NHK Trophy Pairs Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV	RUS	126.41	63.04		63.37	7.89	7.82	8.00	8.11	7.79	0.00	#7
2	Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH	CAN	115.49	56.56		59.93	7.68	7.39	7.43	7.64	7.32	1.00	#6
3	Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR	USA	112.66	55.33		58.33	7.07	7.21	7.21	7.50	7.46	1.00	#5
4	Alexa SCIMECA / Chris KNIERIM	USA	108.69	58.87		49.82	6.46	5.89	6.43	6.29	6.07	0.00	#3
5	Anastasia MARTIUSHEVA / Alexei ROGONOV	RUS	105.18	53.76		51.42	6.68	6.39	6.32	6.57	6.18	0.00	#4
6	Lindsay DAVIS / Mark LADWIG	USA	98.09	50.62		48.47	6.29	5.86	6.00	6.18	5.96	1.00	#2
7	Nicole DELLA MONICA / Matteo GUARISE	ITA	79.39	38.08		43.31	5.64	5.29	5.25	5.68	5.21	2.00	#1

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV	RUS	192.02	1	1
2	Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH	CAN	180.63	2	2
3	Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR	USA	174.51	3	3
4	Alexa SCIMECA / Chris KNIERIM	USA	163.10	5	4
5	Anastasia MARTIUSHEVA / Alexei ROGONOV	RUS	162.25	4	5
6	Lindsay DAVIS / Mark LADWIG	USA	143.70	6	6
7	Nicole DELLA MONICA / Matteo GUARISE	ITA	121.53	7	7

NHK Trophy Ladies Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Akiko SUZUKI	JPN	126.62	64.51		62.11	7.82	7.39	7.93	7.86	7.82	0.00	#5
2	Mao ASADA	JPN	117.32	52.78		64.54	8.21	7.89	7.96	8.14	8.14	0.00	#9
3	Mirai NAGASU	USA	115.50	56.36		59.14	7.57	7.07	7.46	7.50	7.36	0.00	#8
4	Zijun LI	CHN	114.49	59.35		55.14	6.96	6.61	7.00	7.00	6.89	0.00	#7
5	Agnes ZAWADZKI	USA	105.35	51.61		54.74	6.89	6.54	7.11	6.89	6.79	1.00	#3
6	Elene GEDEVANISHVILI	GEO	99.46	43.54		56.92	7.21	6.79	7.11	7.25	7.21	1.00	#4
7	Ksenia MAKAROVA	RUS	97.59	43.37		54.22	7.07	6.50	6.82	6.75	6.75	0.00	#6
8	Haruka IMAI	JPN	97.32	50.03		48.29	6.36	5.71	6.04	6.14	5.93	1.00	#1
9	Sofia BIRYUKOVA	RUS	89.81	44.97		46.84	6.21	5.64	5.75	5.96	5.71	2.00	#2

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	185.27	1	2
2	Akiko SUZUKI	JPN	185.22	5	1
3	Mirai NAGASU	USA	176.68	2	3
4	Zijun LI	CHN	174.11	3	4
5	Agnes ZAWADZKI	USA	160.37	7	5
6	Elene GEDEVANISHVILI	GEO	156.96	6	6
7	Ksenia MAKAROVA	RUS	156.52	4	7
8	Haruka IMAI	JPN	145.42	9	8
9	Sofia BIRYUKOVA	RUS	139.12	8	9

NHK Trophy Men's Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Yuzuru HANYU	JPN	165.71	88.93		78.78	8.07	7.64	7.82	7.93	7.93	2.00	#9
2	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	164.04	80.98		83.06	8.43	7.89	8.36	8.39	8.46	0.00	#8
3	Ross MINER	USA	161.96	86.74		75.22	7.71	7.11	7.79	7.39	7.61	0.00	#6
4	Richard DORNBUSH	USA	147.51	78.29		70.22	7.04	6.82	6.86	7.18	7.21	1.00	#4
5	Javier FERNANDEZ	ESP	146.55	73.27		75.28	7.71	7.32	7.21	7.86	7.54	2.00	#7
6	Kevin REYNOLDS	CAN	146.06	76.92		70.14	6.93	6.64	7.11	7.21	7.18	1.00	#5
7	Sergei VORONOV	RUS	144.85	78.85		66.00	7.11	6.07	6.86	6.46	6.50	0.00	#3
8	Adam RIPPON	USA	142.58	75.22		67.36	7.11	6.32	6.75	6.75	6.75	0.00	#2
9	Andrei ROGOZINE	CAN	114.69	55.47		59.22	6.25	5.64	5.89	6.04	5.79	0.00	#1

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Yuzuru HANYU	JPN	261.03	1	1
2	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	251.51	2	2
3	Ross MINER	USA	235.37	4	3
4	Javier FERNANDEZ	ESP	232.78	3	5
5	Richard DORNBUSH	USA	217.56	6	4
6	Kevin REYNOLDS	CAN	216.26	5	6
7	Sergei VORONOV	RUS	214.88	7	7
8	Adam RIPPON	USA	210.47	8	8
9	Andrei ROGOZINE	CAN	182.39	9	9
WD	Daisuke MURAKAMI	JPN

NHK Trophy Pairs Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV	RUS	65.61	34.67		30.94	7.75	7.54	7.93	7.75	7.71	0.00	#7
2	Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH	CAN	65.14	35.12		30.02	7.46	7.14	7.54	7.71	7.68	0.00	#6
3	Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR	USA	61.85	33.64		28.21	6.86	6.86	7.25	7.07	7.21	0.00	#5
4	Anastasia MARTIUSHEVA / Alexei ROGONOV	RUS	57.07	31.07		26.00	6.75	6.21	6.61	6.68	6.25	0.00	#3
5	Alexa SCIMECA / Chris KNIERIM	USA	54.41	30.77		23.64	6.11	5.50	6.11	5.96	5.86	0.00	#1
6	Lindsay DAVIS / Mark LADWIG	USA	45.61	22.44		23.17	6.04	5.57	5.71	5.89	5.75	0.00	#2
7	Nicole DELLA MONICA / Matteo GUARISE	ITA	42.14	20.21		22.93	5.96	5.68	5.46	5.93	5.64	1.00	#4

NHK Trophy Ladies Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	67.95	35.70		32.25	8.04	7.68	8.18	8.14	8.29	0.00	#8
2	Mirai NAGASU	USA	61.18	32.36		28.82	7.32	6.89	7.39	7.18	7.25	0.00	#6
3	Zijun LI	CHN	59.62	32.92		26.70	6.64	6.43	6.89	6.71	6.71	0.00	#2
4	Ksenia MAKAROVA	RUS	58.93	29.85		29.08	7.07	7.00	7.46	7.39	7.43	0.00	#5
5	Akiko SUZUKI	JPN	58.60	28.26		30.34	7.71	7.43	7.57	7.64	7.57	0.00	#9
6	Elene GEDEVANISHVILI	GEO	57.50	28.39		29.11	7.32	7.00	7.39	7.29	7.39	0.00	#7
7	Agnes ZAWADZKI	USA	55.02	27.73		27.29	6.82	6.57	6.96	6.86	6.89	0.00	#4
8	Sofia BIRYUKOVA	RUS	49.31	25.16		24.15	6.29	5.79	6.07	6.11	5.93	0.00	#1
9	Haruka IMAI	JPN	48.10	24.86		24.24	6.36	5.79	6.00	6.11	6.04	1.00	#3

NHK Trophy Men's Short Prigram Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Yuzuru HANYU	JPN	95.32	53.03		42.29	8.46	8.07	8.79	8.36	8.61	0.00	#9
2	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	87.47	45.07		42.40	8.57	8.11	8.57	8.36	8.79	0.00	#10
3	Javier FERNANDEZ	ESP	86.23	46.80		39.43	7.89	7.64	7.79	8.04	8.07	0.00	#8
4	Ross MINER	USA	72.40	37.79		34.61	7.00	6.50	7.11	6.86	7.14	0.00	#7
5	Kevin REYNOLDS	CAN	70.20	37.06		34.14	6.82	6.61	6.79	6.96	6.96	1.00	#4
6	Richard DORNBUSH	USA	70.05	36.95		34.10	6.82	6.79	6.71	6.89	6.89	1.00	#5
7	Sergei VORONOV	RUS	70.03	36.17		33.86	6.82	6.43	6.79	6.96	6.86	0.00	#1
8	Adam RIPPON	USA	67.89	31.96		35.93	7.32	6.86	7.07	7.29	7.39	0.00	#6
9	Andrei ROGOZINE	CAN	67.70	36.64		32.06	6.46	6.21	6.39	6.50	6.50	1.00	#2
WD	Daisuke MURAKAMI	JPN											#3

NHK Trophy Short Dance Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Ded. -	StN.
1	Meryl DAVIS / Charlie WHITE	USA	69.86	33.50		37.36	9.25	9.11	9.39	9.39	9.50	1.00	#8
2	Maia SHIBUTANI / Alex SHIBUTANI	USA	60.84	29.36		31.48	7.89	7.64	7.96	8.04	7.82	0.00	#7
3	Elena ILINYKH / Nikita KATSALAPOV	RUS	59.96	28.43		33.53	8.43	8.14	8.43	8.50	8.39	2.00	#6
4	Nicole ORFORD / Thomas WILLIAMS	CAN	49.76	25.72		24.04	6.04	5.86	6.07	6.07	6.00	0.00	#2
5	Cathy REED / Chris REED	JPN	48.33	23.65		24.68	6.07	6.04	6.36	6.29	6.11	0.00	#1
6	Penny COOMES / Nicholas BUCKLAND	GBR	46.72	21.07		26.65	6.61	6.43	6.71	6.68	6.82	1.00	#5
7	Xintong HUANG / Xun ZHENG	CHN	45.99	21.58		24.41	6.21	5.89	6.25	6.18	6.00	0.00	#4
8	Xiaoyang YU / Chen WANG	CHN	40.92	19.42		21.50	5.32	5.29	5.50	5.46	5.32	0.00	#3

NHK Trophy Dance Preview

Virtue/Moir, Pechalat/Bourzat, Bobrova/Soloviev and Cappellini/Lanotte have all earned their spots in the Final in Sochi.  Weaver/Poje and Riazanova/Tkachenko sit on the bubble awaiting the outcome of this event.

Davis and White haven't competed since the first event of the season but they've worked with SYTYCD alum Alex Wong to fine tune their programs.  They currently hold all the top scores for the season and will want to improve to stay ahead of Virtue and Moir.  They can guarantee a spot in the Final with a bronze medal or better while a 4th or 5th place finish can also qualify them depending on how others do at this event.

Ilinykh and Katsalapov put up a good score at Rostelecom Cup to claim the silver medal.  They can claim their spot in the Final with a silver medal or better while a bronze medal could put them in as well.

The Shibutanis struggled at Cup of Russia with negative reviews regarding their short dance and an injury forcing them to stop their free dance part way through and restart.  They haven't had much time between events but if they're fully recovered they could challenge Ilinykh and Katsalapov.  They need a gold or silver medal and some help to qualify for the Final.  It is likely to be very difficult, however as even if they won gold they would need Ilinykh and Katsalapov to finish bronze or worse.  If the Shibutanis win silver, they would need Ilinykh and Katsalapov to finish 4th or worse and with a lower total score.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Davis/White
Silver: Ilinykh/Katsalapov
Bronze: Shibutani/Shibutani

Bios of the competitors:
Orford/Williams, CAN: They placed 6th at Junior Worlds.  They finished 8th at Rostelecom Cup.  Their personal best is 134.61.  She is 20 and he is 19.

Huang/Zheng, CHN: They placed 12th at Worlds.  They placed 7th at Cup of China.  Their personal best is 130.27.  She is 25 and he is 25.

Yu/Wang, CHN: They placed 7th at Four Continents.  They finished 8th at Cup of China.  Their personal best is 115.59.  She is 26 and he is 26.

Coomes/Buckland, GBR: They placed 14th at Worlds and 6th at Europeans.  They placed 7th at Rostelecom Cup.  Their personal best is 145.31.  She is 23 and he is 23.

Reed/Reed, JPN: They placed 24th at Worlds.  They finished 7th at NHK Trophy last season.  Their personal best is 133.33.  She is 25 and he is 23.

Ilinykh/Katsalapov, RUS: They finished 5th at Worlds and are the reigning European Bronze Medalists.  They won silver at Rostelecom Cup.  They are the 2010 World Junior Champions.  Their personal best is 161.00.  She is 18 and he is 21.

Davis/White, USA: They are the reigning World Silver Medalists and Four Continents Silver Medalists.  They won gold at Skate America.  They qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and won gold.  They are the 2010 Olympic Silver Medalists, 2011 World Champions, 2010 World Silver Medalists, 2009 and 2011 Four Continents Champions, 2008 Four Continents Silver Medalists, and 2006 World Junior Bronze Medalists.  Their personal best is 188.55.  She is 25 and he is 24.

Shibutani/Shibutani, USA: They placed 8th at Worlds and 4th at Four Continents.  They finished 4th at Rostelecom Cup.  They qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and finished 5th.  They are the 2011 World Bronze Medalists, 2011 Four Continents Bronze Medalists and 2009 World Junior Silver Medalists.  Their personal best is 163.79.  She is 18 and he is 21.

NHK Trophy Pairs Preview

Pang/Tong, Volosozhar/Trankov, Kavaguti/Smirnov and Duhamel/Radford have all earned their tickets to Sochi while Denney/Coughlin and Berton/Hotarek await the outcome of this event.

Bazarova and Larionov started off their season with a silver medal at home at Rostelecom Cup.  They have struggled to put together two clean programs and land the side by side jumps but in this field they should be able to claim the top spot.  They need a 4th place finish or higher to qualify for the Final.

Moore-Towers and Moscovitch have approached the season with a new vigor, determined to reclaim their spot at the top Canadian pairs team.  They finished a disappointing 4th at Cup of China and will need a silver medal or better to qualify for the Final, which they should be able to do in this field.

Castelli/Shnapir and Martiusheva/Rogonov can qualify if they win the gold medal.  While this would be a tall order, Castelli and Shnapir have been gaining confidence all season and if they can sneak past Moore-Towers and Moscovitch for the silver medal, they can send their teammates Denney and Coughlin to the Final.

Scimeca and Knierim earned their spot at this event by winning Cup of Nice earlier this season.  They are still a relatively new team in their first season together but could be a spoiler at this event if they can clean up their free skate.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Bazarova/Larionov
Silver: Moore-Towers/Moscovitch
Bronze: Castelli/Shnapir

Bios of the competitors:
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN: They placed 4th at Cup of China.  Their personal best is 177.43.  She is 20 and he is 28.

Della Monica/Guarise, ITA: They placed 15th at Worlds.  They finished 7th at Rostelecom Cup.  Their personal best is 142.53.  She is 23 and he is 24.

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

Martiusheva/Rogonov, RUS: They placed 5th at Rostelecom Cup.  They are the 2009 World Junior Silver Medalists.  Their personal best is 151.10.  She is 17 and he is 24.

Castelli/Shnapir, USA: They placed 5th at Skate America.  They are the 2009 World Junior Bronze Medalists.  Their personal best is 164.19.  She is 22 and he is 25.

Davis/Ladwig, USA: They placed 7th at Skate Canada.  Their personal best is 122.26.  She is 20 and he is 32.

Scimeca/Knierim, USA: This is their Grand Prix debut.  She is 21 and he is 25.

NHK Trophy Men's Preview

Patrick Chan, Takahiko Kozuka and Tatsuki Machida have already earned their spots in the Grand Prix Final.  Five skaters are competing at this event for the three remaining spots in the Final.

Javier Fernandez stunned many by defeating Patrick Chan at home at Skate Canada to claim his first Grand Prix gold medal.  He is going for an ambitious program with three quads in his free skate including one in the bonus and he hit two of them at Skate Canada.  He also has the PCS skills to match and if he hits everything he'll be tough to beat here.  He needs a 4th place finish or higher to guarantee himself a spot in the Final.

He'll be facing off against his training mate Yuzuru Hanyu who won the short program at Skate America with a world record score.  The pressure proved to be too much for the young skater and he crumbled in the free skate but managed to hold on for a silver medal.  If he can handle the pressure in front of the home crowd, he could give Fernandez a run for his money.  He needs a bronze medal or better to qualify for the Final.

Daisuke Takahashi had a somewhat disappointing performance at Cup of China and was overtaken by his mostly unknown teammate Tatsuki Machida.  I didn't feel that his free skate really showed off his skating to his fullest potential and his quad is still a work in progress.  He'll need to show improvement if he wants to find himself on top of the podium at home.  He needs a bronze medal or better to qualify for the Final.

Sergei Voronov took home a bronze medal this season  from Cup of China but he doesn't have much outside of the jumps.  He'll need to hit everything if he wants to keep pace with the deep field here.  A silver medal will keep in the race depending on how everyone else places but a gold medal will guarantee him a trip to Sochi.

Adam Rippon finished behind Voronov at Cup of China and is still struggling with some of his jumps including his signature triple lutz as well as the triple axel.  He is still settling in with his new coach and will be looking for a medal here.  He needs a gold medal to qualify for the Final but that is likely going to be out of his reach unless the other skaters make mistakes.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Javier Fernandez
Silver: Yuzuru Hanyu
Bronze: Daisuke Takahashi

Bios of the competitors:

Kevin Reynolds, CAN: He finished 12th at Worlds and 8th at Four Continents.  He placed 5th at Cup of China.  He is the 2010 Four Continents bronze medalist.  His personal best is 221.31.  He is 22 years old.

Andrei Rogozine, CAN: He placed 7th at Skate Canada and 6th at Rostelecom Cup last season.  He is the 2011 World Junior Champion.  His personal best is 200.13.  He is 19 years old.

Yuzuru Hanyu, JPN: He is the reigning World Bronze Medalist.  He won silver at Skate America.  He qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and finished 4th.  He is the 2011 Four Continents Silver Medalist and 2010 World Junior Champion.  His personal best is 251.06.  He is 17 years old.

Daisuke Murakami, JPN: He placed 6th at Skate America last season.  His personal best is 203.00.  He is 21 years old.

Daisuke Takahashi, JPN: He is the reigning Worlds and Four Continents Silver Medalist.  He won silver at Cup of China.  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, 2005 Four Continents Bronze Medalist and 2002 World Junior Champion.  His personal best is 276.72.  He is 26 years old.

Sergei Voronov, RUS: He finished 17th at Worlds and 10th at Europeans.  He won bronze at Cup of China.  He is the 2006 World Junior Silver Medalist and 2007 World Junior Bronze Medalist.  His personal best is 220.39.  He is 25 years old.

Javier Fernandez, ESP: He finished 9th at Worlds and 6th at Europeans.  He won gold at Skate Canada.  He qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and won bronze.  His personal best is 253.94.  He is 21 years old.

Richard Dornbush, USA: He placed 6th at Rostelecom Cup.  His personal best is 222.42.  He is 21 years old.

Ross Miner, USA: He is the reigning Four Continents Bronze Medalist.  He placed 5th at Skate Canada.  His personal best is 223.23.  He is 21 years old.

Adam Rippon, USA: He finished 13th at Worlds and 4th at Four Continents.  He placed 4th at Cup of China.  He is the 2010 Four Continents Champion and 2008 and 2009 World Junior Champion.  His personal best is 233.04.  He is 22 years old.

NHK Trophy Ladies Preview

We're down to the final event of the season and several skaters are still in the running to earn a trip to the Grand Prix Final and a chance to preview the Olympic venue.  Ashley Wagner and Kiira Korpi have already punched their tickets while Julia Lipnitskaia, Elizaveta Tuktamisheva and Christina Gao await this weekends results to see if they will travel to Sochi.

Mao Asada already has a gold medal this season from Cup of China.  A 5th place finish would put her into a potential tie breaker but she can guarantee herself a spot in the Final with a 4th place finish or higher.  She shouldn't have any problem taking home a medal here and should find herself on the podium.

Akiko Suzuki needs a 4th place finish to tie herself with Christina Gao and Elizaveta Tuktamisheva while a bronze medal or better will guarantee her ticket to Sochi.  She earned a silver medal earlier this season at Cup of China and tends to improve as the season continues.  She's beat Asada before at home and will look to repeat that feat here.

Agnes Zawadzki earned her first career Grand Prix medal at Rostelecom Cup and can qualify for the Grand Prix Final with a silver medal or higher.  She's shown improved consistency this season but little mistakes in her free skate can cost her in this field, so she'll need to go clean if she hopes to challenge the top two Japanese ladies.  

Mirai Nagasu can qualify for the Final with a gold medal finish.  She has the ability to do it and has shown a more relaxed persona on the ice this season but under-rotation calls dropped her to 4th place at Cup of China.

Elene Gedevanishvili, Haruka Imai and Zijun Li can only qualify if they win a gold medal, but they still could face a potential tie breaker or fall just outside the top 6.  Of the three Gedevanishvili has the best chance if she can repeat her Skate Canada performance in the short program and skate a clean free skate.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Mao Asada
Silver: Akiko Suzuki
Bronze: Agnes Zawadzki

Bios of the competitors:
Zijun Li, CHN: She placed 5^th at the World Junior Championships.  She finished 5th at Cup of China.   Her personal best is 160.06.  She is 15 years old. 

Elene Gedevanishvilli, GEO: She finished 10th at Worlds and is the reigning European Bronze Medalist.  She placed 5th at Skate Canada.  She is the 2010 European Bronze Medalist.  Her personal best is 165.93.  She is 22 years old.

Mao Asada, JPN: She placed 6th at Worlds and is the reigning Four Continents Silver Medalist.   She won gold at Cup of China.  She qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season.  She is the 2010 Olympic Silver Medalist, 2008 and 2010 World Champion, 2007 World Silver Medalist, 2008 and 2010 Four Continents Champion, 2001 Four Continents Silver Medalist, 2009 Four Continents Bronze Medalist, 2005 World Junior Champion and 2006 World Junior Silver Medalist.  Her personal best is 205.50.  She is 22 years old.

Haruka Imai, JPN: She finished 9th at Four Continents.  She placed 5th at Skate America.  Her personal best is 157.72.  She is 19 years old.

Akiko Suzuki, JPN: She is the reigning World Bronze Medalist.   She won silver at Skate Canada.  She qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and won silver.  She is the 2010 Four Continents Silver Medalist.  Her personal best is 187.79.  She is 27 years old.

Sofia Biryukova, RUS: She finished 9th at Cup of China.  Her personal best is 166.07.  She is 18 years old.

Ksenia Makarova, RUS: She placed 9th at Worlds and 6th at Europeans.  She placed 6th at Skate Canada.  Her personal best is 171.91.  She is 19 years old.

Mirai Nagasu, USA: She finished 4th at Cup of China.  She is the 2011 Four Continents bronze medalist, 2007 World Junior silver medalist and 2008 World Junior bronze medalist.  Her personal best is 190.15.  She is 19 years old.

Agnes Zawadzki, USA: She placed 6th at Four Continents.  She won bronze at Rostelecom Cup.  She is the 2010 World Junior Silver Medalist and 2011 World Junior Bronze Medalist.  Her personal best is 166.61.  She is 18 years old.

NHK Trophy Men's Free Skate

Group 1

Tomas Verner, CZE:

• 
  

Armin Mahbanoozadeh, USA: TES + PCS =
Samuel Contesti, ITA: TES + PCS =
Ross Miner, USA:

• Opens with a nice big triple axel with a solid landing
• Triple axel + double toe--he has such great deep knees going into his jumps
• Step out and hand down on his triple lutz
• Great speed in his combination spin with a great scratch spin
• This is a very gentle step sequence and won't get the crowd going for him but it flows very well with the music
• Triple salchow + double toe + double toe very solid
• Triple lutz + double toe combo
• Triple loop was a little scratchy going in and he has to really fight for the landing
• Nice low sit positions with good speed 
• Double axel with an easy landing
• Triple flip
• I really love this choreographic step sequence and how free he is and there is a lot of passion and intention behind the steps
• Flying entry into the camel with a flying change to the sit position for his final spin
• Very solid program and a great free skate for Ross

Group 2

Tatsuki Machida, JPN: TES + PCS =

• Quad toe--landed very low and two footed
• Triple axel + triple toe--very nice landings and very solid
• Double loop--just popped open, not enough speed going into the jump and I'd like to see more choreography in between these jumps at the beginning of the program
• Nice one foot sequence with lots of turns but he could use more movement through his upper body
• Good sit spin position with decent speed
• Single axel--he had such great height in the air, it just looked like he didn't get his body pulled in for the rotation
• Triple lutz + double toe--good height and nice spring in the jumps
• Double flip--Low landing and has to muscle out the free leg
• This choreographic step sequence flows very nicely with the movement and has a lot of character but I'd like to see him perform it more
• This spin set needs more speed as its moving slower than the pace of the music
• Triple lutz--Very nice speed and height on the rotation
• Triple salchow--a little forward on the landing and it looked like he thought about adding a combination but decided against it
• Good speed and use of his arms in the final spin but finished after the music

Konstantin Menshov, RUS:

• Quad toe + double toe--so much speed on the rotation in the first jump but two footed and landed on the toe picks on the second jump
• Double lutz--really awkward position in the air, he can't get the rotation and he falls
• Quad toe--he almost lands sitting on the ice and just can't control the rotation
• Not sure how we got from race car driving to Clair de Lune
• Double axel--Very loose in the air on his rotation
• Not a lot of rotations in his sit spin which could affect his level
• Triple salchow--nicely landed
• A little slow on his camel spin and he needs more flexibility through the catch foot position and he's lost almost all the speed at the end of the sit spin
• I'd like to see more upper body movement, commitment to the choreography and clean edges in his step sequence
• Triple loop--well done
• Triple toe + double toe + double toe--very tight but he gets it done
• Double axel + single toe--just can't get off the ground in the second jump
• Interesting arm choice in the combination spin
• A lot of flailing in this choreographic step sequence but not a lot of variation and difficulty

Brandon Mroz, USA:

• Quad lutz--off in the air and he falls on his side
• Triple axel--forward on the landing and has to put a hand down
• Double axel--not really sure if it was supposed to be a triple because it looked like a nice clean double
• Triple flip--very nice landing
• On the slow side for his sit spin
• He has some nice difficulty through this step sequence and its put together well with the music but he doesn't really push through those edges to really get great ice coverage
• Single axel--just never got his body in for the rotation
• Not a lot of flexibility at all through the catchfoot position of his camel spin
• Triple lutz + single loop with a pause in between
• Single axel
• Single lutz--completely popped
• This music is picking up in intensity and his performance level and skating quality is not matching that feeling
• Good speed through this combination spin and decent positions
• I know it was a tough skate but he also gave up a lot of points by not really performing this program

Takahiko Kozuka, JPN:

• Already from the opening he looks much more comfortable with this program and is really committed to the program
• Quad toe--two footed and a little choppy on the landing
• Triple axel--Nice height and landing
• Triple lutz + double toe--a little off on the landing of the lutz but he hangs on for the combo
• Very nice camel spin position into a nice tight sit spin position
• Nice step sequence with a lot of movement, turns and changes of levels with beautiful arms to complement the movement
• Triple axel + double toe + double loop--forward on the axel with a big ice spray but he hangs on
• Nice low sit spin position into a nice twist variation
• Triple flip with a nice landing
• Double loop--looks like he caught his edge on the entry 
• Triple salchow--nice recovery
• Triple lutz + double toe--I think if he had more speed going into these jumps he could add more triple + triples to his repertoire
• Gorgeous choreographic step sequence that nicely complements the music and really plays to his qualities as a skater
• Nice broken leg camel spin into a low sit spin with a change of foot into another nice camel and ending with a scratch spin

Daisuke Takahashi, JPN:

• He is just so smooth and there is not a single note of his music wasted
• Quad flip--huge but two footed and he had to put his hands down to control the landing
• Triple axel--right in front of the judges, great height and fast rotation with a solid landing
• Triple salchow--very easy with a nice transition out of the jumps
• Great camel spin position but he loses a big of his centering in the twist variation and a lot of his speed in the change of foot
• Great step sequence that doesn't look like an element but just like he's skimming across the ice 
• Flying sit spin with a nice low position into a camel spin with some lost speed and a nice upright spin
• Triple axel + double toe very solid
• Triple flip + triple toe--a little stiff on the landing of the second jump and no ride out
• Triple loop nicely done
• Triple lutz + double toe--couldn't hold the landing of the second jump for long but it'll count
• Triple flip--choppy and a little wild on the landing
• And he really sells it to the camera on the choreographic step sequence and his edges are so smooth and clean
• Nice camel position into an upright twist 

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	169.32	80.04		90.28	8.96	8.79	9.00	9.14	9.25	1.00	#9
2	Takahiko KOZUKA	JPN	155.25	76.67		78.58	7.93	7.61	7.86	7.93	7.96	0.00	#8
3	Samuel CONTESTI	ITA	145.86	74.52		71.34	6.96	6.71	7.32	7.25	7.43	0.00	#3
4	Ross MINER	USA	141.24	74.22		67.02	6.86	6.36	6.82	6.68	6.79	0.00	#4
5	Tomas VERNER	CZE	133.67	63.89		71.78	7.25	6.93	7.18	7.21	7.32	2.00	#1
6	Tatsuki MACHIDA	JPN	123.19	54.57		68.62	6.93	6.64	6.96	6.96	6.82	0.00	#5
7	Armin MAHBANOOZADEH	USA	122.06	61.12		61.94	6.29	5.86	6.39	6.18	6.25	1.00	#2
8	Konstantin MENSHOV	RUS	121.21	58.57		64.64	6.61	6.14	6.43	6.46	6.68	2.00	#6
9	Brandon MROZ	USA	110.00	45.44		65.56	6.71	6.39	6.36	6.71	6.61	1.00	#7

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	259.75	1	1
2	Takahiko KOZUKA	JPN	235.02	2	2
3	Ross MINER	USA	212.36	6	4
4	Samuel CONTESTI	ITA	209.69	7	3
5	Tomas VERNER	CZE	196.63	9	5
6	Konstantin MENSHOV	RUS	195.88	4	8
7	Tatsuki MACHIDA	JPN	195.45	5	6
8	Armin MAHBANOOZADEH	USA	185.58	8	7
9	Brandon MROZ	USA	184.83	3	9

NHK Trophy Ladies Free Skate

The event begins at 5:00am EST.
The warmup group is on the ice.

Group 1 

Shoko Ishikawa, JPN: 34.14 TES + 42.93 PCS = 77.07 Total: 122.14

• Solid triple toe + triple toe combo
• Double lutz
• She needs to really straighten that leg in the first position of her spiral sequence
• A little two footed on the landing of the triple flip
• Good double axel
• She needs to stretch through her free leg in the sit position of her spin
• Good triple
• Nice triple loop
• Good donut position in the camel spin into a nice broken leg sit spin 
• A bit back on the landing of the triple salchow but she keeps the free leg up on the landing
• She's just going through the motions in this step sequence and I'd like to see her really commit to the choreography and put something behind her movements
• Not a great spiral position in her camel spin but the catch foot has a lot of flexibility

Cynthia Phaneuf, CAN: 38.71 TES + 48.69 PCS -1.00 = 86.40 Total: 131.82 and into 1st place

• Pops her opening lutz
• Triple toe + double toe
• Popped her loop
• Nice layback position into a haircutter and into a sit spin
• Double salchow with a step out
• Very nice arabesque spiral position
• Triple toe + double toe
• Triple loop
• Fall on the double axel
• Very nice stretched out position in her sit spin
• Nice use of the arms and upper body in this step sequence and good ice coverage
• Nice broken leg sit spin and good scratch spin into the ending pose

Mae Berenice Meite, FRA: 47.68 TES + 43.96 PCS = 91.64 Total: 143.69 and into 1st place

• I'm not crazy about this costume which is a bandeau bra with a cut out dress over it
• Double axel + triple toe was tight on the landing but she hangs on
• Hand down on the triple loop
• A little bobble on some transitional footwork
• Hand down on the triple lutz
• Good camel position into an awkward grab into the upright lift but a nice broken leg sit spin position
• Triple flip
• Good layback into a haircutter with a nice Biellman which maintains speed
• Double axel + double toe
• I'm not sure this is the right music for her as she seems to just be skating over it and she seems to be a more powerful skater and this music requires more finesse and subtlety
• Turn out of the triple loop
• Triple toe
• Not a lot of content in her step sequence and very basic use of her arms and upper body

Kiira Korpi, FIN: 46.23 TES + 57.60 PCS = 103.83 Total:157.63 and into 1st place

• She looks like she stepped right off the set of a 1920s movie
• Triple toe + double toe--a little forward on the landing of the first jump
• Triple salchow
• Double axel with an easy landing and nice choreography out of it
• Very low sit spin position with nice speed into a good twist variation
• Very nice spiral positions
• Double loop + double toe + double loop
• Double salchow + double toe with a scratchy landing
• Double loop
• Double axel
• Nice layback positions into a haircutter
• Good one foot section that covers half the ice and nice use of the music in this step sequence
• Beautiful camel spin into a nice sit position into a nice catch foot upright lift but she finishes just after the music

Agnes Zawadzki, USA: 36.53 TES + 49.82 PCS -2.00 = 84.35 Total: 138.19 and into 3rd place

• I love this dress on Agnes.  The color suits her perfectly and it's not as over the top as the costumes last year so it doesn't overwhelm her
• Double axel + double toe
• Triple flip
• Beautiful layback position into a haircutter and a nice stretched out Biellman that maintains speed
• Hands down and a turnout on the triple lutz
• Good spirals
• Double lutz + double toe
• Very cool sit spin with her foot up by her head and grabbed by the opposite arm
• Double salchow
• Fall on the triple toe
• Fall on the triple salchow
• This step sequence fits the music perfectly but I'd like to see her really perform it and let the crowd get behind her
• Nice sit into an overhead catch foot lift

Group 2

Ashley Wagner, USA: 54.45 TES + 55.32 PCS = 109.77 Total: 165.65 and into 1st place

• Triple flip + double toe + double toe w/ two arm overhead variation
• Double axel + double toe looking very solid so far
• Hangs on to that triple lutz
• Very pretty twisted sit spin position
• Nice spiral sequence
• Beautiful layback position into a nice haircutter and Biellman with good speed
• Triple loop + double toe
• Triple salchow
• Two footed the triple loop landing
• Nice triple right on the music
• Good one foot sequence into another one foot sequence 
• Good camel position into a nice broken leg sit spin

Elene Gedevanishvili, GEO: 47.74 TES + 56.33 PCS -1.00 = 103.07 Total: 160.44 and into 2nd place

• Hand down on the opening triple lutz but tacks on a double toe
• Triple flip
• Double axel + triple toe
• Triple salchow
• A little wild on the flying entry into the sit spin and it seems a little difficult to really get into the position and her speed in the spin suffers
• Double lutz
• Triple toe
• I wish she wouldn't hike her hip up in the spiral--she can get her leg high enough without it
• Double axel but not a very good ride out on the landing
• She loses some centering on her sit spin where she grabs with the opposite arm but lifts into a nice upright lift
• I would like to see her be a bit more playful in this step sequence to match the music
• She loses her balance and takes a big fall in the middle of her step sequence

Mao Asada, JPN: 61.20 TES + 64.57 PCS = 125.77 Total: 184.19 and into 1st place

• Easy double axel
• Triple flip + double loop
• Triple lutz
• Nice camel spin into a broken leg sit spin with a twist and a great upright spin with her leg held up and lots of speed
• Double axel + triple toe
• Triple flip + double loop + double loop
• Triple salchow and she is so on today!
• Beautiful positions in her sit spin
• I love the happy look on her face in this step sequence and the way she makes all these steps and turns look effortless
• Two footed on the landing of her triple loop
• Great donut position in her camel spin into a nice Biellman variation
• Beautiful spiral right at the very end of her program

Alena Leonova, RUS: 50.50 TES + 58.42 PCS = 108.92 Total: 170.68 and into 2nd place

• Triple toe + triple toe with fast rotation
• Two footed and turn out of the triple loop 
• Triple flip
• Fast camel spin with a nice position and maintained speed through the change of foot into the donut position
• Double lutz + double toe
• Triple salchow
• Triple flip + double toe
• Single axel--her position was open in the air but she lands it
• Good sit spin position
• I like the passion she's showing her in her step sequence--she's really going for it and pushing through the steps but it looks a little wild in a few spots
• The illusion spin in her final combination spin is not a good variation for her

Akiko Suzuki, JPN: 57.04 TES + 62.39 PCS = 119.43 Total: 185.98 and into 1st place

• Nice solid triple lutz to open the program
• Good double axel + triple toe--had to fight for that second landing a bit
• Triple loop
• Nice upright spin into a good broken leg sit spin--good speed throughout
• I like this broken camel variation on her into a catch foot position
• Nice arabesque spiral traveling backward
• Popped a triple loop + double toe + double loop
• Popped her triple lutz
• Very solid triple flip
• Triple salchow + double toe
• This is a really nice step sequence and really works with the music--she has so much power and gets across the ice so quickly
• Good speed in her final combination spin

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	125.77	61.20		64.57	8.11	7.75	8.07	8.21	8.21	0.00	#8
2	Akiko SUZUKI	JPN	119.43	57.04		62.39	8.07	7.50	7.71	7.75	7.96	0.00	#10
3	Ashley WAGNER	USA	109.77	54.45		55.32	7.04	6.61	7.04	7.00	6.89	0.00	#6
4	Alena LEONOVA	RUS	108.92	50.50		58.42	7.54	6.86	7.43	7.32	7.36	0.00	#9
5	Kiira KORPI	FIN	103.83	46.23		57.60	7.14	7.00	7.11	7.39	7.36	0.00	#4
6	Elene GEDEVANISHVILI	GEO	103.07	47.74		56.33	7.32	6.75	7.07	7.00	7.07	1.00	#7
7	Mae Berenice MEITE	FRA	91.64	47.68		43.96	5.68	5.18	5.54	5.54	5.54	0.00	#3
8	Cynthia PHANEUF	CAN	86.40	38.71		48.69	6.36	5.71	5.96	6.18	6.21	1.00	#2
9	Agnes ZAWADZKI	USA	84.35	36.53		49.82	6.50	6.04	6.14	6.25	6.21	2.00	#5
10	Shoko ISHIKAWA	JPN	77.07	34.14		42.93	5.61	5.18	5.29	5.54	5.21	0.00	#1

Pl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Akiko SUZUKI	JPN	185.98	1	2
2	Mao ASADA	JPN	184.19	3	1
3	Alena LEONOVA	RUS	170.68	2	4
4	Ashley WAGNER	USA	165.65	5	3
5	Elene GEDEVANISHVILI	GEO	160.44	4	6
6	Kiira KORPI	FIN	157.53	7	5
7	Mae Berenice MEITE	FRA	143.69	8	7
8	Agnes ZAWADZKI	USA	138.19	6	9
9	Cynthia PHANEUF	CAN	131.82	9	8
10	Shoko ISHIKAWA	JPN	122.14	10	10