Skate America Men's Free Skate Results

Free Skate

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Tatsuki MACHIDA	JPN	174.20	90.84		83.36	8.46	7.93	8.57	8.36	8.36	0.00	#8
2	Max AARON	USA	162.45	90.47		72.98	7.46	6.89	7.39	7.39	7.36	1.00	#3
3	Adam RIPPON	USA	160.98	79.90		82.08	8.11	7.89	8.29	8.32	8.43	1.00	#6
4	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	159.12	72.40		86.72	8.75	8.43	8.50	8.79	8.89	0.00	#4
5	Takahiko KOZUKA	JPN	153.20	72.28		80.92	8.29	7.96	7.96	8.21	8.04	0.00	#5
6	Jason BROWN	USA	147.25	68.69		79.56	7.71	7.86	8.07	8.00	8.14	1.00	#7
7	Artur GACHINSKI	RUS	138.35	70.35		68.00	7.04	6.50	6.75	6.89	6.82	0.00	#1
8	Alexander MAJOROV	SWE	133.75	67.03		67.72	6.82	6.57	6.79	6.75	6.93	1.00	#2

Total

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Tatsuki MACHIDA	JPN	265.38	1	1
2	Adam RIPPON	USA	241.24	3	3
3	Max AARON	USA	238.36	6	2
4	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	236.21	5	4
5	Jason BROWN	USA	231.03	2	6
6	Takahiko KOZUKA	JPN	230.95	4	5
7	Alexander MAJOROV	SWE	208.72	7	8
8	Artur GACHINSKI	RUS	208.16	8	7

Skate America Men's Short Program

Group 1

Max Aaron, USA: 41.37 TES + 35.54 PCS -1.00 = 75.91 and into 1st place

• No audio on the feed so it will be a little hard to judge connection to the music and timing
• Fall on the opening quad attempt but it looks like he slipped off the landing edge so he might get full rotation credit
• Triple lutz + triple toe
• Decent stretch through his position but he could be lower throughout his sit spin and losing a bit of speed at the end
• Big triple axel in the bonus with a nice landing
• Good position in the twisted camel spin but not a lot of flexibility through the catchfoot
• Good speed and intensity through the footwork with lots of intricate changes of direction and one foot sequences and it's nice to see him let lose and smile a bit
• Nice back entry to the sit spin with a good broken leg and back tuck variation ending right in his ending pose

Adam Rippon, USA: 43.23 TES + 37.03 PCS = 80.26 and into 1st place

• Quad lutz just a little bit down on the landing and has to put his hand down
• Lots of speed in his twisted sit spin with nice positions
• Decent camel position into a nice catch foot with good speed maintained throughout
• Triple axel a bit wonky in the air but he fights to hang on to the landing
• Triple flip + triple toe
• Nice expression and movement quality in the step sequence with lots of use of the full body and changes of direction; the crowd is really getting into it and he's flying across the ice
• Good speed in the camel spin into an even faster sit spin and a really nice layback

Artur Gachinski, RUS: 37.24 TES + 34.57 PCS -2.00 = 69.81 and into 3rd place

• Quad toe feel slid out from under him on the landing--it just seemed like he didn't have enough going into it
• Triple lutz + triple toe hand down on the landing
• Nice triple axel
• Twisted broken leg camel into a really weak catch foot position 
• Broken leg sit spin with good speed throughout
• The audio has come back and I'm not feeling this music for him...doesn't seem to suit his style at all
• A little choppy and on top of the ice in his step sequence and a few places where the edge changes are not clean
• Twisted camel into a sit position that seemed a bit out of control and ending with an upright y spin

Alexander Majorov, SWE: 41.29 TES + 34.68 PCS -1.00 = 74.97 and into 3rd place

• Quad toe with a hard fall
• Triple lutz + triple toe with a lot of spring and height in the 2nd jump
• Decent positions in his spin but he needs more stretch through the free leg in his sit and camel positions
• Triple axel but I'd like to see a better landing position
• Really slow broken leg camel spin but a nice catchfoot position
• Interesting steps in his step sequence and the crowd seems to be enjoying it; a few bobbles here and there on the turns
• Back entry to a twisted sit position losing speed through the back tuck position
• Finishing a bit before his music

Group 2

Jason Brown, USA: 44.85 TES + 38.93 PCS = 83.78 and into 1st place

• Nice triple axel
• A lot of attention to detail in the in betweens in this program
• Triple flip was high and gorgeous but tight on the triple toe landing
• Great catch foot camel spin with his foot above his head and his free leg on his back
• Nice low sit spin position
• Triple lutz with the 'tano variation
• Nice step sequence with excellent edge changes, interesting variations on the movement and changes of direction 
• Camel spin with a twisted position into a nice sit spin and ending with a scratch spin
• Really solid Grand Prix debut from him!

Takahiko Kozuka, JPN: 38.15 TES + 39.60 PCS = 77.75 and into 3rd place

• Quad toe a little tight on the landing
• Nice triple axel
• Losing a bit of centering on the entrance to his camel spin but good low sit position and nice timing with the music
• Triple lutz stepped out of the first jump and can't tack on the combo
• Nice camel position
• Good flying sit spin but losing speed through the back tuck position
• Good speed and flow through the footwork sequence and he even seems to pick up speed toward the end--a bit of ice spray on some of the turns

Tatsuki Machida, JPN: 50.08 TES + 41.10 PCS = 91.18 and into 1st place

• Nice opening quad toe + triple toe
• Beautiful triple axel
• Good camel spin with a nice change of leg although a bit slow
• He has really nice connection and flow with his music
• He could use more stretch through his free leg in the sit spin
• Nice triple lutz but I would have liked to see him hold the landing a bit longer
• Nice flow through his step sequence although a bit bobbly on some of the turns and losing speed and flow toward the end
• Camel spin into a broken leg sit and ending with a back scratch spin

Daisuke Takahashi, JPN: 35.84 TES + 42.25 PCS -1.00 = 77.09 and into 5th place

• Quad toe two footed and then falls
• Nice camel but he could use more flexibility through the catch foot; after the change of foot he could use more height in his free leg as well
• Triple axel really tough landing and had to put his toe pick down after a half turn
• Triple lutz + double toe with no oomph behind it and he has to step back on the landing of the toe
• Finally he starts to look like Dai here at the end of his program--he seemed to be going through the motions the first half and didn't really connect with the music or the program
• A rough outing for Takahashi but he fought for everything

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Tatsuki MACHIDA	JPN	91.18	50.08		41.10	8.14	7.96	8.43	8.25	8.32	0.00	#7
2	Jason BROWN	USA	83.78	44.85		38.93	7.57	7.64	7.79	7.89	8.04	0.00	#5
3	Adam RIPPON	USA	80.26	43.23		37.03	7.57	7.18	7.50	7.39	7.39	0.00	#2
4	Takahiko KOZUKA	JPN	77.75	38.15		39.60	8.21	7.75	7.75	7.93	7.96	0.00	#6
5	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	77.09	35.84		42.25	8.57	8.32	8.18	8.54	8.64	1.00	#8
6	Max AARON	USA	75.91	41.37		35.54	7.18	6.89	7.11	7.18	7.18	1.00	#1
7	Alexander MAJOROV	SWE	74.97	41.29		34.68	6.86	6.71	6.93	7.04	7.14	1.00	#4
8	Artur GACHINSKI	RUS	69.81	37.24		34.57	7.11	6.61	6.89	7.00	6.96	2.00	#3

Skate America Men's Preview

Denis Ten was the surprise silver medalist at last year's World Championships.  He has often shown moments of greatness but hasn't been able to put all of the pieces together to ascend the podium.  He very nearly stole the gold medal away from Patrick Chan and many thought that his free skate was enough to put him on top.  He set new personal best in all segments of the competition and finished between 60 and 90 points higher than his previous events that season.  He'll also have to deal with the pressure of being a front runner instead of an underdog .  

Daisuke Takahashi started off the season well winning two silver medals to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he won gold.  He did struggle in the last half of the season though only placing 7th at Four Continents and 6th at Worlds.  His Worlds score was 30 points lower than the Grand Prix Final.  He had two quads planned in his free skate last year but his score fluctuations were largely due to jump issues.  He also seemed to be lacking his signature style and personality in his programs last year, especially his free skate and never seemed to really find his groove.

Takahiko Kozuka qualified for the Grand Prix Final after winning a gold and silver on the circuit but didn't make the Four Continents or Worlds teams.  He is a former World Silver Medalist but hasn't been able to replicate his 2010-2011 season.  Tatsuki Machida also went to the Grand Prix Final last year on the strength of an impressive performance at Cup of China but was left off the Worlds and Four Continents rosters.

Max Aaron is making his Grand Prix debut after a breakout season that saw him win the US title and finished 7th at Worlds right behind Daisuke Takahashi.  He has three quads planned in his free skate along with two triple axels and triple + triple combinations.  He also backloads his free skate and has some of the most difficult content planned.  He has been working with Pasquale Camerlengo to improve his program components and he's admitted that he wasn't happy with his artistic performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Classic.  

Jason Brown is also making his Grand Prix debut after winning the silver medal at Junior Worlds last season.  He has long been known for his program components but his one weakness has been the triple axel.  He had some success with it last season but it is still a work in progress and he'll need it to hang with the top competitors here who will be executing multiple triple axels and quads.  He won the silver medal at his senior debut at Nebelhorn Trophy with new personal best scores.  

My podium predictions:
Gold: Daisuke Takahashi
Silver: Takahiko Kozuka
Bronze: Max Aaron

Bios of the competitors:
Takahiko Kozuka, JPN: He won gold at Skate America and silver at Rostelecom Cup last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he placed 5th.  He is the 2011 World Silver Medalist, 2009 Four Continents Bronze Medalist and 2006 World Junior Champion.  His personal best is 258.41.  He is 24 years old.

Tatsuki Machida, JPN: He won bronze at Skate America and gold at Cup of China last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he finished 6th.  He is the 2010 Four Continents Silver Medalist.  His personal best is 236.92.  He is 23 years old.

Daisuke Takahashi, JPN: He finished 6th at Worlds and 7th at Four Continents.  He won silver at Cup of China and NHK Trophy last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he won gold.  He is the 2010 Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2010 World Champion, 2007 and 2012 World Silver Medalist, 2008 and 2011 Four Continents Champion, 2012 Four Continents Silver Medalist, 2005 Four Continents Bronze Medalist and 2002 World Junior Champion.  His personal best is 276.72.  He is 27 years old.

Denis Ten, KAZ: He is the reigning World Silver Medalist and placed 12th at Four Continents.  He placed 6th at Skate America and 9th at Rostelecom Cup last season.  His personal best is 266.48.  He is 20 years old.

Artur Gachinski, RUS: He placed 9th at Skate Canada and 7th at Rostelecom Cup last season.  He is the 2011 World Bronze Medalist, 2012 European Silver Medalist and 2010 World Junior Bronze Medalist.  His personal best is 246.27.  He is 20 years old.

Alexander Majorov, SWE: He finished 18th at Worlds and 6th at Europeans.  He placed 10th at Skate America last season.  He is the 2011 World Junior Bronze Medalist.  His personal best is 211.88.  He is 22 years old.

Max Aaron, USA: He placed 7th at Worlds and 4th at Four Continents.  This is his Grand Prix debut.  His personal best is 238.36.  He is 21 years old.

Jason Brown, USA: He is the reigning World Junior Silver Medalist.  This is his Grand Prix debut.  He won silver at JGP France and gold at JGP Turkey last season to qualify for the JGP Final where he finished 4th.  He is the 2012 World Junior Bronze Medalist.  His personal best is 228.43.  He is 19 years old.  

Adam Rippon, USA: He placed 4th at Cup of China and 8th at NHK Trophy last season.  He is the 2010 Four Continents Champion and 2008 and 2009 World Junior Champion.  His personal best is 233.04.  He is 23 years old.

US International Figure Skating Challenge Men's Free Skate

Michael Christian Martinez, PHI: 61.05 TES + 62.34 PCS = 123.39  Total: 183.04

• Opening up with a big triple axel + double toe
• He has such long legs but I'm not sure he quite knows what to do with them yet and some transitions seem a bit unbalanced and awkward but he does have a lot of potential
• Another nice triple axel
• A bit slow headed into the triple lutz + double toe
• Really nice camel spin into a nice low broken let sit variation
• Step sequence seems a bit slow and labored and not as into the ice as he could be--he also seemed to be slightly ahead of his music
• Really nice spiral into a triple toe
• Doubled the lutz
• Spiral into a single flip
• Ina Bauer into a triple loop with a flip out
• Flying entry to a sit spin but slow through the 2nd variation
• He doesn't seem to be really connecting with this program and there isn't an attempt to sell it
• Hydroblade into triple salchow--he does have some interesting entries into his jumps which add to his GOE score
• Nice upright catch foot spin into a gorgeous Biellman in his final combination spin

Christopher Caluza, PHI: 61.70 TES + 61.84 PCS = 123.54 Total: 185.33 and into 1st place

• Triple loop two footed the landing--not enough height to get the quad
• Triple salchow + triple toe a little iffy on the landing
• Nice triple lutz
• Not a lot of transitions between the first few passes and not many variations on the entries and exits
• He seems to slightly lean forward in this step sequence and is on top of his edges a bit but he has nice speed and flow across the ice
• Losing speed through his sit spin position changes
• Great position in his camel spin into a nice catch foot and staying centered through the change of foot
• I like the elegance in these transitions and he seems to be settling in more
• Triple loop + double toe + double loop a little tight
• Triple flip out of a lunge stepping up into a double axel
• Triple lutz + double toe--could have a bit more height on the 2nd jump but he did the Tano variation
• Double axel
• Losing his position a bit on the camel spin and a bit of trouble in the flying change of position to the sit spin but ending with a nice upright catchfoot

Stanislav Samohin, ISR: 50.69 TES + 57.18 PCS -1.00 = 106.87  Total: 163.71 and into 3rd place

• I love his quality of movement and intensity at the top of the program
• Triple axel hands down on the ice
• Triple lutz hand down + double toe
• Single axel
• Triple loop
• Nice camel spin into a stretched out sit spin--lost his center and a bit bobble on the change of foot
• He has a lot going for him in terms of his performance quality and the enjoyability of his skates but the jumps just don't seem there yet
• Triple toe + triple toe and barely hangs on
• Triple lutz hands down and then a fall
• Spread eagle into a double axel two footed landing
• Good variations in his combination spin but it seems a bit slow
• A little bobbly in some of the one foot sections of his footwork but he's really working with his music
• Triple salchow
• He could be lower in these sit positions 

Charles Pao, TPE: 24.72 TES + 38.84 PCS -3.00 = 60.56 Total: 95.18 and into 4th place

• Hard fall on his opening triple lutz
• Triple salchow turn out + double toe
• Single flip
• He could use more flexibility through his catchfoot camel position
• A little off balance in places in the step sequence and really shallow on his edges with lots of ice spray
• Triple salchow
• Big telegraph into his triple loop and he landed in almost a criss cross position
• Broken leg sit spin and needs to be much lower in all his sit positions
• I can't tell if he accidentally left his practice gloves on or it that is part of the costume
• Popped jump
• Single axel with no height
• Triple axel fall
• He really needs to work on his knees and edges and that will make everything in this program a lot easier for him
• No speed in his sit spin and he needs more stretch through the free leg
• No connection with the music or performance quality--he also seems to be staring at the ice and not out at the audience which also could be affecting his jumps

Andrei Rogozine, CAN: 50.01 TES + 60.52 PCS = 110.53 Total: 168.92 and into 3rd place

• Two footed opening quad toe with nice speed on the rotation
• Spread eagle into a triple axel with a bit of a step out on the landing
• Triple salchow
• Double lutz
• Flying camel spin into a catch foot position with some good flexibility
• Good speed in his step sequence but I'd like to see him really finish off the moves and stretch through his free leg more
• Spread eagle into triple axel with a step out
• Single loop
• Triple flip
• He could have a lower sit spin position and seems to be traveling slightly throughout the spin
• Some nice movement in his choreographic step sequence but also some moves that seem awkward
• Not a lot of speed in his closing spin

Oleksii Bychenko, ISR: 44.36 TES + 56.16 PCS = 100.52  Total: 162.71 and into 5th place

• Nice speed and rotation on the triple axel but messy on the landing
• Triple axel step out + single toe
• Triple loop
• Could be a bit lower in the sit spin but nice speed
• Step sequence seems a bit frantic in places but it's nice to see him going for the choreography
• Triple salchow
• The flamenco choreography is all there but I'd like to see him put a bit more spark behind it and really execute it and get his PCS levels up
• Double flip + double toe
• Single lutz
• Traveling a lot on his camel spin and trouble after his flying change of foot
• Double axel + double toe--seemed tired going in but pulled it off
• Double flip
• Choreographed step sequence seemed rushed and he didn't seem to have enough time to really do all the steps

Max Aaron, USA: 81.88 TES + 75.84 PCS = 157.72 Total: 239.21 and into 1st

• Doubled his opening quad toe attempt
• Quad salchow forward on the landing + single toe loop
• Triple loop right on the music
• Traveling a bit on the flying change of foot in his first spin
• Nice use of his whole body in this step sequence and good connection with the music
• Good broken leg sit variation with an interesting exit--but seemed to come out a few seconds too early
• Quad salchow flip out
• Triple axel + double toe very nicely done
• Triple lutz + half loop + triple salchow
• There is a definite improvement in the quality of his movement and expression this season
• Triple axel right on the music
• Great choreographic step sequence but I'd like to see him open up to the audience a bit more
• Very nice triple flip
• Good final sit spin

Grant Hochstein, USA: 60.94 TES + 69.68 PCS -2.00 =128.62  Total: 191.91 and into 2nd place

• Quad toe fall
• Quad toe fall but much closer to being landed
• Double axel
• Interesting entry to the camel spin with a nice catch foot variation but he could use a bit more speed
• Nice flow and edgework in his step sequence 
• Triple lutz
• Flying sit spin with nice stretch through his free leg into a back tuck variation
• Triple flip
• Triple loop seemed a bit off in the air but landed nicely
• Nice inside edge spread eagle and great quality of movement through these transitions
• Triple lutz + double toe
• Triple toe + half loop + double salchow
• Possible hand down on his final combination spin with some really nice position variations 

Stephen Carriere, USA: 76.88 TES + 73.18 PCS -2.00 = 148.06  Total: 225.54 and into 2nd place

• Fall on his opening quad toe
• Triple axel + double toe
• Fall on the triple axel
• His upper body seems a bit stiff in the step sequence but he has good flow across the ice
• Good camel position into a sit position with good speed
• Triple salchow + double toe + double toe with arms overhead
• Difficult one foot entry into the triple lutz + triple toe and forward on the landing
• Triple flip
• Good twisted sit position with nice speed
• Triple lutz
• Camel spin into a sit spin, it would be nice to see him hold the headless spin a bit longer, no speed in the camel spin after the change of foot

Joshua Farris, USA: 57.37 TES + 78.34 PCS -1.00 = 134.71 Total: 206.56 and into 3rd place

• Triple toe (intended quad)
• Triple salchow
• Huge ice coverage on the triple axel but sat down on the landing
• Great sit spin position with nice stretch and toe point and a very low position
• He choreographs his programs and it's evident in his execution and commitment to the movement
• Nice subtle quality to his step sequence with great edges, interesting movement and nice flow through his whole body
• Triple axel + single toe
• Triple flip + single toe--first jump was gorgeous not sure what happened
• Triple lutz + double toe
• Lost his foot on the camel spin 
• He trains in Colorado Spring so altitude is not an issue for him, so I think he's just dealing with nerves
• This is a gorgeous program and I think he's got a real shot when the jumps are all there
• Double loop
• Camel spin into a nice sit and ending with an upright spin

Place	Start No.	Name	Short Program		Free Skate		Total Score
			Place	Score	Place	Score
1	7	Max Aaron, USA	1	81.49	1	157.72	239.21
2	9	Stephen Carriere, USA	2	77.48	2	148.06	225.54
3	10	Joshua Farris, USA	3	71.85	3	134.71	206.56
4	8	Grant Hochstein, USA	4	63.29	4	128.62	191.91
5	2	Christopher Caluza, PHI	6	61.79	5	123.54	185.33
6	1	Michael Christian Martinez, PHI	7	59.65	6	123.39	183.04
7	5	Andrei Rogozine, CAN	8	58.39	7	110.53	168.92
8	3	Stanislav Samohin, ISR	9	56.84	8	106.87	163.71
9	6	Oleksii Bychenko, ISR	5	62.19	9	100.52	162.71
10	4	Charles Pao, TPE	10	34.62	10	60.56	95.18
WD		Misha Ge, UZB

World Team Trophy Men's Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	168.65	82.65		86.00	8.64	8.36	8.68	8.61	8.71	0.00	#11
2	Kevin REYNOLDS	CAN	164.13	87.79		76.34	7.61	7.39	7.64	7.82	7.71	0.00	#4
3	Max AARON	USA	159.24	86.74		73.50	7.75	6.86	7.50	7.43	7.21	1.00	#7
4	Takahito MURA	JPN	156.03	77.87		78.16	8.07	7.50	7.86	7.86	7.79	0.00	#8
5	Patrick CHAN	CAN	153.54	71.54		85.00	8.75	8.68	8.00	8.64	8.43	3.00	#12
6	Jeremy ABBOTT	USA	151.60	69.10		83.50	8.25	8.21	8.18	8.43	8.68	1.00	#9
7	Brian JOUBERT	FRA	151.40	74.26		77.14	7.93	7.14	8.00	7.75	7.75	0.00	#5
8	Maxim KOVTUN	RUS	145.12	73.62		72.50	7.50	7.00	7.29	7.25	7.21	1.00	#6
9	Han YAN	CHN	143.27	72.41		71.86	7.61	6.89	7.18	7.18	7.07	1.00	#3
10	Yi WANG	CHN	125.27	66.57		58.70	6.21	5.64	5.93	5.96	5.61	0.00	#2
11	Romain PONSART	FRA	108.20	50.84		58.36	6.07	5.36	5.93	5.96	5.86	1.00	#1
WD	Konstantin MENSHOV	RUS											#10

Total

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS	Team Points
1	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	249.52	2	1	12
2	Patrick CHAN	CAN	240.21	1	5	11
3	Kevin REYNOLDS	CAN	237.65	9	2	10
4	Max AARON	USA	236.62	6	3	9
5	Takahito MURA	JPN	233.68	5	4	8
6	Jeremy ABBOTT	USA	231.84	4	6	7
7	Brian JOUBERT	FRA	227.95	8	7	6
8	Maxim KOVTUN	RUS	221.79	7	8	5
9	Han YAN	CHN	207.81	10	9	4
10	Yi WANG	CHN	183.57	11	10	3
11	Romain PONSART	FRA	165.59	12	11	2
WD	Konstantin MENSHOV	RUS		3

World Team Trophy Men's Short Program Results

l.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Patrick CHAN	CAN	86.67	43.64		44.03	8.89	8.71	8.54	9.00	8.89	1.00	#12
2	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	80.87	38.19		42.68	8.54	8.25	8.46	8.57	8.86	0.00	#11
3	Konstantin MENSHOV	RUS	80.60	45.21		35.39	7.07	6.86	7.21	7.18	7.07	0.00	#6
4	Jeremy ABBOTT	USA	80.24	40.03		41.21	8.11	7.96	8.21	8.43	8.50	1.00	#10
5	Takahito MURA	JPN	77.65	41.47		37.18	7.71	7.25	7.43	7.43	7.36	1.00	#9
6	Max AARON	USA	77.38	42.31		35.07	7.39	6.50	7.18	6.93	7.07	0.00	#4
7	Maxim KOVTUN	RUS	76.67	43.28		34.39	6.96	6.50	6.93	7.07	6.93	1.00	#3
8	Brian JOUBERT	FRA	76.55	38.37		38.18	7.82	7.11	7.86	7.57	7.82	0.00	#8
9	Kevin REYNOLDS	CAN	73.52	38.67		35.85	7.21	7.14	6.86	7.39	7.25	1.00	#7
10	Han YAN	CHN	64.54	33.15		33.39	6.93	6.68	6.25	6.89	6.64	2.00	#5
11	Yi WANG	CHN	58.30	28.77		29.53	6.18	5.50	6.00	5.96	5.89	0.00	#1
12	Romain PONSART	FRA	57.39	28.39		29.00	5.93	5.43	5.82	5.93	5.89	0.00	#2

World Championships Men's Preview

For the past several years Patrick Chan has dominated the men's field and entered Worlds as the heavy favorite.  After parting with his coach Christy Krall last season, he's struggled and has failed to win several events this season as the rest of the field has caught up to him.  To medal at this event, the skaters will need to combine multiple quads with clean programs and artistic expression.  Most of the top men have three or four quads planned in the competition along with triple axels and missing one of these elements or not attempting them could leave them off the podium.

Chan is going for the three-peat and has home field advantage.  However, this comes with additional pressure and he did lose to Fernandez in Canada already this season.  He dropped to bronze at the Grand Prix Final as well.  He defended his Canadian title and declined to compete at Four Continents so he hasn't competed internationally since December.  He has some of the best performance qualities in the world and his edge quality and choreography is top of the field.  However, his jumps have escaped him this season as he no longer has a technical coach.  He has a quad planned in his short program in combination along with two quads in his free skate.  

Yuzuru Hanyu holds the world record for a short program and this young phenom is looking to improve on his bronze medal performance from last season.  He hasn't necessarily struggled with his free skate but hasn't been able to skate completely clean and hold on to his short program lead.  He won the silver medal at Four Continents despite putting up one of his lowest scores of the season.  He also won the silver medal at the Grand Prix Final.  He also has a great style and feel for his music and has a quad in his short program as well as two in his free skate.

Javier Fernandez won his first European title in January and has impressed with his three quad free skate this season.  In fact, his best free skate score is 9 points higher than the next skater.  He's also received acclaim for his performance and choreography in his Charlie Chaplin program.  He's had errors in his short programs this season that have left him making up ground in his free skate and in this field, he can't afford to be playing catch up.  He trains with Hanyu in Canada and they seem to be pushing each other to have their best seasons.

Daisuke Takahashi has long been known for his artistry and can drive a crowd wild with his step sequences full of fluid edges and interesting movement.  He's been adding the quads to his programs but they are not always as clean as the other top men and it's still a bit of a risk element for him.  He won his first Grand Prix Final title this season but lost his national title to Hanyu.  He also dropped to a disappointing 7th at Four Continents, his worst international result since the 2006 Olympics where he finished 8th.

Max Aaron won the US Junior title in 2011 and debuted as a senior in 2012.  He placed 8th and wasn't happy with his finish.  After working in the off season, he came back and claimed his first senior title this season.  He's never competed in a Grand Prix event and competed in his first major senior international at Four Continents where he finished 4th.  He has a backloaded free program with two triple axels in the bonus along with a triple + triple combination.  He also has two quads in his free skate.  He knows that program components are his weakness and has been working to improve his second mark.  He also doesn't have much international experience and will be competing early in the event which could also lower his second mark.

Florent Amodio won the silver medal at Europeans, the third year in a row he has stood on the European podium.  He has been including the quad in his programs but has struggled with his free program this season.  He's admitted that it is difficult for him to do the same program for a whole season and he gets bored.  His free program seems a little disjointed and has the characteristic Morozov stopping and posing which hurt his program components scores.  

Maxim Kovtun had a great junior season this year winning a gold medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final.  He was given a controversial trip to the European Championships where he finished 5th.  He needs a top 10 finish at Worlds to secure two spots for the men at Sochi next year and has a lot of pressure riding on his shoulders.  He has quads planned in his programs.

Brian Joubert has struggled over the last few seasons with injury and illness and can't seem to quite find the form that won him a World title.  He had a solid season last year finishing 4th at Worlds.  He placed 4th at Trophee Eric Bompard and withdrew from his second Grand Prix and French Nationals.  He placed 4th at Europeans and will be looking to improve from last year's finish if he can hold everything together.  He's long been known for the difficulty and consistency of his jumps but as the other skaters have mastered the jumps along with the spins, steps, transitions and choreography he's been left behind.

Ross Miner has been up and down this season, finishing 5th at Skate Canada but then hitting a quad in his free skate to capture the bronze medal at NHK Trophy.  After winning the bronze medal at Four Continents last year, he placed a disappointing 9th this season.  He was able to win the silver medal at nationals with two clean skates and earn a trip back to the World Championships where his prior international experience will give him a better draw then his teammate Aaron.  While neither US men are likely contenders for the podium, they'll be looking for the magic number of 13 to earn the US a 3rd spot in Sochi.

Michal Brezina has steadily been improving all season and claimed the bronze medal at Europeans.  He is not the most consistent skater but he might be flying under the radar enough that he can sneak on to the podium.  Last season he has a solid short program at Worlds that put him in medal contention but he couldn't handle the pressure and dropped to 6th place.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Javier Fernandez
Silver: Patrick Chan
Bronze: Yuzuru Hanyu

Viktor Pfeifer, AUT: He placed 22nd at Worlds last season.  He finished 8th at Europeans.  His personal best is 194.77.  He is 25 years old.

Pavel Ignatenko, BLR: He placed 13th at Europeans and 14th at Junior Worlds.  He finished 7th at JGP Turkey and 11th at JGP Croatia.  His personal best is 171.18.  He is 17 years old.

Jorik Hendrickx, BEL: His personal best is 204.63.  He is 20 years old.

Patrick Chan, CAN: He is the reigning World Champion.  He won silver at Skate Canada and gold at Rostelecom Cup to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he won bronze.  He is the 2011 World Champion, 2009 and 2010 World silver medalist, 2009 and 2012 Four Continents Champion and 2007 World Junior silver medalist.  His personal best is 280.98.  He is 22 years old.  He has the 4th best short program, 4th best free skate and 4th best total scores of the season.

Kevin Reynolds, CAN: He finished 12th at Worlds last season.  He is the reigning Four Continents Champion.  He placed 5th at Cup of China and 6th at NHK Trophy.  He is the 2010 Four Continents bronze medalist.  His personal best is 250.55.  He is 22 years old.  He has the 6th best total score.

Andrei Rogozine, CAN: He finished 10th at Four Continents.  He placed 9th at NHK Trophy.  He is the 2011 World Junior Champion.  His personal best is 201.99.  He is 20 years old.

Nan Song, CHN: He placed 14th at Worlds last season.  He finished 6th at Four Continents.   He placed 5th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  He is the 2010 World Junior silver medalist.  His personal best is 228.46.  He is 22 years old.

Michal Brezina, CZE: He placed 6th at Worlds last season.  He is the reigning European Bronze Medalist.  He placed 6th at Skate America and won bronze at Rostelecom Cup.  He is the 2009 World Junior Silver Medalist.  His personal best is 243.52.  He is 22 years old.  He has the 7th best free skate and 8th best total scores of the season.

Tomas Verner, CZE: He placed 16th at Worlds last season.  He finished 11th at Europeans.  He placed 8th at Skate America and 8th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  He is the 2008 European Champion, 2007 European Silver Medalist and 2011 European Bronze Medalist.  His personal best is 232.67.  He is 26 years old.

Justus Strid, DEN: He placed 30th at Worlds last season.  He finished 21st at Europeans.  His personal best is 160.08.  He is 25 years old.

Viktor Romanenkov, EST: He placed 17th at Europeans.  He finished 10th at JGP Austria and 9th at JGP Slovenia.  His personal best is 167.98.  He is 19 years old.

Florent Amodio, FRA: He placed 5th at Worlds last season.  He is the reigning European Silver Medalist.  He finished 4th at Skate Canada and won bronze at Trophee Eric Bompard.  He is the 2011 European Champion and 2012 European Bronze Medalist.  His personal best is 250.53.  He is 22 years old.  He has the 3rd best short program, 10th best free skate  and 7th best total scores of the season.  

Brian Joubert, FRA: He finished 4th at Worlds last season last season.  He placed 4th at Europeans.  He placed 4th at Trophee Eric Bompard.  He is the 2007 World Champion, 2006 and 2008 World Silver Medalist, 2009 and 2010 World Bronze Medalist; 2004, 2007 and 2009 European Champion; 2003, 2005 and 2011 European Silver Medalist; and 2002, 2006, 2008 and 2010 European Bronze Medalist.  His personal best is 244.58.  He is 28 years old.  He has the 8th best short program.

Peter Liebers, GER: He placed 20th at Worlds last season.  He finished 10th at Europeans.  His personal best is 205.59.  He is 24 years old.

Ronald Lam, HKG: His personal best is 157.87.  He is 22 years old.

Alexei Bychenko, ISR: He placed 29th at Worlds last season.  He finished 14th at Europeans.  His personal best is 171.12.  He is 25 years old.

Paolo Bacchini, ITA: He placed 24th at Europeans.  His personal best is 183.13.  He is 27 years old.

Paul Bonifacio Parkinson, ITA: He placed 29th at Europeans.  He is 22 years old.

Yuzuru Hanyu, JPN: He is the reigning World Bronze Medalist and Four Continents silver medalist.  He won silver at Skate America and gold at NHK Trophy to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he won silver.  He is the 2011 Four Continents Silver Medalist and 2010 World Junior Champion.  His personal best is 264.29.  He is 18 years old.  He has the best short program, 2nd best free skate and 3rd best total scores of the season.

Takahito Mura, JPN: He placed 8th at Four Continents.  He finished 8th at Skate Canada and won gold at Trophee Eric Bomopard.  His personal best is 230.68.  He is 22 years old.

Daisuke Takahashi, JPN: He is the reigning Worlds Silver Medalist.  He finished 7th at Four Continents.  He won silver at Cup of China and NHK Trophy to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he won gold.  He qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and won silver.  He is the 2010 Olympic Bronze Medalist, 2010 World Champion, 2007 World Silver Medalist, 2008 and 2011 Four Continents Champion, 2012 Four Continents Silver Medalist, 2005 Four Continents Bronze Medalist and 2002 World Junior Champion.  His personal best is 276.72.  He is 26 years old.  He has the 2nd best short program, 3rd best free skate and 2nd best total scores of the season.

Abzal Rakimgaliev, KAZ: He placed 15th at Four Continents.  His personal best is 185.81.  He is 20 years old.

Denis Ten, KAZ: He finished 7th at Worlds last season.  He placed 12th at Four Continents.  He placed 6th at Skate America and 9th at Rostelecom Cup.  His personal best is 229.70.  He is 19 years old.

Kim Lucine, MON: He placed 23rd at Worlds last season.  He finished 12th at Europeans.  His personal best is 181.37.  He is 24 years old.

Christopher Caluza, PHI: He placed 21st at Worlds last season.  He finished 14th at Four Continents.  His personal best is 186.79.  He is 22 years old.

Maciej Cieplucha, POL: He finished 25th at Worlds last season.  He finished 19th at Europeans.  His personal best is 167.29.  He is 24 years old.

Jin Seo Kim, KOR: He placed 19th at Four Continents.  He won bronze at JGP Austria and placed 4th at JGP Croatia.  His personal best is 176.43.  He is 16 years old.

Zoltan Kelemen, ROU: He placed 14th in the preliminary round at Worlds last season.  He finished 18th at Europeans.  His personal best is 178.02.  He is 26 years old.

Maxim Kovtun, RUS: He placed 5th at Europeans.  He won gold at JGP Croatia and JGP Germany to qualify for the JGPF where he won gold.  His personal best is 226.57.  He is 17 years old.

Javier Fernandez, ESP: He finished 9th at Worlds last season.  He is the reigning European Champion.    He won gold at Skate Canada and finished 4th at NHK Trophy to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he finished 4th.  His personal best is 274.87.  He is 21 years old.  He has the 5th best short program, best free skate and best total scores of the season.  

Alexander Majorov, SWE: He finished 26th at Worlds last season.  He placed 6th at Europeans.  He placed 10th at Skate America.  He is the 2011 World Junior Bronze Medalist.  His personal best is 211.88.  He is 21 years old.

Yakov Godorozha, UKR: He placed 15th at Europeans.  His personal best is 170.29.  He is 19 years old.

Max Aaron, USA: He placed 4th at Four Continents.  His personal best is 234.65.  He is 21 years old.  He has the 8th best free skate.

Ross Miner, USA: He placed 9th at Four Continents.  He placed 5th at Skate Canada and won bronze at NHK Trophy.  He is the 2012 Four Continents Bronze Medalist.  His personal best is 235.37.  He is 22 years old.  He has the 9th best free skate.

Misha Ge, UZB: He finished 19th at Worlds last season.  He finished 11th at Europeans.  His personal best is 201.71.  He is 21 years old.