Rostelecom Cup Pairs Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Maxim TRANKOV	RUS	132.79	62.74		72.05	9.14	8.96	8.71	9.18	9.04	2.00	#7
2	Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV	RUS	125.06	61.12		63.94	8.00	7.86	7.82	8.21	8.07	0.00	#6
3	Caydee DENNEY / John COUGHLIN	USA	120.19	61.28		58.91	7.25	7.07	7.43	7.64	7.43	0.00	#5
4	Paige LAWRENCE / Rudi SWIEGERS	CAN	102.30	51.26		53.04	6.79	6.43	6.50	6.82	6.61	2.00	#4
5	Anastasia MARTIUSHEVA / Alexei ROGONOV	RUS	99.25	50.46		50.79	6.57	6.46	6.04	6.64	6.04	2.00	#3
6	Tiffany VISE / Don BALDWIN	USA	97.24	50.22		48.02	6.04	5.86	6.00	6.25	5.86	1.00	#1
7	Nicole DELLA MONICA / Matteo GUARISE	ITA	92.28	47.44		45.84	5.86	5.54	5.68	6.00	5.57	1.00	#2

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Maxim TRANKOV	RUS	207.53	1	1
2	Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV	RUS	191.08	2	2
3	Caydee DENNEY / John COUGHLIN	USA	179.21	3	3
4	Paige LAWRENCE / Rudi SWIEGERS	CAN	154.16	4	4
5	Anastasia MARTIUSHEVA / Alexei ROGONOV	RUS	150.15	5	5
6	Tiffany VISE / Don BALDWIN	USA	143.15	7	6
7	Nicole DELLA MONICA / Matteo GUARISE	ITA	142.53	6	7

Rostelecom Cup Pairs Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Maxim TRANKOV	RUS	74.74	38.86		35.88	8.82	8.68	9.14	9.04	9.18	0.00	#7
2	Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV	RUS	66.02	34.72		31.30	7.89	7.46	7.89	8.00	7.89	0.00	#6
3	Caydee DENNEY / John COUGHLIN	USA	59.02	31.83		27.19	6.82	6.43	6.89	6.96	6.89	0.00	#4
4	Paige LAWRENCE / Rudi SWIEGERS	CAN	51.86	25.85		27.01	6.82	6.61	6.68	6.86	6.79	1.00	#5
5	Anastasia MARTIUSHEVA / Alexei ROGONOV	RUS	50.90	26.70		24.20	6.14	5.79	6.07	6.18	6.07	0.00	#1
6	Nicole DELLA MONICA / Matteo GUARISE	ITA	50.25	27.21		23.04	5.86	5.71	5.79	5.82	5.61	0.00	#2
7	Tiffany VISE / Don BALDWIN	USA	45.91	22.96		22.95	5.86	5.61	5.71	5.89	5.61	0.00	#3

Rostelecom Cup Pairs Preview

Volosozhar and Trankov started off their season with a win at Skate America.  Their programs seemed a little slow and lackluster but they admitted that they were struggling with the time change.  That shouldn't be a problem at this event since they'll be competing at home.  If their scores don't improve, there might be a bigger problem with injuries or their programs this season.  They need a medal of any color to qualify for the Final.

Bazarova and Larionov withdrew from Nebelhorn earlier this season due to injuries.  They have an elegant style on the ice and a classic Russian look in their lifts and lines but jumps are not their strong suit.  If they're healthy and they can land their jumps they should easily make the podium here.

Denney and Coughlin claimed their first Grand Prix medal, a bronze at Skate America.  Their technical elements are some of the best in the World but they have been working to bring up their PCS scores.  They showed improvement already this season but will have to continue the upward climb in order to compete with the best.  They need a gold medal to qualify for the Final and a silver medal to stay in the hunt.

Lawrence and Swiegers had a good start to their season with a medal at the U.S. Figure Skating classic and finishing just off the podium in 4th place at Skate Canada.  They have a nice style on the ice but lack some of the technical fire to compete with the big teams.  If one of the other teams falters, they'll be ready to step in and climb onto the podium.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Volosozhar/Trankov
Silver: Denney/Coughlin
Bronze: Bazarova/Larionov

Bios of the competitors:
Lawrence/Swiegers, CAN: They finished 7th at Four Continents.  They placed 4th at Skate Canada.  They are the 2011 Four Continents Bronze Medalists.  Their personal best is 171.73.  She is 22 and he is 25.

Della Monica/Guarise, ITA: They placed 15th at Worlds.  Their personal best is 137.31.  She is 23 and he is 24.

Bazarova/Larionov, RUS: They finished 6th at Worlds and are the reigning European Silver Medalists.  They placed 5th at Skate America and won silver at Trophee Eric Bompard last season.  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 are the 2009 World Junior Silver Medalists.  Their personal best is 151.10.  She is 17 and he is 24.

Volosozhar/Trankov, RUS: They are the reigning World Silver Medalists and European Champions.  They won gold at Skate America.  They qualified for for the Grand Prix Final last season and won silver.  They are the 2011 World Silver Medalists.  Their personal best is 212.08.  She is 26 and he is 29.

Denney/Coughlin, USA: They placed 8th at Worlds and are the reigning Four Continents Silver Medalists.  They won bronze at Skate America.  Their personal best is 185.42.  She is 19 and he is 26.

Vise/Baldwin, USA: They placed 6th at Skate Canada.  Their personal best is 155.42.  She is 26 and he is 34.

Skate Canada Pairs Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY	GER	129.10	61.59		67.51	8.50	8.36	8.43	8.54	8.36	0.00	#7
2	Meagan DUHAMEL / Eric RADFORD	CAN	126.00	64.00		62.00	7.68	7.57	7.82	7.86	7.82	0.00	#6
3	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	112.24	58.44		54.80	7.07	6.57	6.82	6.93	6.86	1.00	#5
4	Paige LAWRENCE / Rudi SWIEGERS	CAN	105.45	53.03		53.42	6.93	6.32	6.71	6.64	6.79	1.00	#4
5	Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT	FRA	100.94	54.60		48.34	6.43	5.71	6.14	6.07	5.86	2.00	#3
6	Tiffany VISE / Don BALDWIN	USA	94.74	48.16		47.58	6.14	5.71	6.14	6.00	5.75	1.00	#1
7	Lindsay DAVIS / Mark LADWIG	USA	75.21	31.50		43.71	5.93	5.36	5.14	5.64	5.25	0.00	#2

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY	GER	201.36	1	1
2	Meagan DUHAMEL / Eric RADFORD	CAN	190.49	2	2
3	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	172.03	3	3
4	Paige LAWRENCE / Rudi SWIEGERS	CAN	158.33	4	4
5	Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT	FRA	149.37	5	5
6	Tiffany VISE / Don BALDWIN	USA	141.21	7	6
7	Lindsay DAVIS / Mark LADWIG	USA	122.26	6	7

Skate Canada Pairs Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY	GER	72.26	38.63		33.63	8.50	8.21	8.68	8.36	8.29	0.00	#7
2	Meagan DUHAMEL / Eric RADFORD	CAN	64.49	35.35		29.14	7.36	7.18	7.25	7.39	7.25	0.00	#5
3	Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK	ITA	59.79	31.13		28.66	7.18	6.86	7.29	7.25	7.25	0.00	#6
4	Paige LAWRENCE / Rudi SWIEGERS	CAN	52.88	25.90		26.98	6.71	6.50	6.82	6.82	6.86	0.00	#4
5	Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT	FRA	48.43	25.53		23.90	6.14	5.79	5.89	6.14	5.93	1.00	#3
6	Lindsay DAVIS / Mark LADWIG	USA	47.05	23.68		23.37	6.04	5.61	5.89	5.93	5.75	0.00	#1
7	Tiffany VISE / Don BALDWIN	USA	46.47	24.41		23.06	5.93	5.54	5.86	5.79	5.71	1.00	#2

Skate Canada Pairs Preview

Savchenko and Szolkowy had another standout season last year winning gold at two of their three Grand Prix events, the Grand Prix Final and at Worlds.  They were able to narrowly hold off the Russians but there is no team in their radar here.  They should have an easy time collecting another gold medal and with this field they might even go for their throw triple axel since they can rack up big points in their free skate.

Duhamel and Radford finished 5th at Worlds but were considerably behind the Germans.  They have a nice style and are still a relatively new team.  They put a lot of the more difficult side by side jumps in their program which could win them big points but it could also cost them if they make mistakes.

Lawrence and Swiegers were not able to defend their Four Continents medal and did not make the Worlds team for Canada.  They have a lot of potential but some of their program choices last season did not seem to suit them and seemed too juniorish.  I think War Horse will be a much better vehicle for them and their scores at the U.S. Figure Skating Classic show them holding pace with their Canadian teammates and give them a shot at the podium here.

Vise and Baldwin won bronze at the U.S. Figure Skating Classic and seemed to have recovered from their disastrous performance at U.S. nationals.  Another dark horse team is Davis and Ladwig who finished 5th at the USFSC but they are a very new team and will continue to improve throughout the season as their partnership begins to gel.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Savchenko/Szolkowy
Silver: Duhamel/Radford
Bronze: Lawrence/Swiegers

Bios of the competitors:
Duhamel/Radford, CAN:  They placed 5th at Worlds and 4th at Four Continents.  They won bronze at Skate Canada and Trophee Eric Bompard last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they finished 5th.  Their personal best is 185.41.  She is 26 and he is 27.

Lawrence/Swiegers, CAN: They finished 7th at Four Continents.  They placed 8th at Skate Canada last season.  They are the 2011 Four Continents Bronze Medalists.  Their personal best is 171.73.  She is 22 and he is 25.

Berton/Hotarek, ITA: They finished 11th at Worlds and 4th at Europeans.  They placed 4th at NHK Trophy and won bronze at Rostelecom Cup last season.  Their personal best is 168.16.  She is 22 and he is 28.

Popova/Massot, FRA: They placed 8th at Europeans.  Their personal best is 139.98.  She is 19 and he is 23.

Savchenko/Szolkowy, GER: They are the reigning World Champions.  They won gold at Skate America, bronze at NHK Trophy and gold at Rostelecom Cup last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they won gold.  They are the 2010 Olympic Bronze Medalists; 2008, 2009 and 2011 World Champions; 2010 World Silver Medalists; 2007 World Bronze Medalists; 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 European Champions and 2006 and 2010 European Silver Medalists.  Their personal best is 217.85.  She is 28 and he is 33.

Kemp/King, GBR: They finished 19th at Worlds and 9th at Europeans.  Their personal best is 139.94.  She is 24 and he is 28.

Davis/Ladwig, USA: This is their Grand Prix debut.  She is 20 and he is 32.


Vise/Baldwin, USA: They placed 6th at Skate America last season.  Their personal best is 155.42.  She is 26 and he is 34.

US Figure Skating Classic Pairs Short Program Results

Place	Start No.	Name	Score
1	5	Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS Dylan MOSCOVITCH, CAN	63.34
2	1	Paige LAWRENCE Rudi SWIEGERS, CAN	54.43
3	4	Felicia ZHANG Nathan BARTHOLOMAY, USA	47.44
4	3	Lindsay DAVIS Mark LADWIG, USA	45.58
5	6	Tiffany VISE Don BALDWIN, USA	40.99
6	2	Danielle MONTALBANO Evgeni KRASNOPOLSKY, ISR	38.76

Indy Pairs Challenge Schedule and Competitors

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:   (Schedule may change due to number of entries)

Friday, August 3:

Senior SP

Junior SP

Saturday, August 4:

Senior FS

Junior FS

Senior

Andrews/Anderson
Baga/Toth
Castelli/Shnapir
Davis/Ladwig
Donlan/Speroff
Kayne/O'Shea
Vise/Baldwin
Zhang/Bartholomay

Bautista/Harris, PHI
Lawrence/Swiegers, CAN
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN
Purdy/Marinaro, CAN
Steele/Schultz, CAN

Junior

Belt/Johnson
De la Mora/Wilson
Fields/Pacini
Fujimoto/Barsi-Rhyne
Goldberg/Dolkiewicz
Oltmanns/Santillan
Pearce/Silecky
Shaughnessy/Morgan
Zaitsev/Stevens

Jones/Beharry, CAN

Canadian Nationals Pairs Results

Senior Pair

Rank	Competitor(s)	Section	SP	FP	Points
1	Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford	QC	60.92	129.19	190.11
2	Jessica Dube / Sebastien Wolfe	QC	60.65	110.95	171.60
3	Paige Lawrence / Rudi Swiegers	SK	58.55	110.29	168.84
4	Kirsten Moore-Towers / Dylan Moscovitch	WO	60.26	104.16	164.42
5	Taylor Steele / Rob Schultz	WO	46.88	97.45	144.33
6	Margaret Purdy / Michael Marinaro	WO	49.27	93.13	142.40
7	Brittany Jones / Kurtis Gaskell	WO	53.16	88.10	141.26
8	Natasha Purich / Raymond Schultz	AB/NT/NU	47.42	93.55	140.97
9	Julianne Séguin / Andrew Evans	QC	45.82	89.77	135.59
10	Noemie Arseneault / Simon-Pierre Côté	QC	44.03	88.61	132.64
11	Alexie Gélinas / David Struthers	QC	39.79	78.34	118.13
12	Andrea Tou / Matthew Penasse	CO	37.58	63.59	101.17

Skate Canada Pairs Preview

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

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

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

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

My podium predictions:

Gold: Volosozhar/Trankov

Silver: Sui/Han

Bronze: Iliushechkina/Maisuradze

Bios of the competitors:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nebelhorn Trophy Pairs Preview

Volosozhar and Trankov of Russia should easily win this event.  They won the silver medal at Worlds in their first season together.  Everything about them is elegant from their gorgeous lines to their classically Russian positions and they are a joy to watch.  They were only 6 points behind Savchenko and Szolkowy and I expect that gap to close.  I don't think they'll put up huge scores here, since it is still early in the season, but they'll likely have a nice lead over the rest of the field.

Bazarova and Larionov are another absolutely gorgeous Russian team.  Her lines are some of the best in the business.  Their jumps can be a little rocky and they've been criticized for a lack of connection between them in their programs.  They made a big jump last season, winning two Grand Prix medals, qualifying for the Grand Prix Final, and medaling at Europeans.  They also set new personal bests in most of their events.  This season will be critical for them to see if they can continue to grow and push into the upper ranks or if they stagnate and will be surpassed by other Russian teams.

Lawrence and Swiegers from Canada also had a breakout season last year, winning a Grand Prix and Four Continents medal.  They only have one Grand Prix assignment this season, so this event will be a great preparation run that will hopefully lead them to another medal on the GP.

Denney and Coughlin of the United States are the wildcard at this event.  They have done extremely well in their summer events and have only been together for a few months.  Their pair elements are huge and they are really working on their packaging.  They've set big goals for this season, but this will be their first chance to see what the international judges think about their pairing.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Volosozhar/Trankov
Silver: Bazarova/Larionov
Bronze: Denney/Coughlin

Bios of the competitors:

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

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

Hausch/Wende, GER: They finished 12th at Worlds and 6th at Europeans.  They placed 7th at NHK Trophy and won bronze at Trophee Eric Bompard last season.  Their personal best is 157.42.  She is 22 and he is 27.

Vartmann/Van Cleave, GER: She is 22 and he is 24.

Monalbano/Krasnopolski, ISR: They finished 20th at Worlds.  She is 22 and he is 22.

Bazarova/Larionov, RUS: They finished 5th at Worlds and are the reigning European bronze medalists.  They won silver at NHK Trophy and Trophee Eric Bompard last season.  They are the 2007 World Junior silver medalists.  Their personal best is 188.24.  She is 18 and he is 25.

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

Denney/Coughlin, USA: This is their first season together.  She is 18 and he is 25.

Vise/Baldwin, USA

Four Continents Championships: Pairs Free Skate

Group 1
1. Marley/Brubaker, USA: 51.35 TES + 47.51 PCS = 98.86 Total: 144.46

•  They are in 10th place after the short program
• This team has only been together for 6 months
• They open with a nice high twist but a little bit of a crash on the landing
• Nice triple toes + double toes sbs
• Nice position in her overhead lasso lift and good stretch through the change of a position and a nice toss exit
• Throw double salchow 
• She his very expressive through the spiral sequence
• Nice death spiral but slightly awkward exit
• She doubled their side by side salchows
• Very nicely landed throw 
• She could use more stretch through her top leg in this lift but they have a nice carry feature with his on one leg
• Decent unison on their side by side spins but some of their position variations are just slightly different from each other
• Nice final lift with a one handed exit
• Good positions in their pairs spin

2. Takahashi/Tran, JPN: 52.56 TES + 51.82 PCS -2.00 = 102.38 Total: 152.63 and into 1st place

• They are in 8th place after the Short Program
• Their costumes suit them nicely and the purple color is gorgeous on her
• She takes an awkward fall on their opening side by side triple salchows
• An effortless double twist with a good catch
• Very nice throw triple salchow with a nice landing by her
• They're off on these side by side spins
• A nice entry into the death spiral but she doesn't have a great position and her working leg gets really close underneath her instead of being extended
• She takes a fall on the double axel and she completes the sequence but he deletes the second jump
• Nice dance lift straight into their lift with good positions
• Throw triple nicely done
• Good position variations in their pairs spin but a loss of centering toward the end
• Nice air position in this second lift but a little awkward on the exit
• She has great extension through the spiral sequence
• She gets one leg higher than the other in her air position in the third spin and they should be even

3. Dong/Wu, CHN: 47.38 TES + 41.31 PCS = 88.69 Total: 135.10 and into 3rd place

• They are in 9th place after the short program
• He can't complete the second jump in their triple + double combination
• Clean on their second set of side by side triples
• Double twist with some nice height but not the execution you're used to seeing from Bin Yao's team
• You can hear him calling the side by side spins but they have good unison
• Nice entry to the overhead lift with a good carry feature and nice positions for her; I'd like to see a better position for her free leg on the exit
• Nice height on the throw triple loop with a good landing but not a lot of ice coverage
• They go right into their throw triple salchow with not as nice of a landing
• Her air position could be better in this lift with more flexibility through her back
• He checks his balance on the spiral sequence
• She takes a squat into the death spiral and she's almost flat on the ice
• I think they're really trying to mask her weak air positions with some of these variations in the lift
• Not a lot of speed on their pair spin

Group 2
Zhang/Wang, CHN: 45.63 TES + 42.69 PCS = 88.32 Total: 138.93 and into 3rd place

• They are in 7th place after the short program
• I really like their costumes; very pretty blue color and an interesting design
• Nice double twist but she might have been a little on his shoulder on the landing
• Nice triple toe + double toes
• She hung on to the landing of the triple salchow
• Some better air positions for her in the lift but I'd like to see a little more stretch
• Not a lot of choreography or transitions in this program
• They're hitting very different position variations in their side by side spin and are really off unison timing wise
• Looks like they might have had a bobble here on some footwork, seem a little lost
• They go into their lift but abort it and skate down the center of the ice
• Nice spiral positions
• Very nice throw triple loop with good height
• Good throw triple salchow
• A nice entry into the death spiral but she doesn't have a great position and her free leg is very high
•  Good stretch through the split position in this lift but she could use some more flexibility
• Good positions in the pair spin and nice flexibility from her but not a lot of speed at the end
• No performance at all in this program--I think if they had some better choreography and worked with their music more it would really help their scores

Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN: 58.93 TES + 53.88 PCS -1.00 = 11.81 Total: 166.22 and into 1st place

• They are in 5th place after the short program
• Not really any height on their triple twist and she's on his shoulder on the landing
• Good unison and execution on their double axel + double axel sequence
• Nice throw triple loop
• I'm glad to see she's pinned her bangs back today as she's had to shake them out of her face to see before during the program and it was distracting
• Nice position in the first lift with a good flip exit
• He looked off in the air on those sbs triples but landed the jump fine
• Nice position on the spiral sequence
• Sort of an awkward entry into the death spiral and she is completely flat--not crazy about this position
• Good position in the pair spins and I really like the way she uses her free arm and their effortless exit from the element
• A nice carry feature in this second lift and she has a great split; she almost goes into a handstand as he skates forward on one leg--great control 
• Fall on their second triple throw
• Not a lot of flexibility for her through some of the sbs spin positions and I'd like to see her really stretch through her free leg
• Nice entry into their final lift with him on his knee and coming to a stand

Evora/Ladwig, USA: 53.57 TES + 53.50 PCS -2.00 = 105.07 Total: 157.30 and into 2nd place

• They are in 6th place after the short program
• He said his boot has been fixed.  Praying it holds up through the free skate!
• Their twist looked pretty effortless but she didn't get a lot of height
• She falls on their opening side by side jumps and he turns out of his landing but keeps his free leg up
• Not a lot of height on their first throw triple and she's really forward on the landing
• They lost the unison in their side by side spins in the middle but were able to pick it back up
• Nice spiral sequence, but I'd like her arms to be more organic here and less placed
• She falls on the first double axel in the double axel sequence
• Good positions in the pairs spin and a nice exit
• Evora seems to be going through the motions a little bit in some of this choreography
• Great lift with him holding her on just the hip with one hand
• Good throw triple loop and less forward on the landing
• Nice backward entry into their final lift with a good carry feature but her position got a little awkward at the end and she could stretch through her legs a little more
• Not a great death spiral position and not a lot of speed through their rotations
• Nice final lift
• Just seemed to be an off day for them and didn't seem like they were really performing this program

Group 3
Pang/Tong, CHN: 61.23 TES + 66.81 PCS = 128.04 Total: 199.45 and into 1st place

• They are in 1st place after the short program
• I think he singled the second double axel in their sequence and she didn't have a great landing
• Nice side by side triples
• Nice entry into the overhead lift with a good position change
• A slight loss of unison in the middle of their side by side spins but they pick it up nicely
• Very nice use of her arms and upper body to accept the positions in their pair spin and a nice exit from the element
• Really nice height on their triple twist and a nice catch
• Great height on their throw triple salchow
• Really nice spiral position
• They have such great speed and ease of movement through this program
• Nice second lift with a good position for her
• Great throw triple loop--I wish more teams worked on the height and ice coverage of the throws because they're truly spectacular
• A decent death spiral position
• Nice carry with a one arm hold and him in a spread eagle position
• They seem to be performing their program much more here than they did at the Grand Prix Final and she looks like she might be wiping away a tear when they finish

Lawrence/Swiegers, CAN: 58.20 TES + 53.55 PCS = 111.75 Total: 171.73 and into 2nd place

• They are in 2nd place after the short program
• An interesting choreographical moment at the building with him supporting her in a run
• Nice triple twist but lacking the height of the Chinese team
• My feed froze up so I may have missed a few elements
• Throw triple loop was good but she was a little sideways on the landing and might have put a hand down
• She could work on her overhead lift position and they could have a smoother exit
• Straight into another lift and I would like it if they had a little more variation if they're going to put the lifts back to back
• Nice throw triple salchow
• Good extension through their spiral sequence
• Nice positions in their pair spin but they seemed to lose their centering before the change of foot

Duhamel/Radford, CAN: 66.55 TES + 55.32 PCS = 121.87 Total: 181.79 and into 2nd place

• They are in 3rd place after the short program
• Good height on their triple twist and a nice clean catch
• Triple + double + double combination with a one arm variation on their final jump
• An interesting entry into their first throw triple from a spiral position
• A really nice stretched out air position for her in the first lift and a nice spread eagle for him
• Nice unison on their side by side spins but a little slow
• Another skater with the high death spiral position and the high free leg
• Solid side by side triples
• Good flexibility through the spirals but it looks like she may have been wobbling on her edge a bit
• I'd like to see more flexibility through her back in the air in this second lift
• A little forward on the landing of the throw triple salchow but she hangs on to it
• Good speed through the final lift
• Nice speed in the pair spin and good position changes

Yankowskas/Coughlin, USA: 57.16 TES + 54.56 PCS = 111.72 Total: 166.97 and into 4th place

• They are in 4th place after the short program
• Opening sbs double axels were well done
• Nice height on the triple twist but there may have been a bobble on the catch with her free leg
• Nice throw triple loop
• Good Triple toe + double toe + double toe combination.  Nice to see the pairs doing the three jump combos
• Nice air position in the first lift and a nice one arm exit
• As far as the higher death spirals go, she has one of the nicer positions
• Good unison on their side by side spins but they could both use more stretch through their free leg in the sit spin position
• Nice spiral positions and great expression from both of them
• She singles their throw triple salchow and two foots the landing--something must have gone wrong on the takeoff
• Nice position in the second lift
• Nice entry into the final lift with him holding her by her hip and a nice stretched out position
• Good positions in their pair spin and I like the use of her arms here
• Too bad about the throw error, because this was a lovely program otherwise

Gold: Pang/Tong
Silver: Duhamel/Radford
Bronze: Lawrence/Swiegers

Four Continents Championships: Pairs Short Program

1. Pang/Tong, CHN: 29.29 TES + 33.12 PCS -1.00 = 71.41
2. Lawrence/Swiegers, CAN: 34.21 TES + 25.77 PCS = 59.98
3. Duhamel/Radford, CAN: 35.38 TES + 25.54 PCS -1.00 = 59.92
4. Yankowskas/Coughlin, USA: 29.02 TES + 26.23 PCS = 55.25
5. Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, CAN: 28.12 TES + 26.29 PCS = 54.41
6. Evora/Ladwig, USA: 28.14 TES + 25.09 PCS -1.00 = 52.23
7. Zhang/Wang, CHN: 28.93 TES + 21.68 PCS = 50.61
8. Takahashi/Tran, JPN: 26.77 TES + 25.48 PCS -2.00 = 50.25
9. Dong/Wu, CHN: 25.41 TES + 21.00 PCS = 46.41
10. Marley/Brubaker, USA: 23.60 TES + 22.00 PCS = 45.60

Four Continents Championships: Pairs Preview

This should be a pretty easy event for Pang and Tong to win.  I don't think they have any real competition as their season's best is almost 15 points above the rest of the field.  They seem to be lacking some of that spark that made them the darlings of the Olympics and led them to a World title.  Their main objective here will be to squeeze out all the points they can as other teams have been outperforming them, and as it stands now they'll be in a fight for the podium at Worlds.  If they want to walk in the favorites, they'll need to show the world what they can do.  They have the 3rd best short program, 4th best free skate and 3rd best total scores for the season.

Moore-Towers and Moscovitch have burst onto the scene this year, but seemed to struggle through the Grand Prix Final.  There were no major errors with their programs, but their scores didn't match up with what they had done earlier in the season.  They won Canadian nationals in a decisive fashion, suggesting they are back on their game.  They shouldn't have a problem making the podium at this event.  They have the 5th best short program, 7th best free skate and 7th best total score for the season.

Yankowskas and Coughlin pulled out a sassy, solid short program and an emotionally powerful free skate to claim their first national title.  Their scores improved throughout the season and they performed their programs at nationals better than I've seen them, and the judges rewarded them with high scores.  If they can carry this momentum into this event, they should land on the podium.  They have the 10th best short program and 9th best total score for the season.

Evora and Ladwig's weak spot this season was their short program and the debuted a new one at nationals that was well received and seemed to suit them better.  This will be a good chance to get international opinion on the program before worlds.  They have the 9th best free skate score this season. 

Denney and Barrett had a training accident and will be unable to attend.  They are being replaced by Mary Beth Marley and Rockne Brubaker who finished 4th at US Nationals after only being together for 5 months.  They won the Nesquik Cup earlier this year and this will be their first major international competition and a good test of their abilities and mental toughness.

The young Japanese team of Takahashi and Tran had a solid debut season with two medals on the Grand Prix Circuit.  They also won two medals on the JGP and won the JGP Final.  They'll be competing at Junior Worlds in just a few short weeks, so they're likely training a Junior program and a Senior program right now.  It will be interesting to see if they have enough energy and training to wind up on the podium here.  They have the 10th best free skate score of the season.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Pang/Tong
Silver: Moore-Towers/Moscovitch
Bronze: Yankowskas/Coughlin

My USFSA Fantasy Team:
A) Pang/Tong
B) Yankowskas/Coughlin
C) Zhang/Wang

Duhamel/Radford, CAN: They finished 5th at Skate Canada.

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

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

Dong/Wu, CHN: Dong and Wu placed 17th at the World Championships.  They won bronze at the 2008 World Junior Championships.  They placed 7th at Skate Canada and Cup of China. 

Pang/Tong, CHN: Pang and Tong won silver at the Olympics (with personal bests in the free skate and total score) and are the reigning World Champions (with a personal best short program).  They also won the World Championships in 2006.  They are three time Four Continents gold medalists and two time silver medalists.  They won gold at the NHK Trophy and Cup of China to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where they took the silver.

Zhang/Wang, CHN: They finished 6th at Four Continents and World Juniors last season.  They finished 8th at NHK Trophy.

Takahashi/Tran, JPN: They are the reigning Junior World silver medalists and placed 5th at Four Continents last season.  They won silver at J. Curry Memorial and Pokal der Blauen.  They won bronze at NHK Trophy and silver at Rostelecom Cup in their debut season on the Grand Prix.

Evora/Ladwig, USA: They placed 10th at the Olympics with personal best scores in the short and free programs and 9th at the World Championships.  They finished 5th at Cup of China and won bronze at Cup of Russia.

Marley/Brubaker, USA: They are currently ranked 4th nationally.  This is their first major international competition.

Yankowskas/Coughlin, USA: They placed 4th at the Four Continents Championships last season with personal best scores in the short and free skate. They finished 4th at NHK Trophy and won bronze at Cup of China with personal best scores across the board.

Canadian Nationals: Pairs Free Skate

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

Final Results

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

Canadian Nationals: Pairs Short Program

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