Donlan and Speroff are the highest ranked team returning to U.S. Nationals this season. They claimed the pewter medal at nationals this season and received acclaim for their Sleeping Beauty free skate. She has a balletic quality and a Russian pairs look to her skating that this team uses to their advantage but they have struggled with their side by side jumps. They have kept their free skate from last season but have struggled in their short program at their international events this season. They have not yet met the short program minimum for Worlds so if they are named to the team they will have to meet the minimum at Four Continents.
Castelli and Shnapir have never stood on a national podium and finished 5th the last two seasons. In the off season, they focused on their whole package and have traveled to Canada for their programs. They won a bronze medal at NHK Trophy this season and are entering nationals as the favorites. They have a throw triple axel and a throw quad salchow in their arsenal but will be going for clean programs here. The spotlight will be on them in a way they haven't experienced before but if they stay focused and hit their programs like they have all season, they should be able to not only land on the podium for the first time but claim the top spot.
Scimeca and Knierim are a brand new team that are experiencing quick success this season. They both competed at nationals last season with other partners and finished 10th and 7th respectively. After teaming up this summer, they found chemistry both on and off the ice and were able to win gold at Cup of Nice over reigning European Bronze Medalists Stolbova and Klimov. That win earned them a trip to NHK Trophy as a substitute where they finished 4th.
Zhang and Bartholomay had a great showing at nationals last season and despite skating a day before the top teams in the early groups they had a standout performance that was still being talked about the next day. She was injured at Sectionals so they skated through most of their elements but if she is healthy they have a good shot at challenging for the podium.
Also in the mix are veteran team Vise/Baldwin, new team Kayne/O'Shea and the new pairing of Davis/Ladwig. Reigning Junior Champions Denney and Frazier will also make their senior debut after competing as juniors internationally this fall.
My podium predictions:
Gold: Castelli/Shnapir
Silver: Scimeca/Knierim
Bronze: Donlan/Speroff
Pewter: Zhang/Bartholomay
Bios of the competitors:
Baga/Toth: She represents the Figure Skating Club of Bloomington and he represents the DuPage Figure Skating Club. They won bronze at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals. Nationally, they have the 3rd best short program, 4th best free skate and 4th best total scores.
Castelli/Shnapir: She is 22 and he is 25 and they represent the Skating Club of Boston. They placed 5th at Skate America and won bronze at NHK Trophy. They are the 2009 World Junior bronze medalists. They placed 9th in Novice in 2007, are the 2008 Novice bronze medalists, the 2009 Junior bronze medalists, placed 10th in Seniors in 2010, 5th in 2011 and 5th in 2012. Internationally, they have the 8th best short program, 10th best free skate and 9th best total scores.
Davis/Ladwig: He is 32 and represents the Red River Valley Figure Skating Club. They finished 7th at Skate Canada and 6th at NHK Trophy.
Denney/Frazier: She is 17 and he is 20. She represents the Broadmoor Skating Club and he represents the All Year Figure Skating Club. They placed 4th at JGP USA. They are the 2008 Intermediate Pairs bronze medalists and reigning Junior Champions.
Donlan/Speroff: She is 19 and he is 24 and they represent the Skating Club of Boston. They placed 6th at Skate America. They finished 8th in Juniors in 2010 and 8th as Seniors in 2011. They are the reigning pewter medalists.
Kayne/O'Shea: She represents the Southwest Florida Figure Skating Club and he represents the Skokie Valley Skating Club. They won gold at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals. Nationally, they have the 4th best short program, 2nd best free skate and 2nd best total scores.
Leng/LeDuc: She represents the DuPage Figure Skating Club. He is 22 and represents the Eastern Iowa Figure Skating Club. They won silver at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals. Nationally, they have the 2nd best short program, 3rd best free skate and 3rd best total scores.
Scimeca/Knierim: She is 21 and represents the DuPage Figure Skating Club. They placed 4th at NHK Trophy. He is 25 and represents the Broadmoor Skating Club. They won gold at Midwestern Sectionals to qualify for nationals. Nationally, they have the best short program, free skate and total scores.
Vise/Baldwin: She is 26 and represents the Broadmoor Skating Club. He is 35 and represents the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club. They finished 6th at Skate Canada and 6th at Rostelecom Cup. They placed 8th in 2011 and 9th in 2011.
Zhang/Bartholomay: She is 19 and represents the Skating Club of New York. He is 23. They finished 8th at nationals last season. They won silver at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals. Nationally, they have the 5th best short program, free skate and total scores.
Showing posts with label vise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vise. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Thursday, October 25, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
U.S. Nationals Senior Pairs Preview
Evora and Ladwig are the veterans of this event, having competed at nationals since 2003 and claiming four medals. They've never won gold and were runner up to two different teams over two seasons. While they finished just off the podium at both of their Grand Prix events this is looking like their year to finally claim the national title, especially if they can land their side by side jumps.
Denney and Coughlin teamed up at the end of last season and their partnership came together quickly. They finished 4th and 5th at their two Grand Prix events but seemed to slip a little in their second event. They have big throws and lifts as Denney is nearly a foot shorter than Coughlin but are still working on smoothing out the edges on some of their other elements and making their skating as seamless as possible.
Marley and Brubaker took home the pewter medal from nationals last season only months after starting their partnership. They made their Grand Prix debut this season and won bronze at Coupe de Nice, a senior B event. Marley was injured at the beginning of the season, causing them to withdraw from Nebelhorn Trophy, but since then they've improved between competitions as they had more training time behind them. One of their weakest elements is the twist but that has been showing improvement at each event. Marley has put her singles career on hold to focus on pairs this season.
Donlan and Speroff are a beautiful team to watch with great lines which leads to wonderful positions in their lifts. They play on this strength with a ballet themed free skate that showcases them perfectly. Their biggest weakness is their side by side jumps. If they can land them they could really make a run at the podium and put themselves in contention to be a top U.S. pair team.
Cain and Reagan made history when they became the first pair team to win Novice and Junior titles in consecutive seasons. They went on to finish 4th at Junior Worlds last season behind a trio of teams that already had Junior World titles and competed on the senior level. They debuted on the Grand Prix this season, finishing 6th. They had a nice outing on their short program but really struggled on their free skate. Cain is tall with long legs which lends to some nice positions in their lifts. She is also pulling double duty, competing in the junior ladies event at nationals.
Castelli/Shnapir, Vise/Baldwin and Poapst/Knierim are also in the mix.
My podium predictions:
Gold: Evora/Ladwig
Silver: Denney/Coughlin
Bronze: Marley/Brubaker
Pewter: Cain/Reagan
Bios of the competitors:
Kloe Chanel Bautista/Tyler Harris: She is 19 and represents the All Year Figure Skating Club. He is 23 and represents the Skating Club of Boston. They finished 10th in Juniors in 2011. They won bronze at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Denney and Coughlin teamed up at the end of last season and their partnership came together quickly. They finished 4th and 5th at their two Grand Prix events but seemed to slip a little in their second event. They have big throws and lifts as Denney is nearly a foot shorter than Coughlin but are still working on smoothing out the edges on some of their other elements and making their skating as seamless as possible.
Marley and Brubaker took home the pewter medal from nationals last season only months after starting their partnership. They made their Grand Prix debut this season and won bronze at Coupe de Nice, a senior B event. Marley was injured at the beginning of the season, causing them to withdraw from Nebelhorn Trophy, but since then they've improved between competitions as they had more training time behind them. One of their weakest elements is the twist but that has been showing improvement at each event. Marley has put her singles career on hold to focus on pairs this season.
Donlan and Speroff are a beautiful team to watch with great lines which leads to wonderful positions in their lifts. They play on this strength with a ballet themed free skate that showcases them perfectly. Their biggest weakness is their side by side jumps. If they can land them they could really make a run at the podium and put themselves in contention to be a top U.S. pair team.
Cain and Reagan made history when they became the first pair team to win Novice and Junior titles in consecutive seasons. They went on to finish 4th at Junior Worlds last season behind a trio of teams that already had Junior World titles and competed on the senior level. They debuted on the Grand Prix this season, finishing 6th. They had a nice outing on their short program but really struggled on their free skate. Cain is tall with long legs which lends to some nice positions in their lifts. She is also pulling double duty, competing in the junior ladies event at nationals.
Castelli/Shnapir, Vise/Baldwin and Poapst/Knierim are also in the mix.
My podium predictions:
Gold: Evora/Ladwig
Silver: Denney/Coughlin
Bronze: Marley/Brubaker
Pewter: Cain/Reagan
Bios of the competitors:
Kloe Chanel Bautista/Tyler Harris: She is 19 and represents the All Year Figure Skating Club. He is 23 and represents the Skating Club of Boston. They finished 10th in Juniors in 2011. They won bronze at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Gretchen Donlan/Andrew Speroff: She is 18 and represents the Skating Club of Boston. He is 23 and represents the Skating Club of Boston. They finished 8th in Juniors in 2010 and 8th in 2011. They won gold at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Alexa Scimeca/Ivan Dimitrov: She represents the DuPage Figure Skating Club. They won pewter at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Felicia Zhang/Nathan Bartholomay: She is 18 and represents the Skating Club of New York. They won silver at Eastern Sectionals to qualify for nationals.
Cassie Andrews/Timothy LeDuc: She is 18 and represents the Indiana World Skating Academy Figure Skating Club. He is 21 and represents the Eastern Iowa Figure Skating Club. They placed 9th at Junior Worlds last season. They are the reigning Junior bronze medalists.
Ashley Cain/Joshua Reagan: She is 16 and represents the Stars Figure Skating Club of Texas. He is 22 and represents the Stars Figure Skating Club of Texas. They finished 4th at Junior Worlds last season. They placed 6th at Rostelecom Cup and 4th at Coupe de Nice. They are the 2010 Novice Champions and reigning Junior Champions.
Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir: She is 21 and represents the Skating Club of Boston. He is 24 and represents the Skating Club of Boston. They placed 7th at NHK Trophy and 4th at Ondrej Nepela Memorial. They are the 2009 World Junior bronze medalists. They placed 9th in Novice in 2007, are the 2008 Novice bronze medalists, the 2009 Junior bronze medalists, placed 10th in 2010 and 5th in 2011.
Caydee Denney/John Coughlin: She is 18 and represents the Panthers Figure Skating Club. He is 26 and represents the Kansas City Figure Skating Club. They finished 4th at Skate America, 5th at NHK Trophy and won bronze at Nebelhorn Trophy. They have the 10th best short program score, 8th best free skate and 9th best total score internationally.
Amanda Evora/Mark Ladwig: She is 27 and represents the Southwest Florida Figure Skating Club. He is 31 and represents the Red River Valley Figure Skating Club. They placed 11th at Worlds and 6th at Four Continents last season. They placed 4th at Cup of China and Trophee Eric Bompard. They placed 12th in 2003, 10th in 2004, 5th in 2005, 7th in 2006, are the 2007 pewter medalists, finished 5th in 2008, are the 2009 pewter medalists, 2010 silver medalists and are the reigning silver medalists.
Rita Fehr/Peter Biver: She is 15 and he is 35.
Mary Beth Marley/Rockne Brubaker: She is 16 and represents the DuPage Figure Skating Club. He is 25 and represents the All Year Figure Skating Club. They finished 8th at Four Continents last season. They placed 7th at Skate America and won bronze at Coupe de Nice. They are the reigning pewter medalists.
Andrea Poapst/Christopher Knierim: She is 19 and represents the Broadmoor Skating Club. He is 24 and represents the Broadmoor Skating Club. They won gold at Ice Challenge. They are the reigning Junior silver medalists.
Tiffany Vise/Don Baldwin: She is 25 and represents the Broadmoor Skating Club. He is 34 and represents the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club. They finished 6th at Skate America and 7th at Nebelhorn Trophy. They placed 8th in 2011.
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