Skate Canada Men's Short Program

Group 1
Elladj Balde, CAN: 40.71 TES+ 31.64 PCS = 72.35

• Hand down on the opening quad toe but he manages to tack on the double toe
• Nice big triple axel nicely timed with the music
• Good position in the camel spin with a decent catch foot position, but I'd like to see his hip closed a bit more after the change of foot
• Triple lutz
• Good sit spin position with nice speed through the twisted variation
• Nice flow through his step sequence and great feeling for his music; he seems a bit too upright in the upper body though and some of the edge changes are not clean
• Twisted camel spin into a sit spin ending with a scratch spin

Andrei Rogozine, CAN: 37.20 TES+ 31.11 PCS = 68.31 and into 2nd place

• Nice triple flip + triple toe
• Spread eagle triple axel well done
• Good flexibility through the camel spin catch foot positions and nice fast rotation
• Triple lutz
• Low sit spin position with a nice twisted position after the change of foot but losing speed
• He seems to be skating through his music a bit and looking down and not really connecting with the audience but this might be the best he's jumped in a long time
• Very upright in the step sequence, slow in places and lots of ice spray 

Nobunari Oda, JPN: 43.61 TES+ 38.21 PCS -1.00 = 80.82 and into 1st place

• Big quad toe and just couldn't hang on to the landing
• Nice triple axel and he has such impressive bend in his knees on that landing
• Great camel spin position with a nice twisted variation into a good catch foot
• Great triple lutz + triple toe
• Good speed through the beginning of the sit spin combination but loses it after the flying change of position
• He's really starting to perform in this step sequence; nice freedom through the whole body and lots of changes of edge and direction with minimal ice spray
• Came spin into a good twisted sit spin with nice speed and needing in a scratch spin
• Overall a pretty good program with the exception of the fall on the quad

Jeremy Abbott, USA: 35.30 TES+ 39.28 PCS = 74.58 and into 2nd place

• Beautiful quad toe
• Double lutz close to the boards and has to ride it out a bit + double toe
• Interesting that he goes for an upright spin here--pretty unusual to be done outside of a combination
• Big triple axel and he has to put a hand down
• Great stretched out position in the sit spin with nice speed but losing it after the back tuck position
• Twisted camel position into a sit spin and a flying change of leg
• Nice movement in his step sequence and great use of his full body; good one foot sections and great ice coverage

Joshua Farris, USA: 33.11 TES+ 36.03 PCS = 69.14 and is currently in 4th place

• Triple toe + single toe
• Triple axel out of footwork a little down on one side on the landing but hangs on
• Such nice stretch and toe point in the sit spin with a great arm variation on the change of position
• Solid triple lutz
• Losing his centering on the catch foot camel spin but much better position after the change of leg
• Great choreography in his step sequence with a lot of nuances--you almost don't notice it as an element it blends so well into the program
• He seemed a bit nervous today in his debut but lots of great things to work with

Group 2
Takahito Mura, JPN: 38.56 TES+ 34.52 PCS = 73.08 and into 3rd place

• Quad toe fall out
• Big triple axel nicely timed with the music
• Decent camel position into an upright spin and ending with a sit spin
• A couple of standing dance moves seem to be mostly there for show with not a lot of commitment behind them
• Triple lutz + triple toe
• He's got the jumps it would be a nice to see a bit more in his program
• Ok camel spin positions with speed maintained throughout
• Lots of ice spray in his step sequence and he seems to be skating through the music a bit
• Flying entry to the sit spin and he needs more stretch through his free leg

Ross Miner, USA: 32.15 TES+ 36.56 PCS -2.00 = 66.71 and into 7th place

• The opening to this program is just gorgeous and it also happens to be his step sequence; great one foot sections and nice connection with the music
• Quad toe two foots the landing and falls
• Triple axel doesn't get quite around two foots the landing and falls
• Nice speed in his camel spin with a good flying change and a decent catch foot position
• Triple lutz + triple toe a little tight be he pulled it off
• Good sit spin with nice positions and good speed
• Nice camel into a broken leg sit spin and ending with a scratch spin
• Once he nails the jumps in this program it's going to be a huge hit and

Michal Brezina, CZE: 35.06 TES+ 36.65 PCS = 71.71 and into 5th place

• Doubled his opening quad salchow attempt
• Triple flip + triple toe
• Triple axel just a bit forward on the toe on the landing but he hangs on
• Twisted camel spin position with a change of foot and a decent catch foot position
• Flying sit spin needs more stretch through his free leg but maintained speed through the back tuck position
• Lots of movement through the step sequence but I'd like to see him do something more with his hands and arms; good flow across the ice
• Camel spin flying change to sit spin; slow through the whole middle of the spin and ending way after his music

Patrick Chan, CAN: 43.17 TES+ 44.93 PCS = 88.10 and into 1st place

• Huge triple toe + triple toe a little too close to the boards and has to put his free leg down to hang on to the 2nd jump
• Big triple axel with nice ride out and speed on the landing
• Good camel spin with a nice change of foot into a twisted position
• Triple lutz well done right on the music
• Great twisted sit position into a broken leg
• This program is so well put together and expertly executed by Chan
• I love how quiet the music gets in the step sequence so you can hear his blades across the ice
• Gorgeous step sequence with such ease in the transitions between steps
• Final combination spin with good speed and positions

Yuzuru Hanyu, JPN: 39.69 TES+ 40.71 PCS = 80.40 and into 3rd place

•  Quad toe so far forward on the landing that he almost did an illusion but avoided putting the hand down
• Nice flexibility in the donut spin variation
• Good twisted sit position into a nice broken leg variation and ending with a back tuck with speed maintained throughout
• Really difficult entry with turns on one foot into the triple axel and he drills it
• Popped lutz + triple toe--just looked like he got ahead of himself and rushed the entry
• Great steps in his sequence and really playing to the crowd and feeling his music
• Great camel position picking up a bit of speed through the sit variations but losing it after the flying change of position

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Patrick CHAN	CAN	88.10	43.17		44.93	9.04	8.89	8.82	9.11	9.07	0.00	#9
2	Nobunari ODA	JPN	80.82	43.61		38.21	7.82	7.18	7.71	7.68	7.82	1.00	#3
3	Yuzuru HANYU	JPN	80.40	39.69		40.71	8.29	7.96	7.96	8.29	8.21	0.00	#10
4	Jeremy ABBOTT	USA	74.58	35.30		39.28	8.00	7.75	7.46	8.07	8.00	0.00	#4
5	Takahito MURA	JPN	73.08	38.56		34.52	7.39	6.64	6.89	6.89	6.71	0.00	#6
6	Elladj BALDE	CAN	72.35	40.71		31.64	6.25	5.96	6.57	6.29	6.57	0.00	#1
7	Michal BREZINA	CZE	71.71	35.06		36.65	7.54	7.04	7.32	7.43	7.32	0.00	#8
8	Joshua FARRIS	USA	69.14	33.11		36.03	7.07	7.18	7.07	7.32	7.39	0.00	#5
9	Andrei ROGOZINE	CAN	68.31	37.20		31.11	6.43	6.11	6.14	6.32	6.11	0.00	#2
10	Ross MINER	USA	66.71	32.15		36.56	7.32	7.32	6.89	7.64	7.39	2.00	#7

Skate Canada Men's Preview

Patrick Chan is the reigning World Champion although he struggled last season and nearly lost his title.  He had strong short programs and currently holds the World Record Short Program score but his free skates were often filled with errors.  He moved to Detroit at the end of the season to pursue a better training environment and has been settling well.  After splitting from Christy Krall, he is coached primarily by Kathy Johnson and his jumps took a bit of a hit.  After missing out on the podium in 2010, his sole focus has been on Sochi and he is gunning for Olympic gold.

Yuzuru Hanyu set two World Record short programs last season and had a huge breakout year.  He finished ahead of Patrick Chan at the Grand Prix Final but wasn't able to find his way back to the podium at the World Championships.  He has the quads as well as the artistry but he seemed to struggle with some of the nerves that comes along with being a front runner.

Nobunari Oda had a rough few seasons and only won medal on the Grand Prix last season.  It's also been two years since he made a World team and in a deep Japanese field, he's facing an uphill battle to claim one of the spots in Sochi.  He kicked off the season with an impressive victory at the Nebelhorn Trophy and proved that he is a contender going into this season.

Also in the mix are Takahito Mura who was the surprise winner at Trophee Eric Bompard last year and made the Japanese Worlds team along with Jeremy Abbott who's reprising his Exogenisis free skate after failing to qualify for Worlds last season.  Ross Miner is the reigning US Silver Medalist but had a slow start to his season this year.

World Junior Champion Joshua Farris is making his Grand Prix debut at this event.  He has quads and triple axels in his arsenal but struggled with his jumps at his senior debut at the US Figure Skating Classic.  He choreographs his own programs and admitted that he was more focused on the performance at that event and let the jumps get away from him.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Patrick Chan
Silver: Yuzuru Hanyu
Bronze: Nobunari Oda

Bios of the competitors:
Elladj Balde, CAN: He finished 18th at Four Continents.  He placed 7th at Skate Canada last season.  His personal best is 199.94.  He is 22 years old.

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

Andrei Rogozine, CAN: He finished 13th at Worlds and 10th at Four Continents.  He placed 9th at NHK Trophy last season.  He is the 2011 World Junior Champion.  His personal best is 216.60.  He is 20 years old.

Michal Brezina, CZE: He placed 10th at Worlds and is the reigning European Bronze Medalist.  He placed 6th at Skate America and won bronze at Rostelecom Cup last season.  He is the 2009 World Junior Silver Medalist.  His personal best is 243.52.  He is 23 years old.  

Yuzuru Hanyu, JPN: He placed 4th at Worlds and is the reigning Four Continents silver medalist.  He won silver at Skate America and gold at NHK Trophy last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where he won silver.  He is the 2012 World Bronze Medalist, 2011 Four Continents Silver Medalist and 2010 World Junior Champion.  His personal best is 264.29.  He is 18 years old.  

Takahito Mura, JPN: He placed 8th at Worlds and 8th at Four Continents.  He finished 8th at Skate Canada and won gold at Trophee Eric Bompard last season.  His personal best is 234.18.  He is 22 years old.

Nobunari Oda, JPN: He won bronze at Skate Canada and placed 5th at Rostelecom Cup.  He is the 2006 Four Continents Champion and 2005 Junior World Champion.  His personal best is 262.98.  He is 26 years old.

Jeremy Abbott, USA: He placed 5th at Skate Canada and won silver at Trophee Eric Bompard last season.  He is the 2007 and 2011 Four Continents Bronze Medalist.  His personal best is 238.82.  He is 28 years old.

Joshua Farris, USA: He is the reigning World Junior Champion.  He won gold at JGP USA and gold at JGP Slovenia last season to qualify for the JGP Final where he won silver.  He is the 2012 World Junior Silver Medalist.  His personal best is 228.32.  He is 18 years old.  

Ross Miner, USA: He placed 14th at Worlds and 9th at Four Continents.  He placed 5th at Skate Canada and won bronze at NHK Trophy last season.  He is the 2012 Four Continents Bronze Medalist.  His personal best is 235.37.  He is 22 years old.

Finlandia Trophy Men's Results

Short Program

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Yuzuru HANYU	JPN	84.66	42.36		42.30	8.50	8.29	8.38	8.50	8.63	0.00	#6
2	Sergei VORONOV	RUS	79.74	43.11		36.63	7.54	7.00	7.38	7.29	7.42	0.00	#1
3	Douglas RAZZANO	USA	71.89	39.02		33.87	6.83	6.42	6.83	6.83	6.96	1.00	#10
4	Jorik HENDRICKX	BEL	69.18	36.33		32.85	6.63	6.38	6.58	6.63	6.63	0.00	#8
5	Kento NAKAMURA	JPN	67.83	34.79		34.04	6.96	6.71	6.75	6.83	6.79	1.00	#7
6	Artur GACHINSKI	RUS	67.34	33.38		34.96	7.25	6.71	7.00	6.96	7.04	1.00	#4
7	Maciej CIEPLUCHA	POL	66.86	34.35		32.51	6.50	6.21	6.50	6.63	6.67	0.00	#11
8	Richard DORNBUSH	USA	65.82	29.45		36.37	7.46	7.08	7.08	7.29	7.46	0.00	#9
9	Matthias VERSLUIS	FIN	62.36	32.93		29.43	5.88	5.67	6.00	5.88	6.00	0.00	#12
10	Viktor ROMANENKOV	EST	60.77	32.90		27.87	5.83	5.38	5.54	5.58	5.54	0.00	#14
11	Valtter VIRTANEN	FIN	53.90	25.57		28.33	5.71	5.38	5.58	5.83	5.83	0.00	#3
12	Martin RAPPE	GER	52.08	25.17		26.91	5.58	5.25	5.42	5.33	5.33	0.00	#2
13	Antonio PANFILI	ITA	51.52	26.84		26.68	5.38	5.13	5.21	5.54	5.42	2.00	#13
14	Viktor ZUBIK	FIN	48.67	23.17		25.50	5.33	4.79	5.17	5.21	5.00	0.00	#5

Free Skate

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Yuzuru HANYU	JPN	180.93	93.91		87.02	8.71	8.46	8.75	8.71	8.88	0.00	#14
2	Sergei VORONOV	RUS	161.63	82.87		78.76	7.96	7.50	8.17	7.75	8.00	0.00	#11
3	Artur GACHINSKI	RUS	145.56	74.14		71.42	7.29	6.67	7.25	7.21	7.29	0.00	#6
4	Richard DORNBUSH	USA	140.89	66.73		75.16	7.63	7.29	7.54	7.54	7.58	1.00	#8
5	Maciej CIEPLUCHA	POL	130.65	62.45		69.20	6.92	6.67	6.88	6.96	7.17	1.00	#7
6	Jorik HENDRICKX	BEL	130.57	61.05		69.52	7.00	6.75	6.96	6.88	7.17	0.00	#10
7	Douglas RAZZANO	USA	127.42	59.58		68.84	7.00	6.67	6.83	6.88	7.04	1.00	#13
8	Kento NAKAMURA	JPN	124.70	55.88		69.82	7.04	6.79	6.96	7.04	7.08	1.00	#12
9	Viktor ROMANENKOV	EST	119.58	62.06		57.52	5.96	5.42	5.92	5.75	5.71	0.00	#5
10	Matthias VERSLUIS	FIN	109.04	50.22		59.82	6.29	5.79	6.04	5.96	5.83	1.00	#9
11	Martin RAPPE	GER	105.71	54.03		51.68	5.46	4.92	5.29	5.13	5.04	0.00	#4
12	Valtter VIRTANEN	FIN	97.67	46.09		52.58	5.46	5.00	5.29	5.33	5.21	1.00	#1
13	Viktor ZUBIK	FIN	96.78	45.44		51.34	5.38	4.88	5.33	5.08	5.00	0.00	#3
14	Antonio PANFILI	ITA	93.47	45.39		50.08	5.04	4.83	4.92	5.17	5.08	2.00	#2

Total

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Yuzuru HANYU	JPN	265.59	1	1
2	Sergei VORONOV	RUS	241.37	2	2
3	Artur GACHINSKI	RUS	212.90	6	3
4	Richard DORNBUSH	USA	206.71	8	4
5	Jorik HENDRICKX	BEL	199.75	4	6
6	Douglas RAZZANO	USA	199.31	3	7
7	Maciej CIEPLUCHA	POL	197.51	7	5
8	Kento NAKAMURA	JPN	192.53	5	8
9	Viktor ROMANENKOV	EST	180.35	10	9
10	Matthias VERSLUIS	FIN	171.40	9	10
11	Martin RAPPE	GER	157.79	12	11
12	Valtter VIRTANEN	FIN	151.57	11	12
13	Viktor ZUBIK	FIN	145.45	14	13
14	Antonio PANFILI	ITA	144.99	13	14

World Championships Men's Free Skate

Group 2
Ross Miner, USA: 73.38 TES + 69.28 PCS -1.00 = 141.66 Total: 211.90 and into 1st place

• Quad salchow a little off in the air and he has to turn out of it and put a hand down
• Triple axel slipped off the edge on his exit and a stumble and a hand down
• Nice triple axel + double toe
• Good speed and positions in the sit spin
• Great triple lutz + triple toe
• I love the elegant use of his arms and upper body in the step sequence but he's a little choppy on some of the turns and could be into his knees more
• Triple lutz + half loop + triple salchow combination
• Good triple loop
• Triple flip and sits down on the landing and has to put a hand down on the ice
• Spread eagle into an easy looking double axel
• Good stretch through his final spin and nice scratch spin exit

Peter Liebers, GER: 78.92 TES + 66.72 PCS = 145.64 Total: 216.84 and into 1st place

• Nice opening triple flip
• Great height on the triple axel + triple toe; a little tight on the second landing and he stalked the jump a bit
• Triple lutz 
• A bit stiff in places in the step sequence but good use of the full body
• Good triple axel--one thing that could really help him is to add more transitions and difficult entries and exits to the jumps to bump up his PCS scores as well as his GOEs
• Triple lutz + double toe + double toe
• Triple loop
• Triple salchow
• Good flexibility in the catchfoot camel spin
• Double axel + double toe
• I like the choreography in his choreographic step sequence and it goes well with the music but he could let go and perform it more
• Good donut spin; a little slow throughout the positions but the speed is consistent

Tomas Verner, CZE: 39.87 TES + 72.58 PCS = 112.45 Total: 180.50 and into 7th place

• Triple toe
• Triple flip a little down on one side on the landing but hangs on
• Single axel
• Nice quality of movement in the step sequence
• Not crazy about his upright catchfoot position and he runs out of speed in the scratch spin
• Double axel
• Popped loop
• Double flip
• Triple flip--not in combo so will not be worth full points
• Single loop
• Nice low stretched out sit spin position and good speed throughout
• Great energy and choreography in the 2nd step sequence and he's really got the crowd into his program
• Good sit positions in the final spin with nice speed

Andrei Rogozine, CAN: 81.03 TES + 68.22 PCS = 149.25 Total: 216.60 and into 2nd place

• Quad toe; not a perfectly clean landing but on his feet
• Spread eagle into a triple axel + triple toe + double toe but running out of speed by the end
• Triple salchow
• Triple lutz and somehow lands facing the wrong direction
• A little slow toward the end of his first sit spin
• I'd like to see more expression from him in the step sequence but good quality of steps
• Spread eagle into a triple axel + triple toe
• Triple loop
• Triple flip
• Double axel + Double axel sequence
• A small loss of centering in his camel spin and he could have his free leg behind him more in the bent leg position
• Seems to be running out of energy in the choreographic step sequence
• He could have more stretch and toe point through his final spin

Misha Ge, UZB: 68.81 TES + 71.24 PCS -1.00 = 139.05 Total: 207.50 and into 4th place

• Triple axel
• Triple flip + double toe with both arms over head
• Triple lutz + double toe + double loop
• Triple lutz
• Nice triple loop
• Good camel spin position with nice speed and timing with music
• Nice triple flip with good toe point
• Triple salchow + triple toe
• Double axel
• Good camel spin with a nice transition into a sit spin, nice flexibility in the positions with good speed
• Lyrics in his music so he might get a deduction
• Hip hop choreography in his step sequence and the audience is really enjoying it

Group 3
Yuzuru Hanyu, JPN: 89.05 TES + 80.00 PCS = 169.05 Total: 244.99 and into 1st place

• Opening quad toe a little down on the landing but he hangs on
• Quad salchow sitting down a bit on the landing and putting a hand down
• Triple flip chest forward on the landing
• Nice camel spin position with good flexibility in the donut into his Biellman spin
• His footwork seems a little slow and he's not putting his usual personality into it
• Triple axel + triple toe might have been a bit two footed on the landing
• Triple axel + double toe with both arms up
• Triple loop with nice ice coverage
• Triple lutz + double toe + double toe
• Triple lutz
• Nice Ina Bauer
• Good positions in the combination spin
• Nice tuck position in the sit spin with good use of his arms

Florent Amodio, FRA: 61.52 TES + 78.58 PCS -1.00 = 141.10 Total: 216.83 and into 3rd place

• Tripled his opening quad salchow attempt
• Fall on his second salchow attempt
• Triple axel a bit off in the air and can't quite get the free leg out on the landing but he muscles it out
• Good twisted camel spin position
• A little scratchy in places on the step sequence so he could clean up those edge changes
• Triple axel turn out
• Triple flip
• Triple lutz
• Triple salchow + double toe
• Good speed and timing on the sit spin with nice positions
• Anticipated the music a bit on the 2nd step sequence and started early
• Nice camel position and good stretch through the free leg in the upright position

Javier Fernandez, ESP: 83.00 TES + 85.30 PCS = 168.30 Total: 249.06 and into 1st place

• Nice quad toe to open the program
• Popped open the quad salchow but adds a double toe
• Great triple axel
• Traveling a little bit on the sit spin and he could have more stretch through his free leg
• Nice Chaplin choreography in his step sequence, good timing with the music, but he doesn't seem 100% committed to the movement
• Nice quad salchow
• Popped lutz + double toe
• Good spread eagle into triple loop
• Triple flip + half loop + triple salchow
• Good broken leg sit spin into an a frame
• Almost fell on a choreographic jump in his second step sequence
• Triple salchow
• Good twisted sit spin into a back spin position

Nan Song, CHN: 68.05 TES + 66.60 PCS = 134.65 Total: 207.68 and into 7th place

• Triple toe nicely done
• Triple axel + double toe
• Triple axel
• I like the movements in his step sequence but he seems to be holding back on them
• He could have a more parallel position in the broken leg camel spin but good flexibility through the upright catchfoot
• Triple lutz + triple toe a bit tight on both landings but pulls it off
• Triple flip
• A little low on the landing of the triple loop
• Good speed and positions in the sit spin
• Double axel a little forward on the landing and a turnout
• Double salchow + Double toe
• Good stretch through the free leg in the final combination spin

Max Aaron, USA: 85.86 TES + 74.30 PCS = 160.16 Total: 238.36 and into 3rd place

• Tons of speed into his quad salchow + double toe
• Popped open his second quad salchow attempt
• A little bit of a struggle on the flying change of foot in his first spin
• Nice energy and intensity to his footwork and good timing with the music
• Nice camel spin position and good speed through the sit variations with ease in the change of positions
• Big triple axel + double toe
• Good triple lutz
• Huge triple axel and he lands the jump fine but hits the boards on the ride out
• Doesn't miss a beat getting into his sit spin after the collision
• Triple lutz + half loop + triple salchow
• Triple flip
• I like the more lyrical side he's trying to show in the 2nd step sequence but he could have more content
• Triple loop right in the last seconds

Takahito Mura, JPN: 84.50 TES + 76.22 PCS = 160.72 Total: 234.18 and into 4th place

• Quad toe two foot landing and flip out
• Triple lutz + triple toe
• Solid triple axel
• Good speed on the camel spin but he could get his free leg higher; nice twisted bent leg variation
• Triple loop
• Beautiful triple axel + double toe
• Triple salchow + double toe
• Good donut position into a nice sit spin but a little slow
• Triple flip
• Triple lutz
• Nice stretched sit position but he needs more toe point and more speed at the end
• Good ice coverage in the choreographic step sequence but I'd like to see more content and variety

Group 4
Daisuke Takahashi, JPN: 70.36 TES + 85.00 PCS -1.00 = 154.36 Total: 239.03 and into 3rd place

• Quad toe looked ok but two footed
• Triple toe
• Nice triple axel
• Good stretch in the sit spin with nice toe point
• Good choreography, edges and ice coverage on the step sequence
• Nice sideways spin into an upright spin with a bit of traveling
• Fall on a triple axel
• Triple loop hand down
• Triple salchow
• Triple lutz + double toe + double loop
• Triple flip
• Great feeling behind the 2nd step sequence and nice use of the full body in a variety of steps
• I'd like to see a higher free leg in the camel spin and a bit more speed

Michal Brezina, CZE: 70.17 TES + 77.74 PCS -2.00 = 145.91 Total: 229.00 and into 6th place

• Big fall on the opening quad salchow
• Really nice triple axel
• Fall on the 2nd quad salchow--I think the takeoff is really the killer; he's so hunched over he has to do twice as much work to stand up straight and do the rotation
• He seems very slow, tired and just walking through the movements in his step sequence
• Double axel + double toe
• Good triple flip
• Nice triple loop
• Good triple lutz
• Step out and hands down on the triple axel
• Good position in hte camel spin with nice speed into the sit position
• Good twisted sit position but losing all speed after the change of foot, finished the spin really early and had nothing going into the ending pose

Patrick Chan, CAN: 82.13 TES + 89.28 PCS -2.00 = 169.41 Total: 267.78 and into 1st place

• Gorgeous quad toe + triple toe 
• And another gorgeous quad toe
• Triple lutz was off from the takeoff and a fall
• Nice variety of steps in his step sequence and good flow and changes of edge
• Good stretch through the camel position and picking up speed
• Fall on a triple axel
• Nice triple loop
• Triple flip half loop triple salchow with a flip out on the last jump
• Double lutz + double toe
• He had a huge lead and started off brilliantly but this is a lot of mistakes and he's really leaving the door open
• Nice choreography and elegant flow through the choreographic step sequence
• Double axel a little back on the landing
• Good final spin nicely timed with the music

Brian Joubert, FRA: 65.81 TES + 82.28 PCS = 148.09 Total: 232.26 and into 7th place

• Nice quad toe
• Triple salchow
• Triple axel two footed and leaning on the landing but hangs on
• Not a lot of speed in the sit spin
• Quad toe + single toe
• Triple flip + double toe
• Camel spin into a decent sit spin with maintained speed
• Triple lutz
• Triple salchow + double toe
• Triple flip
• There's not a lot of performance or choreography in the program and I feel like it doesn't hold your attention very well in between the jumps
• The choreography in the 2nd step sequence seems out of time and out of character for the music

Denis Ten, KAZ: 87.76 TES + 87.16 PCS = 174.92 Total: 266.48 and into 2nd place

• Nice opening quad toe--he was really struggling on them in warmup and that one was textook
• Nice high triple axel + triple toe
• Good second triple axel--he has so much spring in his jumps
• Nice light choreography in the step sequence with nice use of his arms and upper body to accent the movement
• Good camel spin position with a very nice donut but he could work on maintaining the speed throughout the spin
• Triple lutz + double toe + double toe
• Popped jump + double toe
• Triple salchow
• Triple loop slightly forward on the landing
• Nice twisted position sit spin but losing speed in the back tuck position
• Good double axel
• Nice choreography and he's really selling hte program in the 2nd step sequence but he may have been slightly off the music in places
• Final combination spin good speed with the music and nice positions
• He had the competition of his life here!

Kevin Reynolds, CAN: 77.04 TES + 77.78 PCS = 154.82 Total: 239.98 and into 5th place

• Quad salchow turnout
• Quad toe + Triple Toe
• Great ice coverage on the triple axel + triple toe
• Good extension on the camel spin positions
• Quad toe hand down
• Double axel
• Triple flip + Double toe + double loop
• Triple lutz
• Triple salchow
• I really like this choreographic step sequence and think it's one of the better artistic moments of the program
• Not a great sit or camel position in his final spin

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Denis TEN	KAZ	174.92	87.76		87.16	8.54	8.43	8.89	8.86	8.86	0.00	#23
2	Patrick CHAN	CAN	169.41	82.13		89.28	9.11	8.96	8.61	9.00	8.96	2.00	#21
3	Yuzuru HANYU	JPN	169.05	89.05		80.00	8.25	7.75	7.86	8.14	8.00	0.00	#13
4	Javier FERNANDEZ	ESP	168.30	83.00		85.30	8.43	8.18	8.36	8.79	8.89	0.00	#15
5	Takahito MURA	JPN	160.72	84.50		76.22	7.75	7.39	7.79	7.57	7.61	0.00	#18
6	Max AARON	USA	160.16	85.86		74.30	7.61	7.11	7.50	7.39	7.54	0.00	#17
7	Kevin REYNOLDS	CAN	154.82	77.04		77.78	7.82	7.61	7.71	7.93	7.82	0.00	#24
8	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	154.36	70.36		85.00	8.54	8.21	8.46	8.50	8.79	1.00	#19
9	Andrei ROGOZINE	CAN	149.25	81.03		68.22	6.82	6.50	7.00	7.00	6.79	0.00	#11
10	Brian JOUBERT	FRA	148.09	65.81		82.28	8.29	7.82	8.43	8.21	8.39	0.00	#22
11	Michal BREZINA	CZE	145.91	70.17		77.74	7.93	7.68	7.68	7.79	7.79	2.00	#20
12	Peter LIEBERS	GER	145.64	78.92		66.72	6.61	6.57	6.75	6.75	6.68	0.00	#9
13	Ross MINER	USA	141.66	73.38		69.28	7.07	6.82	6.79	6.96	7.00	1.00	#8
14	Maxim KOVTUN	RUS	141.55	75.81		66.74	7.04	6.36	6.68	6.75	6.54	1.00	#2
15	Florent AMODIO	FRA	141.10	63.52		78.58	7.89	7.61	7.71	8.04	8.04	1.00	#14
16	Misha GE	UZB	139.05	68.81		71.24	6.86	6.79	7.29	7.18	7.50	1.00	#12
17	Alexander MAJOROV	SWE	135.97	74.41		62.56	6.50	5.89	6.25	6.32	6.32	1.00	#7
18	Nan SONG	CHN	134.65	68.05		66.60	7.00	6.54	6.54	6.68	6.54	0.00	#16
19	Jorik HENDRICKX	BEL	130.15	70.09		60.06	6.18	5.71	6.18	5.96	6.00	0.00	#4
20	Viktor PFEIFER	AUT	125.34	63.70		61.64	6.39	5.75	6.14	6.18	6.36	0.00	#5
21	Yakov GODOROZHA	UKR	113.10	60.26		53.84	5.57	5.25	5.32	5.39	5.39	1.00	#6
22	Tomas VERNER	CZE	112.45	39.87		72.58	7.36	7.04	6.89	7.50	7.50	0.00	#10
23	Viktor ROMANENKOV	EST	111.76	58.90		53.86	5.68	5.18	5.25	5.46	5.36	1.00	#3
24	Justus STRID	DEN	101.98	48.82		55.16	5.43	5.14	5.61	5.61	5.79	2.00	#1

Total

Pl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Patrick CHAN	CAN	267.78	1	2
2	Denis TEN	KAZ	266.48	2	1
3	Javier FERNANDEZ	ESP	249.06	7	4
4	Yuzuru HANYU	JPN	244.99	9	3
5	Kevin REYNOLDS	CAN	239.98	3	7
6	Daisuke TAKAHASHI	JPN	239.03	4	8
7	Max AARON	USA	238.36	8	6
8	Takahito MURA	JPN	234.18	11	5
9	Brian JOUBERT	FRA	232.26	5	10
10	Michal BREZINA	CZE	229.00	6	11
11	Peter LIEBERS	GER	216.84	13	12
12	Florent AMODIO	FRA	216.83	10	15
13	Andrei ROGOZINE	CAN	216.60	18	9
14	Ross MINER	USA	211.90	14	13
15	Nan SONG	CHN	207.68	12	18
16	Misha GE	UZB	207.50	15	16
17	Maxim KOVTUN	RUS	207.40	19	14
18	Alexander MAJOROV	SWE	204.29	16	17
19	Jorik HENDRICKX	BEL	192.19	23	19
20	Viktor PFEIFER	AUT	189.44	21	20
21	Tomas VERNER	CZE	180.50	17	22
22	Viktor ROMANENKOV	EST	177.09	20	23
23	Yakov GODOROZHA	UKR	174.98	24	21
24	Justus STRID	DEN	165.23	22	24

World Championships Men's Preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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