- Pechalat/Bourzat, FRA: 48.85 TES + 51.64 PCS = 100.49
- Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS: 46.92 TES + 49.76 PCS = 95.68
- Kerr/Kerr, GBR: 45.87 TES + 48.75 PCS = 94.62
- Ilinykh/Katsalapov, RUS: 46.13 TES + 46.42 PCS = 92.55
- Faiella/Scali: 42.15 TES + 46.59 PCS = 88.74
- Riazanova/Tkachenko, RUS: 40.68 TES + 43.46 PCS = 84.14
- Zhiganshina/Gazsi, GER: 43.64 TES + 39.23 PCS = 82.87 Total: 140.69
- Hoffman/Zavozin, HUN: 40.21 TES + 42.09 PCS = 82.30
- Mysliveckova/Novak, CZE: 41.34 TES + 39.64 PCS = 80.98
- Carron/Jones, FRA: 39.81 TES + 38.37 PCS = 78.18
- Heekin-Canedy, UKR: 40.64 TES + 33.48 PCS = 74.12
- Frolenkova/Kasalo, UKR: 40.76 TES + 32.37 PCS = 73.13
- Tobias/Stagniunas, LTU: 39.14 TES + 34.22 PCS -1.00 = 72.36
- Coomes/Buckland, GBR: 39.26 TES + 33.43 PCS -1.00 = 71.69
- Hurtado/Diaz, ESP: 39.43 TES + 31.54 PCS = 70.97
- Elsener/Roost, SUI: 40.87 TES + 28.64 PCS = 69.51
- Reed/Japaridze, GEO: 35.94 TES + 31.93 PCS = 67.87
- Alessandrini/Vaturi, ITA: 36.29 TES + 32.37 PCS -1.00 = 67.66
- Testa/Mior, ITA: 35.46 TES + 31.66 PCS -2.00 = 65.12
- Frieling/Rumi, ISR: 30.93 TES + 27.01 PCS = 57.94
Showing posts with label scali. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scali. Show all posts
Friday, January 28, 2011
European Championships: Free Dance
Friday, January 21, 2011
Europeans: Ice Dance Preview
Pechalat and Bourzat are posed to make a big jump from 4th at Europeans last season to the top of the podium. They won gold at both their Grand Prix assignments and took silver at the Grand Prix Final. They have nearly an 8 point lead over the field in terms of scores for the season and their scores are the 2nd best out of all the competitors on the Grand Prix. This is their competition to lose, but this is one of the toughest and deepest fields at Europeans.
Bobrova and Soloviev have the 4th highest total score for the season. They won two Grand Prix medals, one gold, and finished 4th at the Grand Prix Final. If they can bring their short dance score up, they could make this an even tighter event, but they struggled in that segment at the Grand Prix Final. They finished 9th at Europeans next year and I predict they'll make a big jump in the standings.
The Kerrs have the 5th highest total score for the season but had to withdraw from their second Grand Prix and their nationals due to a shoulder injury. The injury was also plaguing them at their first event. If they're healthy, their scores should really come up here, especially in the free dance. They finished 5th here last season but do have one European medal already. They have announced that this will be their final season and they're going to be fighting for a spot on the podium at Europeans and Worlds.
Riazanova/Tkachenko have the 6th highest total score for the season and have a Grand Prix medal. They are another team with high short dance scores but lower free dance scores. With a good performance they could definitely contend for a medal but I see them finishing in the top 5.
Hoffman and Zavozin are one of three teams in this field that qualified for the Grand Prix Final. While I like their programs and their partnership, I think they capitalized on weaker fields at their events. They were a surprise 3rd at the Final after their short dance, but they had a rough free dance that dropped them into 6th place overall. While they have the 9th highest score of the season, their free dance does not make the top 10 list. I don't think they'll medal here, but they will definitely improve upon their 10th place finish last season.
Faiella and Scali won silver at Europeans last season but have had a rough time this year. At their first assignment they had problems with her skirt in both of their programs and only have the 10th best score of their season. In their second event, they were able to improve their short dance score but they still finished behind Bobrova and Soloviev and had to withdraw before the free dance. I think this team will definitely have an improvement in their scores, but it will be difficult for them to improve to a podium spot. I think they're looking at a top 5 placement.
Ilinykh/Katsalapov are the reigning world junior champions and won their first Grand Prix medal this season. Their free dance has the 9th best score of the season, but they need to improve their short dance to be competitive in this field. They should easily finish in the top 10, which is a respectable result for their first year as seniors.
Carron and Jones are another team that should land in the top 10. They finished just off the podium in their two Grand Prix assignments and finished 12th at Europeans last season.
Alessandrini/Vaturi are one of the teams to watch for after finishing 5th at Junior Worlds last season. The other teams in the top 5 have experienced good success this season at the junior and senior levels, so it will be interesting to see how this team holds up, especially as they did not receive Grand Prix assignments.
My podium predictions:
Gold: Pechalat/Bourzat
Silver: Kerr/Kerr
Bronze: Bobrova/Soloviev
My USFSA Fantasy Team:
A) Pechalat/Bourzat
B) Riazanova/Tkachenko
C) Testa/Mior
The teams:
Geil/Eisenbauer, AUT: They are the reigning national champions.
Valadzenkava/Vakunov, BLR: They finished 26th at Europeans and 29th at Junior Worlds.
Tremasova/Lichev, BUL: They finished 32nd at the World Junior Championships. They placed 13th and 16th at their two JGP assignments this season.
Mysliveckova/Novak, CZE: They finished 16th at Worlds. They finished 6th at NHK Trophy and 5th at Cup of Russia.
Good/Sorensen, DEN: They placed 24th at Worlds, 21st at Europeans and 17th at Junior Worlds.
Shtork/Rand, EST: They finished 23rd at the Olympics and 28th at Junior Worlds. They finished 8th and 6th at their two JGP assignments this season.
Lindholm/Kanervo, FIN: They are the reigning national champions.
Carron/Jones, FRA (D): They finished 12 at both Worlds and Europeans. They finished 5th at Skate Canada and 4th at Trophee Eric Bompard.
Pechalat/Bourzat, FRA (D): They placed 7th at the Olympics and 4th at both Worlds and Europeans. They won gold at Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won silver.
Reed/Japaridze, GEO: They finished 22nd at the Olympics, 21st at Worlds and 19th at Europeans.
Zhiganshina/Gazsi, GER: They are the reigning national champions.
Coomes/Buckland, GBR: Coomes and Buckland finished 20th at the Olympics and 16th at Europeans. They finished 8th at NHK Trophy and Skate America.
Kerr/Kerr, GBR (D): They finished 8th at the Olympics and 5th at Worlds and Europeans. They are the 2009 European Bronze medalists. They won silver at Skate Canada but withdrew from Cup of Russia due to injury.
Hoffman/Zavozin, HUN (D): Hoffman and Zavozin placed 13th at the Olympics and 10th at the World and European Championships. Zavozin used to compete for USA and won the World Junior title in 2005. They finished 4th in their Grand Prix debut at Cup of China, won silver at Cup of Russia, and placed 6th at the Grand Prix Final.
Nagy/Fejes, HUN: They are the reigning national silver medalists.
Frieling/Rumi, ISR (D):
Alessandrini/Vaturi, ITA (D): They finished 5th at the World Junior Championships.
Faiella/Scali, ITA (D): Faiella and Scali placed 5th at the Olympics and won bronze at the World Championships and silver at Europeans. They won bronze at Cup of China and withdrew from Cup of Russia.
Testa/Mior, ITA: They finished 22nd at Europeans.
Tobias/Stagniunas, LTU: This is their first season together.
Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS (D): They placed 15th at the Olympics, 8th at Worlds and 9th at Europeans. They are the 2007 World Junior Champions. They won silver at Cup of China and gold at Cup of Russia to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 4th.
Ilinykh/Katsalapov, RUS (D): They are the reigning World Junior champions. They placed 4th at NHK Trophy and won bronze at Cup of Russia.
Riazanova/Tkachenko, RUS (D): They finished 5th at Skate America and won silver at Trophee Eric Bompard.
Visnova/Csolley, SVK: They finished 20th at Europeans and 19th at World Juniors. They placed 10th and 7th at their two JGP assignments this season.
Hurtado/Diaz, ESP: They finished 16th at Junior Worlds. They placed 10th and 5th at their two JGP assignments this season.
Elsener/Roost, SUI: They finished 25th at Europeans and 27th at the World Junior Championships. They finished 7th and 13th at their two JGP assignments.
Frolenkova/Kasalo, UKR (D): They are the reigning national silver medalists.
Heekin-Canedy/Shakalov, UKR (D): They are the reigning national champions.
Bobrova and Soloviev have the 4th highest total score for the season. They won two Grand Prix medals, one gold, and finished 4th at the Grand Prix Final. If they can bring their short dance score up, they could make this an even tighter event, but they struggled in that segment at the Grand Prix Final. They finished 9th at Europeans next year and I predict they'll make a big jump in the standings.
The Kerrs have the 5th highest total score for the season but had to withdraw from their second Grand Prix and their nationals due to a shoulder injury. The injury was also plaguing them at their first event. If they're healthy, their scores should really come up here, especially in the free dance. They finished 5th here last season but do have one European medal already. They have announced that this will be their final season and they're going to be fighting for a spot on the podium at Europeans and Worlds.
Riazanova/Tkachenko have the 6th highest total score for the season and have a Grand Prix medal. They are another team with high short dance scores but lower free dance scores. With a good performance they could definitely contend for a medal but I see them finishing in the top 5.
Hoffman and Zavozin are one of three teams in this field that qualified for the Grand Prix Final. While I like their programs and their partnership, I think they capitalized on weaker fields at their events. They were a surprise 3rd at the Final after their short dance, but they had a rough free dance that dropped them into 6th place overall. While they have the 9th highest score of the season, their free dance does not make the top 10 list. I don't think they'll medal here, but they will definitely improve upon their 10th place finish last season.
Faiella and Scali won silver at Europeans last season but have had a rough time this year. At their first assignment they had problems with her skirt in both of their programs and only have the 10th best score of their season. In their second event, they were able to improve their short dance score but they still finished behind Bobrova and Soloviev and had to withdraw before the free dance. I think this team will definitely have an improvement in their scores, but it will be difficult for them to improve to a podium spot. I think they're looking at a top 5 placement.
Ilinykh/Katsalapov are the reigning world junior champions and won their first Grand Prix medal this season. Their free dance has the 9th best score of the season, but they need to improve their short dance to be competitive in this field. They should easily finish in the top 10, which is a respectable result for their first year as seniors.
Carron and Jones are another team that should land in the top 10. They finished just off the podium in their two Grand Prix assignments and finished 12th at Europeans last season.
Alessandrini/Vaturi are one of the teams to watch for after finishing 5th at Junior Worlds last season. The other teams in the top 5 have experienced good success this season at the junior and senior levels, so it will be interesting to see how this team holds up, especially as they did not receive Grand Prix assignments.
My podium predictions:
Gold: Pechalat/Bourzat
Silver: Kerr/Kerr
Bronze: Bobrova/Soloviev
My USFSA Fantasy Team:
A) Pechalat/Bourzat
B) Riazanova/Tkachenko
C) Testa/Mior
The teams:
Geil/Eisenbauer, AUT: They are the reigning national champions.
Valadzenkava/Vakunov, BLR: They finished 26th at Europeans and 29th at Junior Worlds.
Tremasova/Lichev, BUL: They finished 32nd at the World Junior Championships. They placed 13th and 16th at their two JGP assignments this season.
Mysliveckova/Novak, CZE: They finished 16th at Worlds. They finished 6th at NHK Trophy and 5th at Cup of Russia.
Good/Sorensen, DEN: They placed 24th at Worlds, 21st at Europeans and 17th at Junior Worlds.
Shtork/Rand, EST: They finished 23rd at the Olympics and 28th at Junior Worlds. They finished 8th and 6th at their two JGP assignments this season.
Lindholm/Kanervo, FIN: They are the reigning national champions.
Carron/Jones, FRA (D): They finished 12 at both Worlds and Europeans. They finished 5th at Skate Canada and 4th at Trophee Eric Bompard.
Pechalat/Bourzat, FRA (D): They placed 7th at the Olympics and 4th at both Worlds and Europeans. They won gold at Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won silver.
Reed/Japaridze, GEO: They finished 22nd at the Olympics, 21st at Worlds and 19th at Europeans.
Zhiganshina/Gazsi, GER: They are the reigning national champions.
Coomes/Buckland, GBR: Coomes and Buckland finished 20th at the Olympics and 16th at Europeans. They finished 8th at NHK Trophy and Skate America.
Kerr/Kerr, GBR (D): They finished 8th at the Olympics and 5th at Worlds and Europeans. They are the 2009 European Bronze medalists. They won silver at Skate Canada but withdrew from Cup of Russia due to injury.
Hoffman/Zavozin, HUN (D): Hoffman and Zavozin placed 13th at the Olympics and 10th at the World and European Championships. Zavozin used to compete for USA and won the World Junior title in 2005. They finished 4th in their Grand Prix debut at Cup of China, won silver at Cup of Russia, and placed 6th at the Grand Prix Final.
Nagy/Fejes, HUN: They are the reigning national silver medalists.
Frieling/Rumi, ISR (D):
Alessandrini/Vaturi, ITA (D): They finished 5th at the World Junior Championships.
Faiella/Scali, ITA (D): Faiella and Scali placed 5th at the Olympics and won bronze at the World Championships and silver at Europeans. They won bronze at Cup of China and withdrew from Cup of Russia.
Testa/Mior, ITA: They finished 22nd at Europeans.
Tobias/Stagniunas, LTU: This is their first season together.
Bobrova/Soloviev, RUS (D): They placed 15th at the Olympics, 8th at Worlds and 9th at Europeans. They are the 2007 World Junior Champions. They won silver at Cup of China and gold at Cup of Russia to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 4th.
Ilinykh/Katsalapov, RUS (D): They are the reigning World Junior champions. They placed 4th at NHK Trophy and won bronze at Cup of Russia.
Riazanova/Tkachenko, RUS (D): They finished 5th at Skate America and won silver at Trophee Eric Bompard.
Visnova/Csolley, SVK: They finished 20th at Europeans and 19th at World Juniors. They placed 10th and 7th at their two JGP assignments this season.
Hurtado/Diaz, ESP: They finished 16th at Junior Worlds. They placed 10th and 5th at their two JGP assignments this season.
Elsener/Roost, SUI: They finished 25th at Europeans and 27th at the World Junior Championships. They finished 7th and 13th at their two JGP assignments.
Frolenkova/Kasalo, UKR (D): They are the reigning national silver medalists.
Heekin-Canedy/Shakalov, UKR (D): They are the reigning national champions.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Rostelecom Cup Short Dance
Group 1
Alexandra Paul/Mitchell Islam- Nice use of traditional tango moves in this program
- Great arm variations in the twizzles, he does an extra rotation on the 2nd set, they do 3 sets for the extra points
- I like this program where the tango and waltz feel like one program
- Good positions and flow in Golden Waltz
- back walkover into split lift
- She falls on midline step sequence and can't get back into it
- Unfortunate error at the end but otherwise, nice program
- Not sure what all the deductions are for
Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov
- Fast, unison twizzles
- Nice position on Golden Waltz but it seems choppy
- aborted lift and they take a second to get back into the program
- He falls on a transiitonal move and they take a few seconds to get back into the program
- Nice step sequence
- They may have finished after the music
Lucie Mysliveckova/Matej Novak
- Nice Golden Waltz at the beginning of their program and she uses her arms really well
- They start their midline step sequence really far apart and it seems really slow and simple
- They get really close together on their twizzles and lose unison
- A nice rotational lift at the end of their program but it's relatively simple
- This is a nice team but they need to work on adding difficulty to their programs
Kristina Gorshkova/Vitali Butikov
- Twizzles were very difficult with only an edge change between each of the three sets and the unison was good
- they look very tall and I wish they'd use this to their advantage and really extend their movements
- Good rotational lift with her in a hair cutter position
- Great flow through the Golden Waltz and they hit nice positions
- There were a few tiny synchronization problems in their midline step sequence
Group 2
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev- I hate this music but it's different than what other teams are using
- She does an extra twizzle but otherwise they have good unison
- The step sequence had good unison and goes well with the music but it seems super slow
- I love the way she uses her head in the Golden Waltz and her subtle arm movmemtns
- Great death drop but it almost looks like she's falling
- Great position on the rotational lift but I don't like the big prep they take before getting into it
Nora Hoffman/Maxim Zavozin
- I LOVE her dress and it moves so well
- nice midline step sequence
- A little choppy on the Golden Waltz but they have nice posiitons
- Unison is off on the twizzles and he doesn't grab his blade on the 2nd set
- Great lift at the end of their program but the exit is rough
Madison Hubbell/Keiffer Hubbell
- Hair cutter rotational lift was good
- Nice flow in the Golden Waltz but she falls backward at one point--may not get a deduction because I'm not sure she hit the ice--and they jump right back into the program
- Most of their step sequence was on one foot which increases the difficulty
- Jump into their twizzles and he does one extra on the second set
Federica Faiella/Massimo Scali
- Her skirt material looks thinner than last time
- Nice twizzles with a slight synchronization problem on their 2nd set
- great flow and speed to their Golden Waltz
- she does an arch while standing on his foot for their lift with a slightly awkward entry into it
- Nice step sequence with a few spots with slightly different arms
Top 3:
1) Bobrova/Soloviev
2) Faiella/Scali
3) Hoffman/Zavozin
Top TES: Bobrova/Soloviev
Top PCS: Faiella/Scali
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Rostelecom Dance Preview
Faiella and Scali started their season with a disappointing 3rd place finish at Cup of China after troubles with her skirt in both of their programs. If they can get these issues sorted out, they should be able to pull off the gold medal here. Bobrova and Soloviev won their first career Grand Prix medal at Cup of China and if they can repeat their scores here they should easily be able to land on the podium again. Paul and Islam stole the show at Skate Canda with their captivating free dance and are already being called Virtue/Moir 2.0. If this young Canadian team can bring up their short dance scores, they should be able to land on the podium as well. Ilinykh/Katsalapov and Hoffman/Zavozin are also in the mix and could medal if they capitalize on errors made by other teams. The Hubbells had a disastrous showing at their first Grand Prix and have one of the lowest scores at this competition. They need a strong showing here to have a shot at the podium at U.S. Nationals.
My podium predictions are:
Gold: Faiella/Scali
Silver: Bobrova/Soloviev
Bronze: Paul/Islam
My USFSA Fantasy Team is:
A) Faiella/Scali
B) Paul/Islam
C) Hubbell/Hubbell
Alexandra Paul/Mitchell Islam, CAN: They are the reigning World Junior silver medalists. They finished 4th and 5th at their two Junior Grand Prix assignments last year. They finished 4th in their Grand Prix debut at Skate Canada earlier this season.
Lucie Mysliveckova/Matej Novak, CZE: They finished 16th at Worlds. They finished 7th and 9th at their two Grand Prix assignments last season. They finished 6th at NHK Trophy earlier this season.
Nora Hoffman, Maxim Zavozin, HUN: Hoffman and Zavozin placed 13th at the Olympics and 10th at the World and European Championships. Zavozin used to compete for USA and won the World Junior title in 2005. They finished 4th in their Grand Prix debut at Cup of China.
Frederica Faiella/Massimo Scali, ITA: Faiella and Scali placed 5th at the Olympics and won bronze at the World Championships and silver at Europeans. They won silver at their lone Grand Prix, Cup of China, last season. They won bronze at Cup of China earlier this season.
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev, RUS: They placed 15th at the Olympics, 8th at Worlds and 9th at Europeans. They are the 2007 World Junior Champions. They placed 4th at both of their Grand Prix assignments last season. They won silver at Cup of China earlier this season.
Kristina Gorshkova/Vitali Butikov, RUS: They are the 2008 World Junior bronze medalists. They finished 7th at both their Grand Prix assignments last season. They finished 6th at Skate Canada earlier this season.
Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov, RUS: They are the reigning World Junior champions. They won both of the Junior Grand Prix assignments last season to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they won the silver medal. They placed 4th at their Grand Prix debut at NHK Trophy.
Madison Hubbell/Keifer Hubbell, USA: They won bronze at Four Continents. They finished 8th and 6th at their two Grand Prix assignments last season. They finished 6th at Cup of China earlier this season.
My podium predictions are:
Gold: Faiella/Scali
Silver: Bobrova/Soloviev
Bronze: Paul/Islam
My USFSA Fantasy Team is:
A) Faiella/Scali
B) Paul/Islam
C) Hubbell/Hubbell
Alexandra Paul/Mitchell Islam, CAN: They are the reigning World Junior silver medalists. They finished 4th and 5th at their two Junior Grand Prix assignments last year. They finished 4th in their Grand Prix debut at Skate Canada earlier this season.
Lucie Mysliveckova/Matej Novak, CZE: They finished 16th at Worlds. They finished 7th and 9th at their two Grand Prix assignments last season. They finished 6th at NHK Trophy earlier this season.
Nora Hoffman, Maxim Zavozin, HUN: Hoffman and Zavozin placed 13th at the Olympics and 10th at the World and European Championships. Zavozin used to compete for USA and won the World Junior title in 2005. They finished 4th in their Grand Prix debut at Cup of China.
Frederica Faiella/Massimo Scali, ITA: Faiella and Scali placed 5th at the Olympics and won bronze at the World Championships and silver at Europeans. They won silver at their lone Grand Prix, Cup of China, last season. They won bronze at Cup of China earlier this season.
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev, RUS: They placed 15th at the Olympics, 8th at Worlds and 9th at Europeans. They are the 2007 World Junior Champions. They placed 4th at both of their Grand Prix assignments last season. They won silver at Cup of China earlier this season.
Kristina Gorshkova/Vitali Butikov, RUS: They are the 2008 World Junior bronze medalists. They finished 7th at both their Grand Prix assignments last season. They finished 6th at Skate Canada earlier this season.
Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov, RUS: They are the reigning World Junior champions. They won both of the Junior Grand Prix assignments last season to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final where they won the silver medal. They placed 4th at their Grand Prix debut at NHK Trophy.
Madison Hubbell/Keifer Hubbell, USA: They won bronze at Four Continents. They finished 8th and 6th at their two Grand Prix assignments last season. They finished 6th at Cup of China earlier this season.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Cup of China Final Results Thoughts
I haven't caught up on the Free Programs yet, but here are my thoughts based on the scores and placements. Based on pageviews, it seems like pairs is the discipline most people are interested in so I'll start with reviewing those performances later today.
Men: Kozuka won the free program and Mroz and Verner continue their comeback with 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the free skate. Contesti made up for his poor short program with a fourth place finish in the free. Joubert had a bit of a meltdown on his jumps, with poor landings and doubling several intended triples. Kozuka received the highest element score while Verner received the highest program components with his crowd pleasing Michael Jackson program.
For my podium predictions, I did not guess any of the medal positions accurately and only one of my three picks medaled. My fantasy picks finished 4, 5 and 10.
Complete results here: http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2010/SEG002.HTM
Ladies: Once again, Nagasu blew an opportunity and leaves another Grand Prix without a medal. She seems to do well in the free when she is coming from behind, but sitting in 1st place after the short seems to lead to messy free programs. Suzuki had a good showing to place second in the free. Miki Ando had a great free program and is just tenths of a point from having top scores for the season thus far. If she can bring up her short program scores she should be a real contender this year. The whole event seemed to be a mess with only three of the twelve skaters not receiving a deduction. Ando received the highest element marks and Suzuki received the highest program components.
For my podium predictions, I accurately predicted Miki Ando would win gold. Two of the skaters I picked for the podium medaled. My fantasy picks finished 1, 6 and 7.
Complete results here: http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2010/SEG004.HTM
Pairs: The top three teams all had errors at this event, but in a rare occurrence, the placements after the short program were exactly the same after the free. Sui and Han again made it a close contest with just 5 points separating them from the reigning world champions. They landed the throw quad salchow although she two footed the landing. Yankowskas and Coughlin had a good outing of their Ave Maria program to win their first Grand Prix medal. The Russians were unable to medal again after their Gold medal finish last weekend. Evora/Ladwig need to step up their programs if they want to return to the world championships as they are only the third best senior team this season on the Grand Prix. Sui and Han had the highest element scores while Pang and Tong had the highest program components.
For my podium predictions, I accurately picked Pang and Tong to win the gold medal. Two of my podium picks one medals here. My fantasy picks finished 4, 3 and 7.
Complete results here: http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2010/SEG006.HTM
Dance: Faiella and Scali again had a problem with a skirt here which resulted in a fall and two deductions and cost them the silver medal. Having the exact same costume problem in both their programs here is not a good sign and they need to be doing something different when they're training at home. Pechalat and Bourzat put out another strong program to win gold and the Russians received their first Grand Prix medal with a silver. The Hubbells seemed to have a better program in the free dance section but still only managed a 5th place finish. Pechelat/Bourzat received the highest element and program component scores.
For my podium predictions, I did not accurately predict any of the exact placements but all three of my predictions medaled. My fantasy team finished 3, 2 and 7.
Complete results here: http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2010/SEG008.HTM
Overall, I accurately predicted 2/12 skaters in their exact placements and 8/12 of the medal winners.
Men: Kozuka won the free program and Mroz and Verner continue their comeback with 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the free skate. Contesti made up for his poor short program with a fourth place finish in the free. Joubert had a bit of a meltdown on his jumps, with poor landings and doubling several intended triples. Kozuka received the highest element score while Verner received the highest program components with his crowd pleasing Michael Jackson program.
For my podium predictions, I did not guess any of the medal positions accurately and only one of my three picks medaled. My fantasy picks finished 4, 5 and 10.
Complete results here: http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2010/SEG002.HTM
Ladies: Once again, Nagasu blew an opportunity and leaves another Grand Prix without a medal. She seems to do well in the free when she is coming from behind, but sitting in 1st place after the short seems to lead to messy free programs. Suzuki had a good showing to place second in the free. Miki Ando had a great free program and is just tenths of a point from having top scores for the season thus far. If she can bring up her short program scores she should be a real contender this year. The whole event seemed to be a mess with only three of the twelve skaters not receiving a deduction. Ando received the highest element marks and Suzuki received the highest program components.
For my podium predictions, I accurately predicted Miki Ando would win gold. Two of the skaters I picked for the podium medaled. My fantasy picks finished 1, 6 and 7.
Complete results here: http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2010/SEG004.HTM
Pairs: The top three teams all had errors at this event, but in a rare occurrence, the placements after the short program were exactly the same after the free. Sui and Han again made it a close contest with just 5 points separating them from the reigning world champions. They landed the throw quad salchow although she two footed the landing. Yankowskas and Coughlin had a good outing of their Ave Maria program to win their first Grand Prix medal. The Russians were unable to medal again after their Gold medal finish last weekend. Evora/Ladwig need to step up their programs if they want to return to the world championships as they are only the third best senior team this season on the Grand Prix. Sui and Han had the highest element scores while Pang and Tong had the highest program components.
For my podium predictions, I accurately picked Pang and Tong to win the gold medal. Two of my podium picks one medals here. My fantasy picks finished 4, 3 and 7.
Complete results here: http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2010/SEG006.HTM
Dance: Faiella and Scali again had a problem with a skirt here which resulted in a fall and two deductions and cost them the silver medal. Having the exact same costume problem in both their programs here is not a good sign and they need to be doing something different when they're training at home. Pechalat and Bourzat put out another strong program to win gold and the Russians received their first Grand Prix medal with a silver. The Hubbells seemed to have a better program in the free dance section but still only managed a 5th place finish. Pechelat/Bourzat received the highest element and program component scores.
For my podium predictions, I did not accurately predict any of the exact placements but all three of my predictions medaled. My fantasy team finished 3, 2 and 7.
Complete results here: http://www.isuresults.com/results/gpchn2010/SEG008.HTM
Overall, I accurately predicted 2/12 skaters in their exact placements and 8/12 of the medal winners.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Cup of China Short Dance
1. Isabella Cannuscio/Ian Lorello, USA
- This is a great piece of music (Piano Man) and they really grab your attention from the beginning
- I think Isabella throws her head a little too much in some of the transitions
- Simple but elegant rotational lift at the top of the routine
- Nice jump into the twizzles for extra points and a difficult twizzle sequence without a step in between the twizzles
- Sometimes it looks like his arm positions are too high for her to grab
- Nice step sequence on the music change but their edges could be a little deeper
- Golden Waltz looked a little clunky and they didn't cleanly hit all the positions
- Her leg could be more parallel to the ice in the shoot the duck position
- The over the head lift into the rotational lift looked labored here but should be nice with a bit more practice
- The back walkover into the ending pose needed straight knees from her and made getting into the ending pose difficult
- Overall a good program from a young team. They have some nice elements but have room to improve.
- She drops her foot in the first set of twizzles so they may lose a level there
- She could use crisper positions and more extension through her legs in the Golden Waltz
- Pretty but simple rotational lift with a change of position
- I like where the footwork is placed musically but she leans forward too much during it and needs to work on her arm positions
- Nice lift where he swings her at different heights--something I haven't seen before
- Ending pose hit right on music
- She doesn't quite get her foot in between his on some of the turns in the Golden Waltz which is required
- Her arms look very placed and there isn't a lot of flow between movements
- She needs to keep her knee high through the whole attitude section
- Good speed through the Golden Waltz--there are places where they seem to float through it and it would be great if all the sections had that same quality
- Twizzles were solid and they did the third set for extra points on levels and grade of execution
- She needs more arch in her back on the rotational lift and I'd like to see her grab her foot
- The transition into the tango is still awkward and doesn't seem to go with the music
- Step sequence is together but feels a little slow and I really want them to attack it
- Last lift doesn't do much for me and she kind of flops back down on the ice
- I think they performed here much better than at NHK Trophy
- I love the color of her dress, how it looks and the way it moves when she skates
- Great speed and coverage of the ice in the midline step sequence
- I love the way she uses her arms but some of the holds in the Golden Waltz could be more effortless
- Nice shoot the duck and attitude positions from Nora
- Awkward transition into the glide with her in a split position but once that gets worked out this could be a lovely move
- Fast twizzles but he doesn't grab his blade in the second set
- Her legs are in a really awkward position in the rotational lift but the entrance into the lift was nice
- This program had a lot of nice elements and I can't wait to see it progress
- These costumes are heinous
- She needs to really extend her free leg throughout her footwork
- They really glide across the ice in the Golden Waltz, have great speed and nice coverage. The use of her arms is the finishing touch on a lovely section.
- Great shoot the duck and attitude positions for Kharis
- Nice rotational lift but she needs to arch her back more; beautiful change of position
- Hop into the twizzles with some interesting arm positions, but they lost speed in the second set
- Midline step sequence is lovely but seems to lose a little steam midway through
- Death spiral into a dance spin into the world's most awkward ending pose
- They start off with a bang and really grab your attention
- He almost falls out of his second set of twizzles but saves it
- The step sequence seems to slow considerably but shows off some great edges
- Great Golden Waltz sequence. The steps go well with the music but I don't really like their song choice. It's almost distracting
- LOVED the death drop. It was really breathtaking.
- The rotational lift is fine but it's distracting to have her dress up over her head like that
- Loved this program. Very impressed by a team I didn't know much about going into this competition.
- They received one deduction. Will have to wait for the protocol sheets to see what for--likely an extended lift
- I really didn't get the beginning.
- Performed three sets of twizzles but their unison was off.
- They are making some awkward arm movements in their step sequence that must go with the story of the program (which I still don't understand) but are distracting from the actual steps.
- She doesn't get her foot between his on the turns
- Lift is fine but very simple
- Backwalkover to overhead lift and then he drops her between his legs and puts her down which is exactly as awkward as it sounds. Also doesn't really look like a dance lift to me.
- I love that they enter the ice in character
- Maybe we shouldn't kiss her shoulder if we're brother and sister
- Nice rotational lift with her leg in scorpion position and free leg fully stretched
- Good edges and positions throughout the Golden Waltz--she could be clearer about attitude vs arabesque positions
- He goes down on the footwork and she trips over him. It takes them 5-10 seconds to get back into the choreography.
- Jump into the twizzles but he is significantly slower on the second set
- The fall plus the deduction (likely for an extended lift) really took the wind out of this team. Their routine is good but I'm not sure it's good enough to compete with the other top American teams
- What a horrid costume for her. Generally all white costumes past the knee do not work well with the white ice.
- Jump into the twizzles with great positioning and look effortless but he finishes before her on both sets
- Gorgeous Golden Waltz sequence
- He steps on her dress and can't get his skate unstuck
- Interesting lift but the entrance looked labored
- She's turning on the performance in the second half
- Awkward back walkover at the end of their program
- They are in performance mode the second their names are called
- Love the look up through her eyelashes she does on the first beat of the music
- Twizzles seemed clean and they did three sets
- It looked like she had a bobble on the midline step sequence
- Their Golden Waltz looks a little choppy and it seems as if they don't quite finish all their steps
- Nice lunge straight into the lift
- I'm not sure I understand why they have such a big lead over the Italians
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Cup of China Dance Preview
This is a fairly weak field in my favorite event. Nearly half of the teams are making their Grand Prix debut and the Chinese are not know for their ice dance skills and they have three spots here. None of the top ranked North American teams are competing as well. For the top of the podium it will be a battle between Pechelat/Bourzat and Faiella/Scali. I give the edge to the Italians as they really came into their own last season and ended on the podium at Worlds. With their higher ranked rinkmates retiring it will be interesting to see if they have the drive to continue to push themselves with no one to chase at practice sessions. The French have lovely programs but seem to always finish slightly behind the Italians. Bobrova/Soloviev have flown under the radar, continuously finishing just off the podium at their Grand Prixs. The Hubbells also need a medal here to keep them in the mix at home. They are the only top five senior US dance team that does not train with Zouva/Shpilband. As Samuelson and Bates will likely be out all season, there are two spots on the World team up for grabs for the younger teams (who have both already medaled this season on the Grand Prix) and the Hubbells want to contend for one of those spots.
My podium predictions:
Gold: Faiella/Scali
Silver: Pechelat/Bourzat
Bronze: Bobrova/Soloviev
Information on all the teams competing is below.
Kharis Ralph/Asher Hill, CAN: Ralph and Hill placed 6th at the Four Continents Championships. They won silver medals at both their Junior Grand Prix assignments last season and placed 4th at the Junior Grand Prix Final. This is their Grand Prix debut.
Xueting Guan/Meng Wang, CHN: They placed 9th at Four Continents. They placed 8th and 9th at their Junior Grand Prix assignments last season. This is their Grand Prix debut.
Xintong Huang/Xun Zheng, CHN: They placed 19th at the Olympics and 4th at Four Continents. They placed 7th and 5th at their two Grand Prix assignments last season.
Xiaoyang Yu/Chen Wang, CHN: They placed 18th at the World Championships and 8th at Four Continents. They placed 9th and 10th at their two Grand Prix assignments last season. They placed 9th at the NHK Trophy two weeks ago.
Nathalie Pechelat/Fabian Bourzat, FRA: They placed 7th at the Olympics and 4th at both Worlds and Europeans. They won silver last season at both their Grand Prix assigments in Paris and Canada and won bronze at the Grand Prix Final.
Nora Hoffman/Maxim Zavozin, HUN: Hoffman and Zavozin placed 13th at the Olympics and 10th at the World and European Championships. Zavozin used to compete for USA and won the World Junior title in 2005. This is their Grand Prix debut.
Frederica Faiella/Massimo Scali, ITA: Faiella and Scali placed 5th at the Olympics and won bronze at the World Championships and silver at Europeans. They won silver at their lone Grand Prix, Cup of China, last season.
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev, RUS: They placed 15th at the Olympics, 8th at Worlds and 9th at Europeans. They are the 2007 World Junior Champions. They placed 4th at both of their Grand Prix assignments last season.
Isabella Canuscio/Ian Lorello, USA: They won bronze at both of their Junior Grand Prix assignments last season and placed 6th in the Junior Grand Prix Final. This is their Grand Prix debut.
Madison Hubbell/Keifer Hubbell, USA: They won bronze at Four Continents. They finished 8th and 6th at their two Grand Prix assignments last season.
My podium predictions:
Gold: Faiella/Scali
Silver: Pechelat/Bourzat
Bronze: Bobrova/Soloviev
Information on all the teams competing is below.
Kharis Ralph/Asher Hill, CAN: Ralph and Hill placed 6th at the Four Continents Championships. They won silver medals at both their Junior Grand Prix assignments last season and placed 4th at the Junior Grand Prix Final. This is their Grand Prix debut.
Xueting Guan/Meng Wang, CHN: They placed 9th at Four Continents. They placed 8th and 9th at their Junior Grand Prix assignments last season. This is their Grand Prix debut.
Xintong Huang/Xun Zheng, CHN: They placed 19th at the Olympics and 4th at Four Continents. They placed 7th and 5th at their two Grand Prix assignments last season.
Xiaoyang Yu/Chen Wang, CHN: They placed 18th at the World Championships and 8th at Four Continents. They placed 9th and 10th at their two Grand Prix assignments last season. They placed 9th at the NHK Trophy two weeks ago.
Nathalie Pechelat/Fabian Bourzat, FRA: They placed 7th at the Olympics and 4th at both Worlds and Europeans. They won silver last season at both their Grand Prix assigments in Paris and Canada and won bronze at the Grand Prix Final.
Nora Hoffman/Maxim Zavozin, HUN: Hoffman and Zavozin placed 13th at the Olympics and 10th at the World and European Championships. Zavozin used to compete for USA and won the World Junior title in 2005. This is their Grand Prix debut.
Frederica Faiella/Massimo Scali, ITA: Faiella and Scali placed 5th at the Olympics and won bronze at the World Championships and silver at Europeans. They won silver at their lone Grand Prix, Cup of China, last season.
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev, RUS: They placed 15th at the Olympics, 8th at Worlds and 9th at Europeans. They are the 2007 World Junior Champions. They placed 4th at both of their Grand Prix assignments last season.
Isabella Canuscio/Ian Lorello, USA: They won bronze at both of their Junior Grand Prix assignments last season and placed 6th in the Junior Grand Prix Final. This is their Grand Prix debut.
Madison Hubbell/Keifer Hubbell, USA: They won bronze at Four Continents. They finished 8th and 6th at their two Grand Prix assignments last season.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)