Canadian Nationals: Pairs Free Skate

1. Moore-Towers/Moscovitch: 62.96 TES + 59.94 PCS = 122.90
1. They executed a Level 1 Triple Twist, Triple Toe + Double Axel Sequence, Throw Triple Loop, Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Triple Salchows, Level 1 Death Spiral, Level 4 Pairs Spin, Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Throw Triple Salchow, Level 3 Spins and Level 4 Group 3 Lift with only two negative GOEs.
2. Duhamel/Radford: 60.08 TES + 53.55 PCS = 113.63
1. They executed a Level 2 Triple Twist, Triple Flip + Double Toe Sequence, Throw Triple Loop, Level 4 Group 3 Lift, Level 4 Spins, Level 4 Death Spiral, Triple Toes, Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Throw Triple Flip, Level 1 Group 5 Lift, and Level 4 Pair Spins with seven positive GOEs.
3. Lawrence/Swiegers: 56.38 TES + 53.35 PCS -1.00 = 108.73
1. They executed a Level 1 Triple Twist, Triple Toes, Level 4 Group 4 Lift, Double Axel + Single Axel Sequence, Level 4 Spins, Level 4 Death Spiral, Throw Triple Loop, Level 3 Group 5 Lift, Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Throw Triple Lutz,  and Level 3 Pair Spins with seven positive GOEs.
4. Brodeur/Mattatall: 53.00 TES + 52.34 PCS -1.00 =
1. They executed a Level 2 Triple Twist, Double Toes, Level 4 Spins, Level 4 Pair Spins, Double Axel + Double Toes, Level 4 Death Spiral, Throw Triple Loop (fall), Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Throw Triple Salchow and Level 4 Group 3 Lift with eight positive GOEs.
5. Hole/Johnson: 49.07 TES + 43.08 PCS = 92.15
1. They executed a Level 1 Triple Twist, Single Toe + Single Toes, Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Single Salchows, Level 4 Spins, Level 3 Death Spiral, Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Throw Triple Lutz, Level 4 Group 3 Lift, Throw Triple Salchow, and Level 3 Pairs Spins with 6 positive GOEs.
6. Jones/Gaskell: 46.13 TES + 42.41 PCS -2.00 = 86.54
1. They executed a Level 1 Triple Twist, Triple Salchows (under-rotated and fall), Throw Triple Loop, Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Level 4 Spins, Double Axels, Throw Triple Salchow, Level 1 Pairs Spin, Level 1 Group 5 Lift, Level 4 Group 3 Lift and Level 1 Death Spiral with five positive GOEs.
7. Arseneault/Cote: 44.39 TES + 40.82 PCS = 85.21
1. They executed Triple Toes, Level 2 Double Twist, Level 3 Group 5 Lift, Double Axel + Double Toe Sequence, Level 3 Spins, Throw Triple Loop, Level 1 Death Spiral, Level 4 Group 3 Lift, Throw Triple Salchow, and Level 1 Group 5 Lift with four positive GOEs.  They received no credit for their pairs spin.
8. Purdy/Marinaro: 38.96 TES + 36.06 PCS -1.00 = 74.02
1. They executed a Level 1 Double Twist, Triple Salchows, Throw Triple Loop, Double Axel + Double Toes, Level 3 Group 5 Lift, Level 3 Spins, Level 2 Group 3 Lift, Throw Triple Salchow (fall), Level 1 Death Spiral and Level 4 Pairs Spin with four positive GOEs.  They received no credit for their Group 5 Lift.
9. Godin/Evans: 40.47 TES + 35.27 PCS -2.00 = 73.74
1. They executed a Double Axel (fall), Level 1 Double Twist, Double Salchow + Double Toe Sequence, Level 2 Group 4 Lift,  Throw Triple Loop (fall), Level 1 Death Spiral, Level 2 Group 5 Lift, Throw Triple Salchow, Level 3 Spins, Level 3 Group 5 Lift and Level 1 Pair Spins with two positive GOEs.
10. Gelinas/Struthers: 34.82 TES + 32.76 PCS = 67.58
1. They executed Double Toe + Double Toe + Single Loops, Level 1 Double Twist, Level 3 Group 5 Lift, Throw Double Lutz, Level 4 Spins, Triple Salchows, Level 1 Group 4 Lift, Throw Double Loop, Level 1 Death Spiral and Level 2 Pair Spins with no positive GOEs.  They received no credit for their Group 3 Lift.

Final Results

1. Kirsten Moore-Towers / Dylan Moscovitch: 187.63
2. Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford: 171.34
3. Paige Lawrence / Rudi Swiegers: 168.11
4. Mylène Brodeur / John Mattatall: 163.12
5. Kaleigh Hole / Adam Johnson: 140.86
6. Brittany Jones / Kurtis Gaskell: 134.90
7. Noemie Arseneault / Simon-Pierre Côté: 131.65
8. Jade-Savannah Godin / Andrew Evans: 115.55
9. Margaret Purdy / Michael Marinaro: 111.30
10. Alexie Gélinas / David Struthers: 106.90

Canadian Nationals: Pairs Short Program

1. Kirsten Moore-Towers / Dylan Moscovitch: 36.92 TES + 27.81 PCS = 64.73
1. They executed a Level 1 Triple Twist, Triple Toes, Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Throw Triple Loop, Level 1 Death Spiral, Level 3 Step Sequence and Level 4 Spins with all positive GOEs.
2. Paige Lawrence / Rudi Swiegers: 32.96 TES + 26.42 PCS = 59.38
1. They executed a Level 1 Triple Twist, Triple Toes, Level 4 Spins, Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Level 1 Death Spiral, Level 2 Step Sequence and Throw Triple Lutz with only one negative GOE.
3. Mylène Brodeur / John Mattatall: 32.33 TES + 26.45 PCS = 58.78
1. They executed a Level 2 Triple Twist, Triple Toes, Throw Triple Loop, Level 4 Spins, Level 1 Death Spiral, Level 1 Step Sequence and Level 4 Group 5 Lift with only two negative GOEs.
4. Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford: 32.58 TES + 25.13 PCS = 57.71
1. They executed a Level 2 Triple Twist, Double Toes, Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Throw Triple Lutz, Level 3 Step Sequence, Level 4 Spins and Level 4 Death Spiral with only one negative GOE.
5. Kaleigh Hole / Adam Johnson: 27.36 TES + 21.35 PCS = 48.71
1. They executed a Level 1 Triple Twist, Triple Salchows, Level 3 Group 5 Lift, Throw Triple Salchow, Level 4 Spins, Level 1 Step Sequence and Level 3 Death Spiral with only two negative GOEs.
6. Brittany Jones / Kurtis Gaskell 28.87 TES + 20.49 PCS -1.00 = 48.36
1. They executed a Level 2 Triple Twist, Double Axels (fall), Level 4 Group 5 Lift, Throw Triple Loop, Level 3 Spins, Level 2 Step Sequence and Level 1 Death Spiral with only two negative GOEs.
7. Noemie Arseneault / Simon-Pierre Côté: 26.70 TES + 19.74 PCS = 46.44
1. They executed a Level 2 Double Twist, Triple Toes, Throw Triple Loop, Level 3 Group 5 Lift, Level 1 Death Spiral, Level 3 Spins and Level 1 Step Sequence with four positive GOEs.
8. Jade-Savannah Godin / Andrew Evans: 24.07 TES + 18.74 PCS -1.00 = 41.81
1. They executed double axels, Level 2 Double Twist, Level 3 Step Sequence, Level 4 Spins, Level 3 Group 5 Lift, Throw Triple Salchow (fall), and Level 1 Death Spiral with 3 positive GOEs.
9. Alexie Gélinas / David Struthers: 22.20 TES + 17.18PCS = 39.38
1. They executed Triple Toes, Level 1 Double Twist, Level 2 Group 5 Lift, Throw Double Loop, Level 1 Death Spiral, Level 4 Spins, and Level 1 Step Sequence with one positive GOE.
10. Margaret Purdy / Michael Marinaro: 18.61 TES + 19.67 PCS -1.00 = 37.28
1. They executed Level 2 Double Twist, Triple Salchows (fall), Throw Triple Salchow, Level 1 Death Spiral, Level 3 Spins, and Level 2 Step Sequence with only two negative GOEs.  They received no credit for their lift.

Canadian Nationals: Pairs Preview

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

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

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

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

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


The teams in reverse qualification order:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trophee Eric Bompard--Pairs Free Skate

Group 1

Klara Kadlecova/Petr Bidar, CZE

• Klara has such long legs but it seems like that may be hurting her on some of her jumps during the warmup
• Through the legs to overhead lift and she catches her back foot, nicely done
• Nice double twist with a clean catch and her arms over her head
• Almost put a hand down on the throw triple but she hangs on to it
• He puts a hand down on some transitional steps
• Side by side triples looked clean
• Spitral into lift and she holds same position as first lift with one armed hold and he sets her down with one arm
• She needs more arch in her back in the death spiral
• She falls on the next throw triple
• Double double sequence was a little off unison
• He couldn't get her up on the third lift and she falls to the ice and he trips over her and falls--luckily he missed her skates
• Lack of unison on the side by side spins but nice positions
• I'd like to see more arch in her back for the pairs spin and more speed from them throughout the spin

38.66 TES + 38.10 PCS -4.00  = 72.76 into 1st place

Anna Khnychenkova/Mark Magyar, HUN

• He turns out of their opening side by side triples and can't complete the combination
• Side by side triples looked clean for their second set
• Clean double twist with a nice catch
• She puts a hand down on the first throw triple
• First overhead is rotating very slow and he holds her with two hands and an easy entry and exit
• Nice speed through the side by side spins but they lose their unison in the second half
• She lands the next throw triple but doesn't have great flow out of the element
• Press lift and he skates backwards for a few seconds but still two hands in the overhead position
• I'm not crazy about her death spiral position
• Their faces look a little blank to me and they're not really performing this choreography
• Through the legs to overhead lift and into the fetal position again
• Pairs spin is a little slow

37.14 TES + 33.53 PCS = 70.67 new seasons best and into 2nd place

Felicia Zhang/Taylor Toth, USA

• Fast triple twist but she crashes into him on the landing
• Nice triple double combination but she may have two-footed the landing on the first jump
• Overhead lift with one arm hold and she has a nice air position
• Side by side spins are fast but they are off on their unison
• She two foots the landing on her first throw triple and I'm not sure it was fully rotated--I don't think she got enough height to get all the way around
• Nice positions on their second lift but an awkward exit--I'd like to see more speed from him across the ice as well
• She falls on their last throw triple
• Through the legs to one armed overhead lift and a flip exit
• Nice side by side triples but they were off on their unison
• Nice positions in the pairs spin and decent speed although they're almost stopped by the end
• Nice death spiral position
• I'd like to see them have more speed and power across the ice

46.22 TES + 41.33 PCS -1.00 = 86.55 new seasons best and into 1st place

Group 2

Mylene Brodeur/John Mattatall, CAN

• Their costumes look a little too rock and roll for Embraceable You and American in Paris
• Nice high triple twist and nearly a clean catch
• She doubles their side by side triples
• Good speed and unison on their side by side spins
• Good pairs spin
• Solid triple double with good unison
• Nice death spiral position but she could use maybe a litle more arch in her back especially toward the end
• She falls on the first throw triple
• Nice change of direction on his rotation in the first lift and a good air position for her
• Nice one armed overhead lift with a change of position and a flip exit
• Landed the final throw triple out of a difficult entry with not a lot of setup
• Nice final lift position with a flip exit

52.92 TES + 47.92 PCS - 1.00 = 99.84 new seasons best and into 1st place

Maylin Hausch/Daniel Wende, GER

• Double twist to open the program and she has a tiny bobble on the landing
• Right into a nice throw triple with a great landing
• Triple double combination but their unison was slightly off
• Great speed through their side by side spins but they could use more stretch through their upright positions
• His rotation on the overhead lift is very fast
• Side by side double axel and her hair ribbon comes out--they might receive a costume deduction for that
• Solid throw triple
• Second overhead lift also has great speed but there was a problem on the exit and she came down awkwardly
• Nice press lift with good position for her and a flip exit
• Nice death spiral position into the pairs spin and I would like to see more speed thorugh this element
• Overall a solid program with a few minor problems here and there

53.98 TES + 49.42 PCS = 103.40 new seasons best into 1st place

Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov, RUS

• I adore her dress
• She was a little forward on their side by side triples but hung on to the landing
• Huge triple twist with a clean catch and her arms in an overhead position
• The throw was off on their throw triple and she can't hang on to the landing and falls
• They land the side by side triple triples which is very impressive for her because her air position was way off
• Nice speed through the pairs spin and great positions
• One foot take off from her into the lift with a gorgeous position change and he skates on one foot for part of it and a really intricate exit from the lift
• Clean throw triple with a great landing
• Great entrance into their second lift and she has fabulous air positions, a little bobble on the exit
• Nice speed and positions throught he side by side spins but she could be a bit more stretched out on her free leg in the sit spins
• Final lift was nice
• Great death spiral position to end the program

61.83 TES + 7.99 PCS -1.00 = 118.82 new seasons best into 1st place

Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy, GER

• I love how they perform this program
• Started off with a huge triple throw with a great landing
• Triple triple sequence was good
• I don't love her death spiral position, especially the position change
• So much speed on their side by side spins and great unison
• A problem on the landing of the triple twist
• Side by side double jumps
• Interesting positions on their first lift
• Their pairs spin seems really slow to me but has somne great seamless position changes
• I love that she's getting the crowd involved and really performing to them during the second lift
• Their music stops but they keep going into their final lift but then comes back on...not sure if that is how the music is supposed to be
• Another huge throw triple but not as clean of a landing but still solid

65.41 TES + 65.82 PCS = 131.23 and into 1st place

Top 3:
1: Savchenko/Szolkowy
2: Bazarova/Larionov
3: Hausch/Wende

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

Gold: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Silver: Bazarova/Larionov
Bronze: Hausch/Wende

Trophee Eric Bompard--Pairs Short Program

I'm having some technical difficulty getting the feed up so it may be a few minutes before I get underway.

Group 1

Anna Khnychenkova/Mark Magyar, HUN

• I missed most of their program but tuned in in time to see a nice double throw
• She could use more arch in her back and a more stretched out position in the lifts
• The spins were slow but had good unison
• Nice stretched out death spiral position
• Their footwork sequence is really slow but has good unison--the steps aren't that difficult and they're not getting much ice coverage

22.48 TES + 16.98 PCS = 39.46 new seasons best into 1st place

Felicia Zhang/Taylor Toth, USA

• She could use some more stretch through her free legs on transition moves
• Nice triple twist but she crashes into him on the landing
• On their side by side triples it looks like she misses her take off and doesn't do the jump and puts a hand down so they'll get no credit--on the replay you can see that she hits the side of her blade on the ice while taking off for the jump
• Nice air position in the lift
• She hangs on to the landing of her throw triple
• Nice unison on the side by side spins but they get a little off in the middle
• Nice step sequence but I'd like to see a little more difficult and movement but it has a lovely flow acros the ice
• I like her entrance into the death spiral but her legs could be slightly more stretched out

20.65 TES + 20.28 PCS = 40.93 into 1st place

Klara Kadlecova/Petr Bidar, CZE

• This is a young team at 15 and 19
• Nice double twist with a clean catch
• I believe they did a throw double here but it was landed cleanly--on the replay it was a triple and it was nicely landed
• She puts a hand down on their side by side triples
• Some nice speed in their side by side spins but they're way off on their unison and she gets faster in the upright spin while he slows considerably
• He couldn't get her all the way up on the lift and has to set her back down on the ice
• She looks a little sideways in her death spiral
• Nice use of the music in this step sequence and they're really making use of their whole bodies here
• This team has some nice qualities and if they can up their difficulty they'll be more on par with other teams here

18.82 TES + 20.50 PCS = 39.32 into 3rd place

Group 2

Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov, RUS

• Not sure what's going on but the warm up group is off the ice and they've been skating around for about 2 minutes now and they're putting their jackets and scarves back on.  Still no announcement for them to take the ice.
• Nice side by side triples to start their program
• She has a great arabesque position
• Great height on their triple twist and a very clean landing
• Nice landing on the throw triple jump
• He lifts her like she weights nothing
• Nice position in the death spiral--he changes hands and she regrabs behind his back
• Nice positions in the spins, good speed throughout and good unison
• Nice entrance into the lift with her on one leg, great change of position where she is on her side and he's holding with one hand and effortless exit with a flip out of the lift
• Nice intricate stepwork sequence with nice flow and movement

36.47 TES + 27.71 PCS = 64.18 new seasons best and into 1st place

Maylin Hausch/Daniel Wende, GER

• They are skating to Tango de Roxanne and aren't really attacking this music
• Nice side by side triples
• Double twist with a clean catch with her arms over her head
• Nice throw triple
• Into the step sequence and I'd like to see her work on her arm and hand positions as everything is very stiff and it disrupts the line
• Very slow death spiral but I like her free arm position
• She could use a little more arch in her lift position
• Nice transition from the camel to the sit spin in their spin sequence but a little off on the unison at the end
• Ending pose is very smooth which does not go with the build of the music and the dramatic ending

31.37 TES + 22.65 PCS = 54.02 new seasons best and into 2nd place

Mylene Brodeur/John Mattatall, CAN

• Nice triple twist but she crashes into him on the landing
• She falls on the side by side triples
• She falls on the throw triple and I'm not sure she'll get credit for the full rotation as her blade never really came back down on the ice--on the replay it looks like she only got around twice
• Nice unison on the spins but they were slow and I wasn't crazy about the positions
• Interesting entrance to the death spiral and a nice stretched out position for her
• Nice movement in relation to each other on the step sequence
• Final lift could use more arch from her and a nice flip exit

24.80 TES + 22.67 PCS -2.00 = 45.47 and into 3rd place

Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy, GER

• I still don't understand what's supposed to be happening at the beginning of this program
• Huge throw triple and she really nails the landing
• Nice triple twist but she crashes into him on the landing
• She steps out of her side by side triple--on the replay her air position was way off, Kudos to her for hanging on to the landing
• Nice air positions in the lift and she shows off her flexibility
• I like her arm positions in the death spiral and they change hands for extra points
• Nice difficulty in their step sequence but it seems slow and he has a bobble in the middle
• Nice fast side by side spins with good unison but I'd like to see more stretch from him in the bottom leg of his side by side spin

34.62 TES + 32.03 PCS = 66.65 new seasons best and into 1st place

Top 3
1. Savchenko/Szolkowy
2. Bazarova/Larionov
3. Hausch/Wende

Top TES: Bazarova/Larionov
Top PCS: Savchenko/Szolkowy

Trophee Eric Bompard Pairs Preview

Savchenko and Szolkowy started their season strong with a gold medal finish at Skate America.  They still hold the highest scores for the season and should have no problem bringing home the gold here.  They were over 20 points below their personal best, so look for them to bring their scores up here.  Bazarova/Larinov also had a strong first outing posting personal best scores and winning the silver medal.  They should repeat that feat here.  The third podium spot will likely be a toss up between Mylene Brodeur and John Mattatall of Canada and Hausch and Wende of Germany.

My podium predictions are:
Gold: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Silver: Bazarova/Larinov
Bronze: Brodeur/Mattatall

My USFSA Fantasy team is:
A) Savchenko/Szolkowy
B) Brodeur/Mattatall
C) Zhang/Toth

Information on all the competitors is below.

Mylene Brodeur/John Mattatall, CAN: They finished 7th at Four Continents with a personal best short program.  They finished 6th and 5th at their two Grand Prix assignments last season.  They finished 6th earlier this season at NHK Trophy with a personal best total score.

Klara Kadlecova/Petr Bidar, CZE: They finished 14th at the World Junior Championships.  They finished 7th at both their Junior Grand Prix assignments earlier this season.  This is their Grand Prix debut.

Maylin Hausch/Daniel Wende, GER: They finished 17th at the Olympics, 14th at Worlds and 9th at Europeans with a personal best short program.  They finished 7th earlier this season at NHK Trophy with a personal best free skate and total score.

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 bronze at Trophee Eric Bompard and gold at Skate Canada last season, qualifying them for the Grand Prix Final where they won bronze.  They won gold at Skate America earlier this season.

Anna Khnychenkova/Mark Magyar, HUN: They finished 15th at the World Junior Championships with personal best scores across the board.  They finished 15th at their Junior Grand Prix assignment earlier this season.  This is their Grand Prix debut.

Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov, RUS: They finished 11th at the Olympics, 8th at Worlds and 5th at Europeans.  They finished 4th at their only Grand Prix competition last season.  They won silver earlier this season at NHK Trophy with personal best scores across the board.

Felicia Zhang/Taylor Toth, USA: Zhang and Toth finished 9th at World Juniors with personal best scores in the short program and total score.  They finished 6th and 11th at their two Junior Grand Prix assignments last season.  Zhang also competes internationally as a junior in singles.  They finished 7th at their Grand Prix debut at Skate America with personal best scores across the board.