
• Level 2 triple twist--clean catch
• In a transition move it looks like he misses her hand and smacks her in the face
• Level 4 death spiral--solid
• Level 3 spin--nice spins, nice speed, good unison, great flexibility
• Level 3 step sequence--nice use of the ice, she makes a bobble halfway through
• Level 2 lift--entrance from a spiral, switched position halfway through, exit a little messy and they finished after the music which earned them a 1 point deduction
• They truly seem to love being on the ice and their smiles are contagious!  A hard team not to like.

Caitlin Yankowskas/John Coughlin, USA

•  From the moment they skate on the ice they look ready to attack this program
• I love everything about Caitlin from her lines to her facial expressions and the way she moves through the elements
• Level 1 Triple Twist--clean catch
• Throw Triple Salchow--A low landing but otherwise good
• Triple Toe Loops--nice, clean and great unison
• Level 4 Lift--nice lift with change of position but they could spice up their entrance and exit
• Level 3 Spin--They lost their unison in a few spots but found it again quickly.  They could use some more speed during the last few sets of spins
• Level 2 Step Sequence--very understated but nice
• Level 2 Death Spiral--I loved her entrance into the spiral and she had a nice position
• I think this is a solid program for them and they really put a lot of nuance into it.  They have a few places where they could up their levels and bring the score up

Huibo Dong/Yiming Wang, CHN

• Triple toe loops--clean
• Level 1 Double Twist--clean, but there's no excuse not to be doing a triple at the senior level
• Throw Triple Loop--clean
• Level 1 Death Spiral--Interesting position with her legs in a full split but it slows almost to a stop
• Level 2 Step Sequence--good unison, but they were slow and didn't have great ice coverage
• Lift--the lift looked fine to me but they received no credit for it.  They may have not held it long enough to count.
• Level 2 Spins--unison was good but the spins were slow and once they had different arm positions
• Overall everything was fine but nothing was memorable and there is NO performance quality with this team.

 Wenjing Sui/Cong Han, CHN

• Well isn't she a little spitfire!
• Double Axel--clean
• Level 3 Triple Twist--he throws her so high!  Her arms seemed a little awkward on the landing and the camera angle didn't let me see if the catch was clean
• Throw Triple Flip--He really throws her and her landing is gorgeous with a high arabesque and she just glides across the ice
• Level 3 Step Sequence--nice step sequence that really shows off the character of the program.  I like that here and there they do different elements that complement each other but give a little variety to the sequence
• Level 4 Spin--lost the unison for a second on the spins but otherwise good, maybe a bit more speed at the end
• Level 4 Lift--nice lift with a position change into a catch front leg and a flip exit
• He falls on a transition step and she trips over him and falls too--I'm surprised she wasn't hurt since it almost appears that she tripped over his blade
• Level 2 Death Spiral--nice low position and he lassos with his free arm to stay in character
• Adorable program and an adorable team.  I'm impressed they kept their composure so well being so young and skating in front of a home crowd that expects a lot out of it's pair teams
• Without the freak falls they would have been in first place ahead of Pang/Tong

Nicole della Monica/Yannick Kocon, ITA:

• Triple salchow--clean, she lands a little low
• Level 3 Lift--clean, simple entrance and exit
• Level 3 Spin--nice flexibility and speed but the unison could be better
• Level 1 Double Twist--this was super low, she got no air at all and its impressive she got around twice
• Level 1 Death Spiral--Nice death spiral
• Throw Triple Loop--She two foots it, turns out of it and puts a hand down
• Level 2 Step Sequence--their step sequence is fine but kind of blah and an unexciting way to end a program.  They end up way over by the boards for their ending pose which I don't like.

 Quing Pang/Jian Tong, CHN

• I love her dress, don't love his costume
• Double Toes--it looks like she opens up early and doesn't do the intended triple and he pitches forward and puts a hand down
• Level 2 Triple twist--gorgeous twist and he catches her well away from his body
• Level 2 Death Spiral--clean but the entrance was a little awkward
• Throw Triple Loop--She gets a ton of height but is just slightly forward on the landing
• Level 4 Lift--the second position in their lift looks very awkward and is not visually appealing
• Level 2 Step Sequence--very elegant step sequence
• Level 4 Spins--Nice unison but not a clear ending pose following the spins
• This program doesn't have some of the sparkle that they normally have and they need to do more to engage the audience

Cup of China Pairs Preview

This should be an interesting event as several teams are looking to claim their place in the world and at home.  Pang and Tong should easily win Gold at this event and seem to be skating well after a stellar season last year.  They are also a team that tends to improve as the season progresses so it will be interesting to see their scores here.  Sui and Han are a young Chinese team but they are not coached by Bin Yao.  They had an outstanding junior season last year, but have had mixed results this year.  They are capable of landing throw quads.  Having competed in juniors thus far this season, it will be interesting to see how they bring their programs up to the senior level.  Iliushechkina and Maisuradze had a great competition at Skate Canada despite a few mishaps in their free skate.  They are looking to claim a spot amongst the elite Russian pairs teams and move up the ranks at home.  The back to back competitions could negatively effect their performance here.  Evora and Ladwig are coming off a dream season and with Denney and Barrett gone, they are the top pairs team at their rink and should be receiving more attention.  Their lifts are among the best in the world and if they can nail their other elements they have the performance skills to be very competitive.  Yankowskas and Coughlin are another American team that has all the elements to medal but can never seem to put together two clean performances.  Their free program is about his mothers death earlier this year and they really give everything to this program. 

Podium Predictions:
Gold: Pang/Tong
Silver: Iliushechkina/Maisuradze
Bronze: Sui/Han

Information on all the teams competing is below.

Kaleigh Hole/Adam Johnson, CAN: Hole and Johnson placed 10th at the World Junior Championships in their first season together.  They won gold and bronze at their two Junior Grand Prix assignments and placed 5th at the Grand Prix Final.  This is their Grand Prix debut.

Huibo Dong/Yiming Wu, CHN: Dong and Wu placed 17th at the World Championships.  They won bronze at the 2008 World Junior Championships.  They placed 6th at both of their Grand Prix assignments last season and placed 7th last weekend at Skate Canada. 

Qing Pang/Jian Tong, CHN: Pang and Tong won silver at the Olympics (with personal bests in the free skate and total score) and are the reigning World Champions (with a personal best short program).  They also won the World Championships in 2006.  They are three time Four Continents gold medalists and two time silver medalists.  They won both of their Grand Prix assignments last season before winning silver at the Grand Prix Final.  They won gold at their first assignment this season, the NHK Trophy.

Wenjing Sui/Cong Han, CHN: Sui and Han are the reigning World Junior Champions with personal best scores in the short program and total score.  They won both their Junior Grand Prix assignments last season, including the Junior Grand Prix Final.  They placed 2nd and 1st at their assignments this season, again qualifying them for the Final.  This is their Grand Prix debut.

Nicole della Monica/Yannick Kocon, ITA: They placed 12th at the Olympics with personal bests in the short and free programs.  They were 6th at Europeans.  They finished 5th at their Grand Prix debut last season in Moscow.

Lubov Iliushechkina/Nodari Maisuradze, RUS: They are the 2009 World Junior Champions.  They placed 5th at their Grand Prix debut last season in Beijing.  They won Skate Canada last weekend.

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

Caitlin Yankowskas/John Coughlin, USA: They placed 4th at the Four Continents Championships with personal best scores in the short and free skate.  They placed 7th at their lone assignment to Skate Canada last season.  They finished 4th at NHK Trophy this season.