Video Replay = Artistry?

2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships Mens SP Live Commentary

2010-01-15T18:46:00.000-08:00

Starting Order

Warmup Group #1
1 Wesley Campbell, Nashville FSC
2 Johnny Weir, SC of New York Inc
3 Douglas Razzano, Coyotes SC of Arizona
4 Parker Pennington, Winterhurst FSC
5 Jeremy Abbott, Detroit SC

Warmup Group #2
6 Michael Solonoski, SC of New York Inc
7 Ryan Bradley, Broadmoor SC
8 Jonathan Cassar, Detroit SC
9 Alexander Johnson, Braemar-City of Lakes FSC
10 Keegan Messing, Alaska Assoc of Figure Skaters
11 Grant Hochstein, St Clair Shores FSC

Warmup Group #3
12 Stephen Carriere, Skating Club of Boston
13 Shaun Rogers, SC of Wilmington Inc
14 Dennis Phan, All Year FSC
15 Daniel Raad, Park FSC
16 Richard Dornbush, All Year FSC
17 Evan Lysacek, DuPage FSC

Warmup Group #4
18 Brandon Mroz, Broadmoor SC
19 Armin Mahbanoozadeh, Washington FSC
20 Andrew Gonzales, All Year FSC
21 Adam Rippon, SC of New York Inc
22 Jason Wong, Skating Club of Boston
23 Tommy Steenberg, SC of Northern Virginia

9:02 CT Opening ceremonies fluff going on.
9:10 National Anthem being played.
9:12 Ice resurface going on, first warm-up group will probably start in about ten minutes
9:26 Crowd looks a bit more full than pairs SP, but it is far from sold out.
9:28 Lights are up in the arena and it looks like the competition is close to getting underway
Warm-up Group 1 on ice. Fairly big crowd responses for Abbott and Weir
Abbott-clean 3R
Commentators say that Razzano is planning a quad
Abbott and Weir in same costumes as GP events
Warm-up group 1 has concluded

Wesley Campbell
3A-leaning to right in air; fall
3Z(possible UR)+2R-landed
Circular step-slow
Spin combo- nicely centered but slow
Back sit spin to pancake to fwd sit-slow
3F-good; slight cheat
SLSS-decent
Deathdrop to sit spin to pancake-positions not low enough
Has smooth movement quality but overall movement quality is slow and a bit lifeless.

TES: 28.55
PCS: 28.43
Ded: -1.00
Total: 55.98

Johnny Weir
3Z+3T-very smooth
3A-slightly off in air but beautifully landed
3F-smallest of wobbles but well done
Sit spin combo-good speed and stretch
Circular step-good attack
Deathdrop to pancake to sit-good
SLSS-a tad slow in places but great energy
Final spin combo-excellent
Excellent skate. Weir really sold the performance and his stroking looked faster. Standing ovation.

TES: 45.32
PCS: 38.19
Total: 83.51
Rank: 1

Douglas Razzano
3A-solid
4T-fall; slight UR
3T+3T-fall out of 2nd jump
Nice low pancake and sit spin positions
Circular step sequence-slow
Deathdrop to pancake-good
SLSS-weak
Camel to sit spin to back pancake-excellent
Good spins, potentially good jumps but relatively bland program to "Claire de Lune."

TES: 36.56
PCS: 28.71
Ded: -1.00
Total: 64.27
Rank: 2

Parker Pennington
3A-fall; looked rotated
3Z(weight forward)+3T-wobble but landed
3F-great height and landing; possible lip
Good deathdrop to pancake spin combo
Circular step-good energy at beginning but loses it that toward the end
Excellent sit spin combo
SLSS-a bit simplistic, good speed
Fwd sit to bwd sit spin-very good
Good energy in parts of the program but his movement is often a bit awkward looking. Really muscled through that skate but the spins were nice.

TES: 33.33
PCS: 29.25
Ded: -1.00
Total: 61.58
Rank: 3

Jeremy Abbott
3F+3T-well done
3A-lovely
Sit spin combo-decent
3Z-slightly forward on landing but otherwise clean
Circular step-brilliant
Camel to fwd sit to bwd sit-good
SLSS-good but no the same abandonment be had in the circular step
Deathdrop to pancake-good
Very focused at the beginning but otherwise the presentation was brilliant. Great jumps, spins, and footwork. Standing ovation.

TES: 47.55
PCS: 40.30
Total: 87.85
Rank: 1

Warm-Up Group 2 on ice that includes Ryan Bradley.
Crowd response seems to indicate that Bradley did his 4T in warm-up; he was preparing for the jump but the camera turned to someone else.
4T+3T from Bradley with a wonky landing on his 4T
Warm-Up Group 2 has concluded.

Michael Solonoski
2A-landed; loose in the air; intended 3A
3Z+2T-solid
Deathdrop to sit-well centered but slow
Circular step sequence-a bit slow and bland
3R-lovely
Fwd sit to bwd sit-once again slow but centered
SLSS-smooth and fluid but very vanilla movement
Fwd sit to bwd sit to fwd catch-foot- decent
Somewhat fluid but extremely bland skating

TES: 29.45
PCS: 25.81
Total: 55.26
Rank: 6

Ryan Bradley
4T(slight UR but will likely get credited)+3T-well done
2A-stalled out too long in the air; landed fine
Circular step-very fun
2Z-bye bye Olympic dream
Spin combo with several different positions that ended with a very slow back camel
SLSS-not as much attack as he is capable of
Fwd camel(little wobble) to back sit-OK
Very disappointed

TES: 37.05
PCS: 33.58
Total: 70.63
Rank: 3

Jonathan Cassar
3Z+3T(possible UR)-fall
1F
Deathdrop to sit to pancake spin combo- a tad slow, positions not low enough
SLSS-not much use of levels but good musicality
Stunning inside spread eagle
2A-good
Decent spin combo
Circular step-good
Fwd camel to bkwd pancake-great

TES: 26.84
PCS: 29.69
Ded: -1.00
Total: 55.53
Rank: 7

Alexander Johnson
1A
3F-weight forward, possible UR, fall
3Z(hand down)+2T-landed
Step sequence-lots of turns; decent speed; keeps in character with the program
Deathdrop to sit spin-nice low position
Circular step sequence-a bit simplistic
Fwd camel to fwd sit to bkwd sit to Y-scale spin-slowed down toward end
bkwd sit to fwd sit-a tad slow but centered well

TES: 26.43
PCS: 28.86
Ded: -1.00
Total: 54.29
Rank: 9

Keegan Messing
3A-forward on landing; possible UR
3Z(off-balance)+1T-two footed
Deathdrop to sit to pancake spin combo-excellent
3F-good
SLSS-nice expression, good quick movement
Fwd camel to sit with variations to bkwd camel to bkwd sit-great
Circular step-movement is a tad awkward but he has good energy
Great final spin combination
Awkward ending
A bit unpolished but great energy, speed, and spins. Good potential and he really engaged the crowd into his skate.

TES: 34.95
PCS: 28.83
Total: 63.78
Rank: 5

Grant Hochstein
3Z+3T-good
2A-clean with leap out of the landing position
Back camel to donut to fwd camel to catch-foot- centered well but slow
3F-low; fall out; possible UR
Circular step-good
Flying sit spin-very good
SLSS-decent speed
Fwd camel to bkwd sit-decent
Elegant but bland program to the music of the ballet The Sleeping Beauty. Nice polish and good speed.

TES: 35.94
PCS: 29.61
Total: 65.55
Rank: 4

Ice resurfacing going on right now.

Warm-Up Group 3 on ice that includes Lysacek.
Lysacek in different costume with no feathers that is still basically all black.
Lysacek-good 3R, almost collided with someone while attempting 3F
The Icenetwork feed is currently down. I will post further updates when it is back up.
The feed has been stopping and starting but it is back up and seems to be OK now.
Warm-Up Group 3 concluded.

Stephen Carriere
1A
3Z(weight forward)+2T-landed
3R-beautiful
Fwd sit to pancake-little bit slow in sit spin
SLSS-good speed
Deathdrop to sit spin-good speed at beginning but loses a lot of that speed during his last spin variation in the combination
Circular step sequence-decent
Back camel (traveled slightly) to bkwd sit to fwd sit (lost balance)
Good speed and some good movement but a rather one-dimensional program. He has a lot of potential that is unfortunately unfulfilled at this point.

TES: 28.85
PCS: 29.83
Total: 58.68
Rank: 8

Shaun Rogers
4T-fell, possible UR, too slow going in
Icenetwork feed stopped
SLSS-interesting in places but labored
Final spin combo-decent but not especially difficult
Replay shows that 3A was excellent

Icenetwork feed stopped again.

Dennis Phan
3A-wobbly
3Z+2T-good
3F-great
Fwd sit to bkwd sit to pancake-a tad slow
SLSS-very fluid but slow
Pancake spin combo-very good
Circular step sequence-good
Back camel to forward sit spin (among other spin variations) in final spin combo-wobbled noticeably going into forward sit spin
Very fluid and calm skater.

TES: 31.55
PCS: 30.96
Total: 62.51
Rank: 7

Daniel Raad
2A-landed
3F(possible UR, forward, slow coming out)+2T(toe-axeled)-landed
3Z-forward, hand down
Spin combo-decent
Circular step sequence-slow
Fwd sit to bkwd sit (not low enough) to pancake (slow)
SLSS-occasionally good movement but presented with no spark at all
Back camel (position substandard) to fwd sit spin (a tad slow)
Wobble on ending pose
Program was like watching paint dry

TES: 27.07
PCS: 22.25
Total: 49.32
Rank: 15

Richard Dornbush
3Z+3T(slightly toe-axeled)-well landed
3A-fall; possible UR
Flying sit spin-good low position
3F-very good
Bkwd camel to catch-foot to fwd camel-nice positions
Circular step sequence-A little slow in places but good movement
Fwd camel to sit to back sit to fwd catch-foot- nice speed until the end
SLSS-Nice power
Good strength and attack but needs a little bit more refinement to his movement.

TES: 37.54
PCS: 29.25
Ded: -1.00
Total: 65.79
Rank: 4

Evan Lysacek
3A-fall out but rotated
3Z+3T-little forward on landing but held landing edge nicely
3F-spiral preceding it, good amplitude and landing
Circular step sequence-very dramatic and fast
Bkwd sit to pancake and fwd sit-excellent
Deathdrop to bkwd sit to pancake-good
SLSS-good
Fwd camel to sit to bkwd sit to catch-foot-good
Good recovery from mistake on 3A. Presentation is very dramatic and perhaps overly so.

TES: 44.23
PCS: 39.46
Total: 83.69
Rank: 2

Warm-Up Group 4, which includes Rippon and Mroz, is currently on the ice.
Rippon-stunning Rippin 3Z in warm-up.
Mroz just fell out of a jump (probably the quad)
Warm-up concluded.

Brandon Mroz
4T-fell out; hand down; possible UR
1A-spread eagle preceding it
Bkwd sit to fwd sit spin-good
3Z+3T-great
Deathdrop to sit spin
SLSS-Not completely invested in the music but some occasional good moments
Circular step-bland
Final spin combo that ended with a back sit spin-decent
Not a terrible program but he looks very tense while doing some of the choreography. A rough skate for him jumping wise and the replay seems to indicate that his 4T will be downgraded.

TES: 33.99
PCS: 30.46
Total: 64.45
Rank: 7

Armin Mahbanoozadeh
3A-slight wobble but good
3F+3T-very good
3Z-slightly forward but solid
Good spin combo
Nice soft knees in footwork; could look up at audience more
Spin combination-good
SLSS-Decent, needs to make movement bigger
Final spin combo-traveled slightly on camel but otherwise OK
Very polished and fluid performance.

TES: 41.16
PCS: 31.40
Total: 72.56
Rank: 4

Andrew Gonzales
3F(slightly UR)+3T-landed
2A-landed
3Z-possible UR; landed
Back sit spin to fwd sit spin-good speed
Circular step sequence-good movement but doesn't use the entire rink
Good camel to sit spin to bkwd sit spin
SLSS-Nice energy
Gonzales has quite a few decent qualities to his skating but nothing completely stands out. His speed is very creditable no matter what he is doing, however.

TES: 33.38
PCS: 29.00
Total: 62.38
Rank: 12 (loud boos from audience)

Adam Rippon
3F+3T-good
3A-slight cheat but will likely get credited; landed well
Superb donut spin
Circular step-Nice fluidity
Rippon 2Z-touches his hands to the boards
SLSS-fall at beginning
Bkwd camel to layback catch-foot - good
Fwd sit to bkwd sit to pancake-good

TES: 38.06
PCS: 35.85
Ded: -1.00
Total: 72.91
Rank: 4

Jason Wong
3Z+2T+Combo-Step out of 3Z, will not get credit for 2T
3A-excellent
Back pancake to fwd sit-good
Circular step sequence-a bit bland
3S-low but landed
Deathdrop to sit spin-traveled slightly at beginning and completely fumbled exit
SLSS-good expression but footwork is simplistic
Final spin combo-solid
Very pleased with performance.

TES: 33.49
PCS: 31.07
Total: 64.56
Rank: 9

Tommy Steenberg
3A-two footed, possible UR
3Z+3R-turn in-between, UR and double footed 3R
2F-fall
Bkwd sit to fwd sit to pancake-good
Circular step-good
Fwd camel to upright to bkwd pancake spin-decent speed
Good flexibility and has a fairly natural moving quality but jumps were very poor tonight.

TES: 30.86
PCS: 29.31
Ded: -1.00
Total: 59.17
Rank: 16

Results here

2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships Ladies Preview Part II

2010-01-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

Emily Hughes

Expectations Going In: The 20-year-old Great Neck, New York native is best known for being a last-minute replacement for Michelle Kwan at the 2006 Olympics, where Hughes would finish the competition in 7th place. The following year, Hughes followed up that career breakthrough with silver medals attained at both the U.S. Championships and the Four Continents Championships. However, Hughes's skating began to fizzle out thereafter, and she wound up withdrawing from the 2008 and 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Hughes later announced that she would take the year off from attending Harvard to focus on her efforts of making a second Olympic team. While a loss at the North Atlantic Regionals was not part of her plan, Hughes was invited to compete at Skate America when Sasha Cohen withdrew. Hughes's short program was a relative disaster, but she improved her standing in the free skate by four placements to finish 7th overall.

Pros: Hughes is one of only four women scheduled to compete in Spokane who has the experience of competing at a U.S. Championships in an Olympic year, and she is one of only two women entering this event with Olympic experience. The 2006 Olympian is consistently capable of taking off from her lutz and flip jumps from the correct edge, something very few of the other U.S. ladies can say. Hughes demonstrates commendable flexibility in her spins and spirals, and she is currently showing a more mature style in her long program to the soundtrack from the motion picture Gone with the Wind. Hughes also skates with a creditable amount of speed, and 1998 Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski commented that Hughes's work with a ballet coach has helped the 2007 U.S. silver medalist create more defined movement in her choreography.

Cons: Hughes's jump rotation speed is slow when compared to her adversaries, and such a weakness causes her jumps to be under rotated frequently. Even while at the athletic peak of her career (2006-2007), Hughes was prone to under rotating jumps, and her more mature body certainly doesn't help her in this endeavor. Trouble with rotating triples continued at Skate America, where her triple flip in the short and her triple salchow in the long were only credited as doubles. Hughes's reputation has certainly waned in the last couple of years, as evidenced by her relatively low PCS marks at Skate America: a 23.76 in her short and a 46.64 in her long. While her programs have potential, they appear disjointed at the moment, and Hughes is going to have to find ways to connect dots of her program far better than what she is doing now to raise her PCS. An example of this can be found in her long program, where Hughes does a spiral in the middle of the program. The spiral would be a very nice transition if done shortly before a jump, but Hughes takes so much time to pick up speed and prepare the jump that the overall effect of the movement is lost. Hughes is also known to not have the most steady landing positions: commentators frequently state comments like "She fought for the jump" or "She hangs on," but seldom do they ever say that she outright nails a jump.

Outlook: The Hughes family was blessed with the miracles of Sarah winning Olympic gold and Emily getting to go to the Olympics after Michelle Kwan withdrew, but it will take an even greater miracle than those two for Emily Hughes to make a second Olympic team. Even when adding back all of the marks Hughes lost for negative GOEs, downgrades, and popped/doubled jumps at Skate America, Hughes would have only scored around a 56.06 for her short and a 101.39 for her long. Her short program score would not put her at too much of a disadvantage, but her long program, even with a clean skate, would be easy to surpass for many. One thing that is in Hughes's favor, however, is experience. While Hughes is one to be sluggish during Grand Prixs, she typically is one to deliver at least decent performances at major events later in the season. Hughes has time to improve since Skate America, and she will probably be in better shape for nationals. With little reputation to bank on, however, Hughes will need to make the Olympic team, or any team, the hard way.

Beatrisa Liang

Expectations Going In: Liang appeared to have all the promise one could ask for when she competed at her first U.S. Figure Skating Championships on the senior level in 2001, all the while being just 12 years old. Unfortunately, the 21-year-old Tarzana, Los Angeles native has never fulfilled that early promise, aside from a few career highlights (pewter medalist at the 2007 U.S. Championships, 10th place at 2008 World Championships). Liang's career appears to be spiraling downward more than ever, as she placed 14th at this event last year and was 10th out of 11 skaters at this year's Cup of China. Thus, not much is expected of what could be Liang's final competition.

Pros: The 2006 Four Continents bronze medalist moves extremely quickly while doing anything: jumps, spins, stroking, et al. She achieves decent height on her triples, and she has some of the better spins among the current crop of American ladies skaters. Liang is also one of the most experienced U.S. ladies skaters who are currently competing: she has competed in 11 national championships and nine of them on the senior level. Liang has improved her extension over the years and is one of the few to repeat the lutz and flip jumps - the two hardest jumps besides the axel - twice in her long program. Liang has finished in the top five four times at the U.S. Championships.

Cons: A 62.93 is considered a very good score for a short program. Although, with the 76+ totals that Yu-Na Kim often receives, the score would be unlikely to top a leader board going into the free skate of a World Championship or Olympic Games. However, Bebe Liang received a 62.93 for her free skate at the Japan Open back in October for a humiliating free skate that contained zero clean triples. Poor, desolate performances from Liang last year dropped her to 14th place, and her 10th place finish from Cup of China was even scarier, as she had the potential to skate much worse than she did. Liang received edge calls on each of the three triple lutzes she attempted at Cup of China, and she also had three triple jumps downgraded in her long program there. Artistically, Liang's transitions are not optimal and her choreography in her current programs is fairly elementary when stacked up against the top U.S. women.

Outlook: It is more likely that pigs will start flying than it is for Liang to make the 2010 Olympic team. Liang had a decent chance of making the 2006 Olympic team, but she blew it when she succumbed to the pressure in the long program by falling twice. She made the most out of her time at what will likely be her only World Championship in 2008, where she cracked the top ten with two decent skates. Since then, however, Liang's skating has gone south and it is unlikely that she will continue beyond this season. Liang is no longer age-eligible to compete at the World Junior Championships, and the Four Continents Championships are scheduled for the week immediately following the ladies competition at Nationals, thus making it questionable as to whether there will be any American representatives in the ladies event there. With all of that said, Liang's last competition may very well be this one, and with the way she has been skating lately, she won't go out with a bang.

Mirai Nagasu

Expectations Going In: The 16-year-old Montebello, California native came out of nowhere to beat heavy favorite Caroline Zhang for the junior title at the 2007 U.S. Championships. Nagasu appeared to be the next great U.S. skater when she surprisingly won the 2008 U.S. Championships as a senior, becoming the second youngest U.S. senior ladies champion in history (Tara Lipinski being the youngest). Unfortunately, a massive growth spurt and an ankle injury severely hindered Nagasu's efforts in the 2008/2009 season, and she has since switched coaches from Charlene Wong to Frank Carroll. Thus far this season, Nagasu has neither helped nor hurt her Olympic bid, but she is still considered a very viable contender for a ticket to the Games.

Pros: Nagasu has superb extension and shows that off to its fullest in her exemplary spins and spirals. Nagasu's growth spurt has enabled her to become much faster across the ice, and her long, lean frame presents viewers with a very attractive body line to watch. Nagasu won the short program at this season's Cup of China with a score of 62.20, a short program total which has only been surpassed by four women in ISU competition this season. Also, the two-time Junior Worlds medalist is prone to peaking at Nationals, as she won the junior title in 2007 and senior title in 2008. Also, even though Nagasu did not medal in 2009, her overall showing there was far superior to her performances at her two Grand Prix events earlier that season. Nagasu showed to be a formidable competitor last year, when she arrived to her free skate in tears and admirably finished her skate without major error. Nagasu has always been marked favorably by the U.S. judges: in 2008, she broke 70 points for her short program and placed above Caroline Zhang's clean long program with a free skate that contained a fall and an under rotated jump.

Cons: Nagasu has always had a huge tendency to flutz, but at Skate Canada, she was given an edge call for her flip in the short and both of her lutzes in the long. Nagasu had four triples and one double jump downgraded during her free skate at Cup of China, and she also received downgrades on two double jumps at Skate Canada. Nagasu's PCS marks went down from Cup of China to Skate Canada for both programs, and while she rotated all of her triples during her long at the latter event, her expression and overall artistry suffered immensely. Nagasu has taken the salchow jump out of her repertoire, and she only attempted five triples in her long at Skate Canada. Two of those triples were lutzes, which are often taken off from the wrong edge or under rotated, and another was a flip jump, an element which was downgraded twice at last year's Nationals. Several of Nagasu's comments that she made at the U.S. Olympic Media Summit about her not being very pretty or very smart, while honest, indicate that Nagasu's confidence level is precarious at best.

Outlook: Nagasu's fall international season has lagged behind those of Czisny, Flatt, and Wagner; however, her scoring potential and ability to peak at nationals make her chances to make the Olympic team very realistic. What should decide Nagasu's fate will be her ability to rotate jumps. Even though the execution judges are no longer required to give a downgraded jump a -GOE, under rotated jumps are still very costly under the new scoring system and will tarnish any advantage Nagasu would have on the second mark. Luckily for Nagasu, Czisny and Wagner have frequently had jumps downgraded as well, and Nagasu receiving full credit for her planned five triples at Skate Canada is certainly a step in the right direction. Nagasu has scored well domestically, and she will be difficult to unseat for an Olympic berth if she goes close to clean in Spokane. However, a meager difference in the rotation of a jump can put a lifelong dream on hold.

Ashley Wagner

Expectations Going In: Wagner burst out onto the scene as a senior level skater in the 2007/2008 season when she took home a bronze medal at the U.S. Championships. Battling injury, pressure, and the unenviable task of following Miki Ando (who withdrew during the beginning of her skate due to an injury), Wagner only finished 16th at her only World Championship thus far. The 2008 U.S. bronze medalist decided to change coaches from Shirley Hughes to Priscilla Hill in 2008, and while Wagner didn't make the world team last year, her coaching switch appears to be paying off with two medals on the Grand Prix this season and a 4th place finish at the Grand Prix Final. Wagner appears to be the favorite to take the second Olympic ticket (behind Rachael Flatt), but with Czisny and Nagasu nipping at her heels, Wagner cannot attain an Olympic berth without two creditable performances.

Pros: The change in Wagner's artistry since moving to Priscilla Hill is night and day, and the two-time World Junior bronze medalist has two strong, dramatic programs this season to showcase that improvement: a short to the soundtrack of Once Upon a Time in America, and a long to the music of "Polovtsian Dances." Wagner is one of the most complete U.S. ladies skaters, boasting strong jumps, spins, speed, and musicality. Wagner was the only U.S. lady to qualify to the Grand Prix Final, and a 4th place finish there should help her out politically heading into Nationals. Wagner won the long program at last year's U.S. Championships with only five clean triples, and she placed ahead of Rachael Flatt and Caroline Zhang, who both landed six triples. Wagner was the only U.S. lady to medal in both of her Grand Prix events this season, and she set personal bests at the Rostelecom Cup for both her long program and her overall segment total. Wagner stated on her Facebook account that she is "plugging away at those triple-triples," and Priscilla Hill insisted in a New York Times article that Wagner was far from her optimum form during the Grand Prix season.

Cons: Wagner has yet to kick her flutz habit to the curb, and out of six attempts at that jump during this season's Grand Prix she received one "!" and five "e" edge-calls (and the "e" edge-calls are the more severe of the two). She is also a skater to often under rotate jumps, and no jump is immune from being downgraded for Wagner. The current U.S. pewter medalist has had not one, but two, double axels downgraded this season, and she also has received two downgrades on her second triple flip in the long program. Wagner puts a triple lutz late in the long program, which she often receives a -2 GOE for, even if otherwise done cleanly, instead of doing an easier triple toe that would give her around the same point value. The same logic could also be applied to her short program, where the substitution of a loop or salchow for her lutz would likely augment her score. Also, Wagner's plans to do a triple-triple backfired last year, and she has not competed one cleanly since 2008 Nationals. Wagner's PCS went down in the long program from NHK Trophy to the Grand Prix Final, with her GPF free skate being far superior to her one executed at NHK.

Outlook: For better or for worse, Wagner certainly has confidence, going as far as to imply that she could surprise and win the Olympic Games in a New York Times article. Wagner has easily been the second best skater in the long program this year, but Czisny should have an advantage with her short program if Wagner's flutz remains intact. It is worth mentioning that the U.S. technical specialists tend to be more lax with edge calls and have been so to Wagner's lutzes in the past: in 2008, Wagner received no edge call for any of her three lutzes, and she only received an "!" for one of them in 2009. However, the U.S. technical specialists were not shy at Nationals last year when it came to downgrading jumps, which is something that could make an attempt at a triple-triple unwise. Scott Hamilton did mention during his commentary at the Grand Prix Final that Wagner should increase her difficulty, but cleanliness might be the best route with top rivals such as Czisny and Nagasu bound to make errors somewhere. Wagner has been neither brilliant nor dreadful this season, but she has been reasonably solid across three competitions. Adding that with a 4th place finish at the Grand Prix Final should ensure Wagner of the ability to control her own destiny at the U.S. Championships, as she has been marked well at this event in the past with less credentials entering in.

Caroline Zhang

Expectations Going In: Like Nagasu, Caroline Zhang was considered a budding talent whilst on the junior ranks, as evidenced by her taking home the gold medal at the 2007 World Junior Championships. Her first experience on the senior Grand Prix went well, and she took 4th place at the 2007 Grand Prix Final with an overall score that has not since been matched by a U.S. lady in ISU competition. Zhang was too young to qualify to the senior world team in 2008, but she became eligible in 2009 and just missed a spot on the team. Many felt that she should have been on the world team with her impressive performances at both the 2009 Four Continents Championships and the 2009 World Team Trophy. Since then, however, Zhang has not indicated that she will skate well enough in Spokane to be at all deserving of an Olympic berth.

Pros: Arguably the most flexible skater in the world, Zhang is renowned for her six o'clock spirals and her stunning "pearl" and Bielmann spin positions, as she frequently receives high levels and GOE through the roof for her spins and spiral sequences. Zhang delivered near clean long programs at both the 2008 and the 2009 U.S. Championships and is one to perform near her optimum in the later part of the season. Zhang's new short program to "Zigeunerweisen" showcases a fire and intensity that has been missing from several of her previous programs. Zhang's personal best in her long program, a 116.80, has only been surpassed by one of the ladies set to compete in Spokane, Sasha Cohen. Zhang also has a full arsenal of triples besides the axel and will likely be one of the only women attempting triple-triple combinations in Spokane.

Cons: Zhang didn't perform terribly at her opening event of the season, Trophee Eric Bompard, but her PCS marks went down considerably from when she had last competed at the World Team Trophy. Zhang would go on to miss the podium at that event and finish 4th, but the worst was yet to come. At Skate Canada, Zhang had the worst long program of her career as a senior level skater, scoring only 77.88 for a performance of which contained two falls and an invalid jumping pass. Zhang's poor speed, transitions, and overall artistry were reflected brashly in the judges' marks, with one judge going as far as to give Zhang a 2.5 for transitions. Zhang has not had much political favor domestically, and her fall international showing will certainly not aid her in that regard. Zhang landed six triples in her 2008 and 2009 Nationals free skates, but both times she only finished 4th in the long program phase of the event. Zhang has said to be incapable of breaking out of her comfort zone, and it certainly appears to be that way with so many of her weaknesses including her flutz, mule kick, poor stroking, lack of transitions, and molasses speed showing little or no improvement from when she was on the junior level.

Outlook: Zhang's season appears to have been doomed from the start, with two coaching changes and a partial tear of her ACL occurring over the summer. Zhang had a pitiful outing at Skate Canada, but she has shown a fighting spirit several times in the past and should improve for nationals; however, even a dramatic improvement will mean nothing for Zhang's nearly non-existent Olympic chances. The U.S. judges have never scored Zhang beneficially and certainly won't start doing so with her poor Grand Prix season. Zhang will still be much in the running to earn a 4th ticket to what is perhaps a painfully familiar event for her: the World Junior Championships. Zhang's poor technique on just about every jump (except the salchow, which interestingly she never did throughout much of 2007-2008) and her poor speed going into those jumps will hold Zhang back forever unless if major changes are to be in order. Zhang did grow taller last year, yet she interestingly dealt with all of her technical issues well (for the most part). Unfortunately, it appears as though an injury and a further growth spurt have expired Zhang's success with her many technique foibles. Zhang is incredibly talented and can make a splash come 2014, if she does something she has never done before: break out of her comfort zone.

Predictions

Gold: Rachael Flatt- Flatt should start winning respect from the U.S. judges after her excellent showing at Skate America. If Cohen is not to come back and Czisny remains a headcase - both of which appear likely - Flatt will be the United States' only hope for a ladies medal in Vancouver.

Silver: Ashley Wagner- If the U.S. judges are lax with edge calls, Wagner will be in very good stead to make her first Olympic team. Still, the two-time Junior World bronze medalist would be wise to arrange her jump layouts in such a way that she wouldn't have a try the jump in either program. Triple-triple combinations are great if they're landed (or even just rotated), but they could be unnecessary, or detrimental, to Wagner's Olympic bid.

Bronze: Alissa Czisny- Quite an irony this would be if Czisny were to finish 3rd after basically losing the third spot for the United States in Los Angeles. The judges would look terrible if they blatantly prop up Czisny as they did last year, but she still should be marked favorably with a decent fall international season behind her. However, Czisny cannot go clean in both programs to save her life, and an Olympic ticket on the line won't help her out at all in that endeavor.

4th: Mirai Nagasu- She should perform at least decently here considering her past nationals showings, but downgrades always plague her and could cost her dearly at this event. Nagasu's PCS have been fine domestically, but have not been so fine internationally this season. Thus, it will be interesting to see if her lower PCS marks (especially comparative to Czisny's) at Skate Canada will show up at Nationals.

5th: Caroline Zhang- Has no where to go but up after her performance at Skate Canada, and she has delivered good skates at the past two U.S. Championships. All of that won't mean anything, however, because the judges won't be on her side.

6th: Christina Gao- She has good jumps, very good jumps, and not much else. Still, Brian Orser and his assistants are absolutely heading Gao in the right direction, and she is in the position to have a very admirable showing at these Championships.

7th: Emily Hughes- She had an adequate outing at Skate America on short notice and should display relative improvement for this competition. Under rotated jumps will be a major factor in her placement, but Hughes is experienced enough to get decent PCS and avoid cleaning the ice here.

8th: Alexe Gilles- She is a fairly elegant skater but her jumps are quite often not there for her. She had a fair showing last year and will hopefully take that experience to perform well again.

9th: Bebe Liang- She generally manages somewhat decent showings at nationals, but top ten will probably be the highest realistic goal for her after her poor finish last year and her rough outings in the fall.

WD: Sasha Cohen- Her injury situation was dire enough to pull her out of an event with a weak field and little at stake at Skate America. Recent videos from the show "Improv Ice" show Cohen struggling with one of the easiest jumps, the salchow. Perhaps we may be lucky enough and see Cohen show up in Spokane to do a short program and then mysteriously bow out prior to the long.

2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships Ladies Preview

2009-12-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

Two years ago at this very competition, the talent pool for U.S. ladies figure skating appeared limitless. There was Mirai Nagasu, the winner of the event who scored an eye-popping 70.23 points for her short program. Then there was silver medalist Rachael Flatt, who landed ten triples throughout the course of the competition, bronze medalist Ashley Wagner, who displayed a rare triple lutz-triple loop combination in both programs, and 4th place finisher Caroline Zhang, who skated an excellent long program while still finishing outside of the top three. Unfortunately, an age rule preventing Nagasu, Flatt, and Zhang from competing at Worlds meant that U.S. Figure Skating would be represented by the then immature Wagner, the interminably error-prone Beatrisa Liang, and the confidence-stricken Kimmie Meissner. Not surprisingly, the U.S. ladies failed to earn three berths for the following year's World Championships. The ladies' prospects for the 2009 World Championships hardly looked better, and the result was no different. Alissa Czisny managed to splat her way to win the 2009 U.S. title in controversial fashion, and she would splat once again, twice in fact, in her short program at the 2009 World Championships. Czisny would eventually finish 11th, while compatriot Rachael Flatt fared better to finish 5th; however, no U.S. lady had proven to have the technical and artistic gifts to realistically vie for a medal, and certainly not a gold, on a premier international stage.

Enter Sasha Cohen. The 2006 Olympic silver medalist was supposed to save the day; she was supposed to be the solution to win a medal at the Winter Games, or, at the very least, to ignite increased exposure for the Olympics that would not be existent otherwise. Fans around the world, perhaps delusionally, thought that this comeback effort would be brilliant. Cohen was looking fit on tour. Cohen was supposedly practicing triple-triples. Cohen was going to be coached by task master Rafael Artunian. Cohen was going to rearrange her "Moonlight Sonata" program that was so lauded on tour. Now, Cohen is merely attempting to save her own comeback from amounting to nothing. Cohen is on her third strike now, having withdrawn from TEB and Skate America, but it is still debatable over whether Cohen will even attempt to step up to bat in January.

While Cohen has been out of it, several of the U.S. ladies have been faring much better. Rachael Flatt beat current World Champion Yu-Na Kim in the free skate at this season's Skate America, and Flatt didn't even receive credit for her final spin combination. Ashley Wagner pulled off an impressive 4th place finish at the 2009 Grand Prix Final. Alissa Czisny has even managed to skate several clean short programs this year, and she won a silver medal at this season's Skate Canada. Mirai Nagasu's season has not been brilliant, but even she won the short program at the 2009 Cup of China. Cohen certainly has an uphill climb to make the Olympic team while planning to compete for the first time in nearly four years, but it is still not out of the question for her to do so if she is to miraculously become fit, healthy, and peaked for nationals. Despite what the selection procedure states about Olympic team results being decided on multiple events, all does come down to the results of the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The training has been arduous; the pressure, intense; but the rewards of earning the right to compete at the Olympics speak for themselves. After January 23rd, 2010, two women will be able to call those rewards their own.

Skaters Featured in Post

Sasha Cohen
Alissa Czisny
Rachael Flatt
Christina Gao
Alexe Gilles

Emily Hughes
Beatrisa Liang
Mirai Nagasu
Ashley Wagner
Caroline Zhang

Red indicates commentary of skater is featured in part one of preview
Blue indicates commentary of skater is featured in part two of preview

Sasha Cohen

Expectations Going In: Cohen enters this event as the true enigma of the championship. The 25-year-old Laguna Niguel, California native’s programs have yet to be shown in their entirety, fans haven’t even seen her jump since a show at the beginning of October, and her injury - tendinitis in her calf - was first thought to be a sham. Cohen's injury was serious enough to keep her out of Skate America, which was host to a very weak ladies field (with the exception of Kim and Flatt). The blog "Aunt Joyce's Ice Cream Stand" reports that Cohen is continuing to struggle in training. Hence, few of Cohen's fans are so hopeful any longer, and it would be surprise to many just to see Cohen board a flight to Spokane in January.

Pros: Cohen's artistry far surpasses that of any of the U.S. women competing today. The two-time Olympian has supreme musicality and interpretation, qualities which were the prime reason why she won the 2006 Olympic silver medal and World Championship medals in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Armed with legs that extend to tomorrow, beautifully shaped feet, and a supple back, Cohen is one of the most limber athletes to ever compete in figure skating, with such flexibility allowing her spin and spiral positions to be nothing short of brilliant. Cohen has long been scored favorably both domestically and abroad, and the judges marked Cohen well at the 2006 Olympic Games, despite her having two major mistakes in her long program. ISU head Ottavio Cinquanta commented upon the announcement of Cohen's return that "Now we can have the Sasha Cohen era as a strong skater with more experience," and that "It is a good decision for the ISU and her." Statements such as those suggest that Cohen is still favored politically even after having not competed for years. U.S. Figure Skating, void of having a star in the ladies event since Cohen's departure from the sport, should feel no differently toward Cohen if she is to skate well in Spokane.

Cons: Cohen is a habitual flutz offender and will likely receive wrong-edge deductions for that jump that she did not receive during and before 2006. Cohen has yet to skate a clean long program at a U.S. Championships, World Championships, or Olympic Games. Cohen's injury situation is obviously dire- or at least it was a month ago - because her old form would have had no issue medaling at Skate America. Recent returns to competition after injury from Patrick Chan, Stephane Lambiel, and Daisuke Takahashi haven't exactly been smooth, and they weren't away from competition as long as Cohen, nor were they making their return to events with as much pressure as what Cohen will face in Spokane. Debuting programs and testing out jumps for the first time with an Olympic team berth on the line will be a daunting task for the 2006 U.S. Champion, who has never been an especially brilliant competitor or jumper, even while at her athletic peak. The other U.S. ladies have had time to test out their programs, get feedback on them, and to rearrange jump layouts if necessary; Cohen, however, has none of those luxuries entering this event.

Outlook: Even though Cohen is planning on making her return to a competition that is essentially an Olympic trials, she really has little to lose if she is to perform poorly here, provided she doesn't risk further injury. Cohen has already competed at two Olympics and won a medal, and a failed comeback won't be the first thing that defines Sasha Cohen to people in the skating community after all of this is said and done. After all, Cohen has commented that she misses the fire and intensity associated with competition, and what better way to experience that than at a national championship in an Olympic year. It is unknown how much or how little Cohen will factor in at this event, or if she will even make an attempt to factor in at all. Cohen would be the first lady in 74 years to make a third U.S. Olympic team, but the 2006 Olympic silver medalist's efforts to make that happen have likely been too little, too late.

Alissa Czisny

Expectations Going In: At last year's U.S. Championships, Czisny was one of four athletes (Flatt, Wagner, and Zhang being the other three) favored to make the world team. Out of the four, Czisny was chosen as the judges' favorite and she became national title in an extremely controversial result. Czisny only managed to land three clean triples in her long program, yet she placed above Caroline Zhang, who landed six triples, in that portion of the competition. USFSA's tactless and peculiar propping up of Czisny backfired when the reigning U.S. Champion continued upon her head case ways, as she fell twice in the short program at the World Championships en route to an 11th place finish. A disappointing outing in L.A., however, didn't seem to hinder Czisny's confidence badly in the least. Czisny won a silver medal at Skate Canada, and while she has met with trouble in several of her long programs this year, her short program has been successful competition after competition. Czisny is not favored to repeat as champion, but she does still make a strong case for the second Olympic berth.

Pros: Czisny is one of the world's most exemplary spinners, spinning faster than a tornado while maintaining immaculate positions. The two-time world team member has always been noted for her artistry and maturity on the ice, and she has two great programs to showcase that this year: a short program to Mask of Zorro and an improved revival of last year's long program to Dr. Zhivago. Her current programs have been well received by the international judges, as evidenced by Czisny having the highest average PCS score in the long program among all of the U.S. women this season. Czisny is one of the few U.S. ladies consistently capable of taking off of an outside edge whilst attempting a lutz jump, and she is also one of just a handful of skaters to ever perform a Charlotte spiral. Czisny has skated near-clean short programs at every competition she has skated in since the 2009 Worlds, and her SP score of 63.52 at Skate Canada has only been bested by current world medalists Yu-Na Kim, Joannie Rochette, and Miki Ando so far this season.

Cons: Czisny was coming into the 2006 U.S. Championships as one of the favorites to claim an Olympic berth after she had qualified to the Grand Prix Final. Instead, Czisny would fall five times throughout the course of the event and finish the event in 7th place. Czisny has taken much effort to improve her jump technique and her consistency in competition, whether it be attending numerous competitions throughout the summer or working on her jumps with Brian Boitano and his former coach, Linda Leaver. Czisny has improved, but her nerves are still bound to fail her at inopportune times. Czisny fell once in her long program at the Rostelecom Cup and twice in her long at Skate Canada, and she had nine triples downgraded between Nebelhorn and her two Grand Prixs this season. Czisny has not received full credit for a triple loop at an ISU event this season, and she does not attempt a triple salchow jump. She also has a tendency to take off of her triple flip from an outside edge, thus incurring an additional penalty.

Outlook: One shouldn't expect the judges to prop up Czisny like they did last year - particularly if Cohen competes - but she has been marked well internationally this season and her always favorable marks at the U.S. Championships should continue to come. The two-time U.S. medalist has been upgrading her jump content, as she has added both a double axel-double axel sequence and a second triple loop to her long program jump layout. She would be wise to scale back her second loop to a double axel, as her triple loop consistency from last season has vanished. Czisny should go for a safer jump layout because her PCS, spins, and spirals will be enough to cushion her over Ashley Wagner, who lacks Czisny's finesse and doesn't have as high a scoring potential in the short program. Czisny's consistency with short programs has been impressive this year, and continued solidity there should allow her to be ranked first or second after that phase. However, Wagner can surpass her in the long program if Czisny's downgrade woes continue. Czisny's chances for actually repeating as champion of the United States are low, as Rachael Flatt certainly has picked up much momentum after Skate America. Czisny should still have an advantage over Flatt with PCS, but likely not as much as before, and Flatt's jumps should have no issue making up any ground on the second mark. Czisny's case for making the team via the second spot is by no means assured; however, she is a strong enough skater to control her own destiny toward securing that ticket.

Rachael Flatt

Expectations Going In: The 17-year-old native of Del Mar, California, won the U.S. silver medal in 2008 and 2009, both competitions of which some felt she should have won. Too young to qualify in 2008, Flatt made her first trip to the senior worlds in 2009, where she took full advantage of others' mistakes to finish in the top five. Her 2009/2010 season started off abruptly with a weak showing at the Cup of China, where she finished 4th, but the disappointment of that event was erased with a strong second place finish at Skate America, where she landed seven triples in her long program and beat Yu-Na Kim in that phase. Although Flatt narrowly missed qualifying to the Grand Prix Final, she does enter her fourth U.S. Championships at the senior level as the favorite.

Pros: Flatt marked a personal best score of 116.11 for her long at Skate America, which is the highest long program mark attained by any American lady this season by over seven points. Flatt attained the score even though her final spin combination did not count, and her long program and overall segment scores from that competition have only been bested by five women thus far this season. The reigning U.S. silver medalist has improved several aspects of her skating for this Olympic season, including her presentation to the audience (best evidenced in her short program to "Sing, Sing, Sing") and her lutz, which received no edge call at Skate America or Cup of China. Flatt has skated cleanly (minus a downgrade on her triple-triple last year) at the last two U.S. Championships and is easily the most consistent jumper among the top American women.

Cons: Flatt has a very awkwardly proportioned body and it hinders parts of her skating such as flexibility and posture. Flatt is routinely criticized for her lack of speed and this weakness continues to be very much on display during her long program to "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini," where Flatt gets little power in her stroking during the later part of the program. Flatt's posture is considerably hunched over, and she thus doesn't have great usage of her upper body as she skates. To top that off, several of Flatt’s spin positions are less than desirable, with her catch-foot spin being particularly poor. In regards to political favor, Flatt has not received the benefit of the doubt at the last two U.S. Championships. In 2008, Flatt went to skate a clean short that contained a triple-triple, but she only finished third in that phase and was over seven points behind Nagasu. In 2009, Czisny's short program scored over five points higher than Flatt's short (with both skating programs with similar content and execution) and Czisny's three-triple long program only placed a little over a point below Flatt's six triple long program at that event. Flatt's PCS score during her long at those U.S. Championships was also only the 5th highest of the night for a basically clean skate, and she scored over seven points back of Czisny on that mark.

Outlook: Flatt was nearly 18 points away from the bronze medal at the World Championships, but the international judges are warming up to her and with Cohen's comeback woes, Czisny's jump issues, and Wagner's inconsistency, Flatt looks to be the only American woman with even a remote shot of contending for an Olympic medal. The judges can arrange the marks how they want to, but Flatt has marked over 116 for a long program when Wagner's best is under 109 and Czisny and Nagasu are struggling just to break 100. Slow, mundane, boring, flat, whatever you want to call her, Flatt is more and more looking like the top American woman and the U.S. judges ought to recognize that and favor her instead of favoring someone else who will diminish the need for a Zamboni. With the results of the 2009 Worlds and Skate America, Flatt's PCS should increase for the U.S. Championships, and she should be looking at a first U.S. title and a ticket to Vancouver if she arrives as fit to Spokane as she has for the past two years at this event.

Christina Gao

Expectations Going In: Gao is not a contender for the Olympic team, but she could make a case for either the Four Continents team or the Junior Worlds team if she continues her rapid improvement under the tutelage of Brian Orser. Gao will be entering her first U.S. Championships on the senior level after finishing third last year on the junior level. She bested Canadian Cynthia Phaneuf during the long program at a competition in Quebec last summer, and she won three bronze medals this year on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, including one of them that was attained at the Junior Grand Prix Final.

Pros: Gao scored personal bests in both phases of competition at the Junior Grand Prix Final, and she completed all of her planned triple jumps successfully. Gao has both a high jump and a quick head spot, which enable her to rotate her triples consistently. Brian Orser's magic as a coach is clearly rubbing off on Gao, who has gone from being the third ranked junior skater at U.S nationals last year to becoming the top U.S. finisher at the Junior Grand Prix Final. Gao has the 7th highest seasons best among the U.S. ladies, and she was credited with landing six triple jumps at the Junior Grand Prix Final, something that Czisny, Nagasu, Wagner, and Zhang have yet to do in an ISU competition this season. Gao can also be lauded for her ability to go outside the box with different music choices: she skates her short program to "Morning Passages" from the film soundtrack of The Hours and her long program is to the music of the ballet "La Fille Mal Gardee."

Cons: Gao is in desperate need of extension in her sit spins, spirals, and choreography. Gao lacks stylistic maturity and is not one to project and express herself to the audience. Her personal best score of 151.47 achieved at JGPF is solid, but even when adding in 3-4 points for a missing spiral sequence (as the juniors aren't currently allowed to have a spiral in their LP) and a possible score inflation, Gao would still have been 10-15 points back of placing in the top three at last year's U.S. Championships with clean skates. It is also worth mentioning that Gao's scores at her opening two Junior Grand Prixs were over 16 points lower than what she attained in Tokyo at the Final. Gao has an egregious flutz, and she doesn't appear to have enough speed coming out of her triple lutz or a strong enough toe-pick assistance on her double toe to upgrade that combination to a triple-triple. Gao will not only need to speed up to challenge the top U.S. women, but she will also need to augment her currently rudimentary choreography.

Outlook: Gao should be extremely proud of her improvement, as she went from scoring a 128.69 at last year's U.S. Championships to a 151.47 at JGPF in less than a year. Gao should have no issue breaking the top ten in Spokane and solid performances like those she produced in Tokyo could even break her into the top six. A strong showing at nationals should get Gao either a Four Continents assignment or a Junior Worlds assignment, the latter of which being more likely. Gao turns 16 in July 2010 and has a bright future ahead of her. She still has much room to grow and improve, but she has come a long way in the last year and should continue to do under the eyes of Brian Orser. Gao is blessed with a very ideal body for a figure skater, and she will hopefully fine tune her technique and artistry in the coming future to let her skating reach its fullest potential.

Alexe Gilles

Expectations Going In: Gilles appeared to be a possible dark horse for an Olympic team after winning the bronze medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final last season and placing 5th at Trophee Eric Bompard this year. Unfortunately, a 10th place finish at Skate America won't do well for Gilles's nerves, nor will it serve her in good stead in the eyes of the judges in Spokane. Gilles has a reasonable chance for a Four Continents or Junior Worlds assignment, but her prospects of making an Olympic or World Championship team are far darker than even a dark horse's.

Pros: Gilles has a charming, elegant presence on the ice, which she best shows off in her beautiful short program to Strauss's Cinderella. Gilles placed 2nd in TES and 4th overall during the short program phase of this year’s Trophee Eric Bompard. Gilles would go on to beat Carolina Kostner, Kiira Korpi, and Elene Gedevanishvilli to finish 5th, and Gilles was just 1.24 points away from taking 4th ahead of compatriot Caroline Zhang. Gilles is one of the only U.S. skaters who are consistently capable of taking off from the correct edge on her lutz, and she did not receive any downgrades for her triple jumps at TEB. Gilles gets nice height on her triples and is also solid in the other elements of her skating, as evidenced by her receiving level threes and fours for all of her non-jump elements (except one) throughout her two Grand Prix events.

Cons: Gilles doesn't have much of a reputation domestically or internationally, and her scores at both TEB and last year's U.S. Championships were both thought to be too low by many fans. Gilles has somewhat erratic jumps and it will be difficult with her 5'7" frame to be able to gain that consistency (just ask Carolina Kostner). Tara Lipinski also commented at Skate America that part of the problem that tends to give Gilles issues on her jumps is her lack of speed going into them. A lack of speed throughout Gilles's stroking and non-jump elements does impede her overall scoring potential sizably. Gilles is somewhat prone to lipping, as she received an "!" edge call for all three of her triple flip attempts at Skate America. Also, Gilles has relatively weak flexibility and has a particularly unflattering Biellmann position (if one could even call it that). The choreography in Gilles's programs is fairly elementary, as are her transitions preceding major elements.

Outlook: Gilles is a talented skater with a creditable sense of musicality and pretty jumps when they are on. However, she has quite a bit of room for improvement and will need to fill that if she is to ever make a World Championship or Olympic team. Gilles is actually fairly consistent with rotating jumps despite being so tall, but her timing has to be 100% precise to land the difficult triples considering her height. Gilles will need to skate faster in all of her elements: stroking, spins, spirals among them. Gilles also needs to add more difficult choreography and a triple loop entering her jump repertoire couldn't hurt either. Despite these weaknesses, Gilles's basics are there. Her edges are decent, she has nice square hips while approaching her flip and lutz jumps, and she does have an innate sense of musicality. Gilles is 17 and should thus have the next quadrennial to make these improvements if she chooses to continue skating. While Gilles may not be in Vancouver, it is very possible that she will be skating at several major competitions to come.

Part two to come shortly.

2009 Grand Prix Final Ladies Preview

2009-11-26T08:57:00.000-08:00

Thousands of Japanese skating fans bought tickets to the 2009 ISU Grand Prix Final with the expectations that they would be witnessing their hometown heroine, Mao Asada, take on her premier rival, Yu-Na Kim, in a pre-Olympic showdown. While Kim easily qualified to this event, Asada's career hit rock bottom at Cup of Russia, where three failed attempts at the storied triple axel lead her to finish off the podium for only the second time in her career as a senior level skater. Asada's absence from the Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo next week is of a particularly sad irony, as the 2008 world champion won this event in that very arena back in 2005 when she was not age-eligible to compete at the 2006 Olympic Games. With Asada out, the Japanese will now look to 2007 world champion Miki Ando, the winner of two Grand Prix events this season, to try and match Kim. Another athlete from the host nation, Akiko Suzuki, will be looking to secure an Olympic berth at the Grand Prix Final, which would be quite an inspirational culmination to a career that was stagnated by Anorexia five years ago. Alena Leonova will be making her first trip to the Final and could be looking at a podium finish if her consistency remains intact. The only United States representative for the ladies in Tokyo, Ashley Wagner, is seeming to provide some light at the end of the tunnel for the shallow state of U.S. ladies figure skating. However, Kim's top rival won't be Suzuki, it won't be Leonova, it won't be Wagner, and it may not even be Ando. The international judges have not always sided with the five-time Canadian champion Joannie Rochette, but they are appearing to favor her immensely now, late in her career, to become the first Canadian ladies medalist at an Olympic Games since Elizabeth Manley in 1988.

While the Grand Prix Final is not life or death, there is still much to be gained and much to be lost at this event. For Kim, another less than desirable performance could cause some of her immense favor from the judges to diminish. Despite winning Skate Canada, Rochette has not skated with enough quality this season to realistically challenge the likes of Kim. Ando and Suzuki are both battling one another to become the highest placing Japanese skater, and thus, a winner of an Olympic berth. Leonova is set to be on her nation's Olympic team, but needs a strong competition here to even be considered as a remotely realistic prospect for a medal in Vancouver. It is certainly advantageous for Wagner to be the only American here, but having just barely placed ahead of the top two finishers from last year's U.S. nationals, Alissa Czisny and Rachael Flatt, Wagner's opportunity for receiving one of the two Olympic berths allotted for the American ladies in Vancouver is by no means assured. When also factoring in the potential return of 2006 Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen, Wagner needs nothing less than a strong showing here to further prove her worth of an Olympic berth. The Grand Prix series up to this point has been unpredictable enough, and with six of the top female figure skaters in the world skating in one event, that unpredictability shouldn't die off. With much to gain and much to lose, the skaters will be demanded to produce their competitive mettle to wish for a medal at this competition. This event could ultimately foreshadow what is to occur at the biggest outing of these athletes' lives, the XXI Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada.

The Finalists

Miki Ando (Japan)
Yu-Na Kim (South Korea)
Alena Leonova (Russia)
Joannie Rochette (Canada)
Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
Ashley Wagner (USA)

Miki Ando (Japan)

Top Achievements: 2007 World Champion, 2009 world bronze medalist, Four-time Grand Prix finalist, 2009 NHK Trophy Champion, 2009 Rostelecom Cup Champion, 2006 Skate America Champion, 2006 Olympian, 2004/2005 Japanese champion

Pros: With Asada's demise, Ando has become the current top female skater in Japan, having won both of her Grand Prix events this season. Lauded for her high, secure jumps, the 2007 world champion is the only female skater to have ever landed a quadruple jump in competition. Ando is capable of landing triple lutz-triple loop combos, a jumping pass more difficult than the triple lutz-triple toe Yu-Na Kim is currently attempting, and Ando has also avoided receiving an edge call on either her lutz or her flip this season. Ando has shown improved artistry in her programs for this year, with a short program to Mozart's "Requiem" and a Cleopatra-themed long program to the soundtracks from both the television series "Rome" and "Marco Polo." The judges have been marking Ando's PCS marks favorably this year, and her artistic score has been consistently higher this season than it was during her Grand Prix events last year.

Cons: Ando's improvement artistically still does not make her a true "artist" on the ice, as she lags behind several of the top female skaters in musicality, posture, and extension. Ando's primary resource for boosting her score is jumps, but those haven't been especially brilliant since last season's worlds. Her lone attempt at a triple-triple so far this season ended with both a faulty landing and a downgrade on the second jump. Ando has also had issues with her double axel-triple toe loop combination, both falling and under rotating the pass at the Rostelecom Cup and nixing the combo entirely when she struggled with it during the women's free warm-up at NHK. Particularly with the intense media scrutiny in Japan, Ando will have much more pressure placed on her at this event being the top female Japanese skater, a position she has little experience filling. Ando has historically not done well at the Grand Prix Final: While she has qualified four times, she has never brought home a medal.

Outlook: Ando is one to perform at her peak whilst the underdog, and with Asada out of the Grand Prix Final, entering the competition as Japan's premier female skater will bring about all sorts of new challenges for the two-time world medalist. Perhaps these challenges are what Ando is most looking forward to overcome, however, as she has commented that she absolutely wants to erase the disaster that was her 15th place finish in Torino. Although Ando did win both of her Grand Prix events, that accomplishment is not especially great when considering that her scores at Rostelecom and NHK were the two lowest winning scores throughout the six events, and her score of 162.55 at the latter event would not have even medaled at either Trophee Eric Bompard or Cup of China. However, perhaps, that is good news for her. Ando has not often shown to be capable of staying at her peak for an extended period of time, and poor showings at this event in 2006 and 2008 did not negatively impact her showing at the World Championships for those seasons in the least. Claiming an Olympic berth here would be ideal, and if Suzuki doesn't regain her Cup of China form, Ando should have no issue doing so. Considering Suzuki's poor showing at Skate Canada, and Ando's victories over Leonova and Wagner at Rostelecom and NHK, Ando appears destined for her first Grand Prix medal, but Ando winning this competition is about as likely as Sarah Palin disappearing from the public eye.

Yu-Na Kim (South Korea)

Top Achievements: 2009 World Champion, 2007 and 2008 world bronze medalist, 2006 and 2007 Grand Prix Final Champion, 2008 and 2009 Skate America Champion, 2006 and 2009 Trophee Eric Bompard Champion, 2009 Four Continents Champion, 2008 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, 2007 and 2008 Cup of China Champion, 2007 Cup of Russia Champion

Pros: The Roger Federer of ladies figure skating, South Korean superstar Yu-Na Kim owns both the current World title and the world record scores in the short program, free skate, and overall segment score. She achieved her world record free skate score of 133.95 at the recent Trophee Eric Bompard, where she completely jettisoned her triple flip and had four of her five non-jump elements only graded at a level three. Kim has been undefeated since this event last year, and the last time any of the 2009 Grand Prix Final qualifiers beat Kim was when Miki Ando won her world title in March 2007. Kim has breathtaking jumps, including her signature triple-triple combinations, and is the only woman to have ever received at or above +2 GOE on a jumping pass under the code of points in international competition. Kim also demonstrates commendable speed and interpretation in her two current programs: a flirtatious, scintillating short to the medley from the "James Bond" movies, and a polished, elegant long to Gershwin's "Piano Concerto in F."

Cons: Kim had one of her worst long programs in memory at her most recent competition, Skate America, losing that phase of the event to Rachael Flatt, a skater whose score at the 2009 World Championships was a staggering 17.94 points off of securing a medal. Kim had far less pressure and outside competition than she will in Tokyo or in Vancouver at Skate America, and her overall score at that event would not have medaled at last year's worlds. Kim has a colossal amount of pressure from the people of her homeland and she was seen in tears after performing her short program at last year's Grand Prix Final (held in South Korea), where she popped open her triple lutz. The current world champion has also struggled with maintaining her health for key competitions. Kim was ill for this event last year, and entered both the 2007 and 2008 World Championships battling a back injury. At all three competitions, Kim missed the gold medal at stake. Kim has not landed seven clean triples in a single program since 2007 Cup of Russia, and has not even done six cleanly since 2008 Skate America. Kim has substandard positions on her layback, Bielmann, and spiral positions, and she appears to be no longer keeping the triple loop jump in her repertoire.

Outlook: Kim picked the perfect competition to have a poor long program at Skate America. She seemed relieved, albeit disappointed, in the kiss and cry following the skate, which perhaps means that she just needed an event to get a bad skate out of her system, much like last year when she had a shaky outing at GPF only to win Four Continents and Worlds thereafter. If Kim goes clean, or close to it, she will simply be untouchable for the other women. Kim has broken 76 in the short program three times, whereas the highest score ever posted by any of her competitors at this event was a 70 by Rochette. Adding 5.5 points for the lost triple flip to her Trophee Eric Bompard long program score, Kim would be looking at a mark near 140. Add in some positive grades of execution for that element (during her short program at Skate America she received +1.8 GOE), a few more level fours for her spins, and a slight increase to her PCS score, Kim could be looking at a LP score near 145 if she goes absolutely clean. Taking Asada's score from WTT where she had an excellent free and adding back the points she lost for two downgraded jumps (plus some additional positive GOE) her score "only" hovers around 137. Kim has this gold medal and, most importantly, the Olympic gold medal, in the bag if she skates near her full potential. Winning this event will be a help to Kim's confidence and will win her a medal and some prize money, but in the end will count for hardly anything. If Yu-Na Kim is able to enter the Olympic Games in February in prime physical condition and a confident mindset, her name will be plastered adjacent to 1 on the scoreboard. There will simply be no way for anyone to catch her, not even a hometown boost for Rochette, not even three triple axels for Asada.

Alena Leonova (Russia)

Top Achievements: 2009 NHK Trophy silver medalist, 2009 Cup of Russia bronze medalist, 2009 Finlandia Trophy Champion, 2009 World Championships-7th place, 2009 World Junior Champion, 2009 European Championships-4th

Pros: The vivacious Russian is continuing to build off of her breakthrough last season with a win at the Finlandia Trophy and two medals on the Grand Prix circuit, which enabled her to qualify to this competition for the first time. Leonova finished a strong 7th at her first World Championships last year, and is noted to be one of the more consistent jumpers in the world today. Leonova has a full arsenal of triples (besides the axel) and has upgraded her jumping content from last season with a new triple toe-triple toe combination. Leonova is a fan favorite for her spunky personality on the ice and shows that off to its best with a short program to the Russian folk song "Barynya" and a long program to the soundtrack from "Chicago." Leonova could gain political favor at this event, as she is the only European lady to have qualified.

Cons: Leonova has the lowest average short program score from the Grand Prix series among the six qualifiers, and has the second lowest average PCS score from the long program. Also, Leonova's seasons best scores in the long program and overall segment total are the lowest among the six qualifiers. Leonova has unsatisfactory extension and her spins are far from brilliant. Leonova received edge calls for each of her four lutzes that she did throughout her two Grand Prixs, and she has failed to complete her new triple-triple combination after four attempts in competition thus far. Although Leonova always sells her programs, there is little else in her skating that supports her program components score. Her transitions are relatively choppy and her choreography is not the most difficult; therefore, the judges have yet to give her superior marks in that area.

Outlook: Leonova may be lacking in polish and refinement, but one thing she has that cannot be said for any of the other top European ladies is consistency. Gedevanishvilli, Korpi, Kostner, Lepisto, and Poykio struggle with varying degrees to consistently land their jumps and to avoid meltdowns at major events. Kostner is absolutely the top European lady at her prime, but that she has been not since her meltdown in Los Angeles and 6th place finishes at Trophee Eric Bompard and Cup of China. If Kostner doesn't get her act together, Kiira Korpi may end up being Leonova's top rival for a European title if Korpi's over scoring from Cup of China continues. This is where the importance of this event comes to Leonova. A strong placement here, and especially a podium finish, should not only help Leonova's confidence, but it also should give her a boost from the judges come Europeans to vie for the gold medal. Leonova is doubtful to reach the medals stand in Vancouver, but strong showings here and at Europeans should help the 19-year-old Leonova to stay competitive and to fend off a potential influx of upcoming Russian ladies skaters in the next quadrennium.

Joannie Rochette (Canada)

Top Achievements: 2006, 2008, and 2009 Skate Canada Champion, 2009 World silver medalist, 2008 and 2009 Four Continents silver medalist, 2005-2009 Canadian Champion, 2004 and 2008 Trophee Eric Bompard Champion, 2006 Olympic Games-5th, 2004 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist

Pros: Rochette is one of the best examples of skaters who combine the technical and artistic aspects of skating seamlessly, as her skating possesses strong, high jumps, and creditable musicality and choreography. On the technical side, Rochette not only avoids the wrong edge deductions on the lutz and flip, but also rotates her jumps consistently, and she is rewarded for being one of the few female skaters to consistently demonstrate those merits of fine jumping technique. On the artistic side, Rochette has strong skating skills and agility of the blade, and has augmented her expression and artistry over the past several seasons. Rochette has taken much effort into improving her ability to peak under pressure, whether it be touring with Stars On Ice or announcing publicly her intentions of winning a world championship medal last season. Having been successful in her endeavor to win a world championship medal last year, and having just recently won Skate Canada by over 20 points without skating at her optimum, Rochette has proven that she is entirely in the running to win Canada's first Olympic medal for ladies figure skating in over two decades.

Cons: Rochette had a meltdown during her short program at Cup of China, doubling the front end of her combination and leaving out the second jump entirely. She later went on to single her axel, finishing 7th in that phase and 3rd overall. The short program was what cost Rochette a medal at this event last year, and she also finished behind Cynthia Phaneuf (who had a fall) during the SP phase of the 2009 Canadian Nationals. Rochette has hopes of doing a triple-triple combination in her short, but has not once completed the element successfully. Rochette delivered a superb free skate at the Japan Open, a competition of little significance, but her condition went down at Cup of China and Skate Canada, where she executed weaker free skates that scored around 15 points lower than what she received at an inconsequential competition early on in the year. Rochette's potential scoring ability when going clean is considerably less than that of Kim or even Asada. Rochette's score for a clean, seven-triple long program at last year's Canadian Nationals was a 131.77, over two points lower than what Yu-Na Kim received in France for a five-triple program. Even when adding a hypothetical triple lutz-triple toe combination, Rochette's SP score at Skate Canada would still only be 72.7 (give or take depending on GOE and PCS), which is over three points lower than the personal bests of Asada and Kim. These scores, of course, are given in the event where Rochette is to do a clean long program, something she has never done internationally, and when she is to do a triple lutz-triple toe combination in the short, something she has never done.

Outlook: Rochette is faced with a dilemma off the bat. On one hand, she needs a triple-triple in the short to stay within striking distance of Kim for the gold medal, but she has every potential to still be in the running for an Olympic podium spot, but not necessarily gold, with a triple-double combination. This is where the Grand Prix Final comes in handy. It will be the ideal event for Rochette to test out the triple-triple combination, and to see how her rivals, specifically Kim, are looking. Rochette would obviously enjoy a podium finish here, and two strong showings should easily do the trick, but the five-time Canadian champion has not been especially impressive thus far this season. Her Cup of China performances were uneven, and she had a shaky long at Skate Canada. Thus, it is possible that Rochette may perform below her optimum at this event as well, but even a poor outing shouldn't diminish Rochette's reputation entering the Games, as she has plenty of that already in the bank from her world silver last year. Both the Grand Prix Final and Canadian Nationals will be events where Rochette won't have much to lose, but she will still have much to gain. An international event against world class skaters and a national event at home should be the ideal combination of competitions to get Rochette fit for Vancouver.

Akiko Suzuki (Japan)

Top Achievements: 2009 Cup of China Champion, 2009 Four Continents Championships-8th, 2008/2009 Japanese Nationals-4th, 2008 NHK Trophy silver medalist, 2008 Finlandia Trophy Champion

Pros: Suzuki has made a resilient comeback from Anorexia to become one of the top female figure skaters in Japan. 2009 Skate Canada notwithstanding, Suzuki has been a fairly consistent competitor throughout the last two seasons and has shown to be especially consistent when skating in Asia. At Cup of China, Suzuki scored the second highest free skate score of this year's Grand Prix series en route to her first career Grand Prix victory. Suzuki finished 4th at last year's Japanese Nationals, a placement deemed too low by several fans who thought that she was robbed of a podium finish because of an unfairly downgraded triple salchow in her long program. Suzuki has a full arsenal of triple jumps (besides the axel) and skates with fervent passion and speed. Suzuki generally skates her best when she is competing in or near her home country, as last year's NHK Trophy, Japanese Nationals, and this year's Cup of China have shown. Suzuki is the only skater competing at this event who actually trains in Japan, let alone Asia.

Cons: Suzuki has never been a judge's favorite, in part due to her weaker transitions and extension. Suzuki's average PCS score during the Grand Prix for her long program is the lowest among the six qualifiers, and she is prone to receiving deductions for turning onto an inside edge for her lutz. Suzuki is not an especially strong spinner, and her spirals leave much to be desired as well. Suzuki is lucky just to have qualified to the Final after a poor outing at Skate Canada, where she only landed three clean triples (one marked down by an edge call), but she survived to stay in the top five after epic meltdowns from Cynthia Phaneuf and Caroline Zhang surfaced. Even with two of her best performances, Suzuki was only able to place 4th at Cup of China during the short program phase, and her winning long program had a substandard PCS score of only 52.56. Suzuki was the lowest rank qualifier to this event, so she will fulfill the unenviable task of skating first in the short program, a start position often destined for lower marks.

Outlook: Suzuki would want nothing more than to snatch her Olympic berth in Tokyo for the Grand Prix Final. Miki Ando should be favored enough at Japanese Nationals to get a medal through PCS even if she doesn't skate well, such as what happened last year at Suzuki's expense. The same cannot necessarily be said for Suzuki, however, particularly after her poor showing at Skate Canada. Fumie Suguri may not be performing well so far this year but one absolutely shouldn't count her out: in 2005, she placed 8th at Skate Canada and went onto win Japanese Nationals under an even deeper field than what will be in store at this year's competition. Yukari Nakano at her 2008 worlds form should also have no issue finishing ahead of Suzuki and claiming an Olympic berth. Suzuki always seems to perform well at home, however, and if she can regain her magic from Cup of China she could be looking at a podium finish and an Olympic berth coming from this event. Although, without the judges on her side, Suzuki will need to take the hard way to the medals stand.

Ashley Wagner (USA)

Top Achivements: 2009 NHK Trophy bronze medalist, 2009 Rostelecom Cup silver medalist, 2007 and 2009 World Junior Bronze medalist, 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships-4th, 2008 World Championships qualifier, 2008 U.S. bronze medalist, 2007 Trophee Eric Bompard bronze medalist

Pros: Wagner has always been a creditable jumper; however, since changing coaches to Priscilla Hill, the 2008 U.S. bronze medalist has matured her presentation immensely and shows off that improvement this season with a dramatic short to the soundtrack from "Once Upon a Time in America" and an elegant long to "Polovtsian Dances." Wagner won the long program at last year's U.S. Nationals with a program that only contained five triples, and she could have won the overall title were it not for a faulty short program. Wagner scored personal bests for the long program and overall segment total at the recent Rostelecom Cup. The 2008 U.S. bronze medalist takes full advantage of the rule allowing 10% bonus to be awarded for jumping pass after the midway point of a long program, as she does a triple loop-double axel sequence, a triple flip-double axel sequence, and a triple lutz deep into the program. A well-rounded skater, Wagner demonstrates both excellent speed and refined positions throughout her skating.

Cons: Wagner has an egregious flutz, and she has yet to not receive an edge call on that particular element this season. Wagner's triple-triple combinations seem to have disappeared, and she doesn't look capable of adding a triple toe loop as a combination jump, as she has a tendency to toe-axel her double toes (something she had a downgrade on at the 2009 U.S. Nationals). While Wagner is able to execute difficult jumps after the halfway point of a program, her stamina goes out the door when straight line footwork is concerned. Her straight line step sequence at the conclusion of her long program is fairly lethargic and makes for a poor concluding impression of her performance. Wagner has proven very susceptible to nerves: At last year's U.S. Nationals, she was completely in the running for a U.S. title, but an error littered short program prevented any hope of that happening. Wagner was only 16th at her first World Championships in 2008, and a shaky free at the NHK Trophy prevented her from winning a championship that was entirely within her grasp.

Outlook: The first order of business for Wagner is to replace her triple lutz in the short with a triple loop. The loop has been a solid jump for her this year and would actually get her more credit than a lutz with an "e" edge call, or even an "!" call. Wagner rearranged her jump layout several times last season, and appears to be doing the same this year as well. Hopefully, she won't be changing her jump layout too much more, but there are still some potentially easy switches of jumps in her long program that could be beneficial to her. Wagner has a fairly competitive jump layout for the long already, but her flutz at the end with an "e" call is going to get her about the same credit as a clean triple toe loop, so she would be wise to make that change as well. For a podium finish here, Wagner is going to rely on other skater's mistakes because she does not possess consistent triple-triple combinations or the high program component scores given to Kim, Rochette, and Ando. However, even just skating well and improving upon her personal bests will be a tremendous confidence boost for Ashley and will give her a leg up in the tight race for the two Olympic berths when U.S. Nationals arrive. Wagner has been scored well domestically for the last two years, and a strong finish here will help her create her own destiny toward making that Olympic team.

Predictions

Gold: Yu-Na Kim (South Korea): Yes, she had one of her worst long programs ever at Skate America, but it has to be noted that every other top ladies skater has had, at the very least, a mini-meltdown in some shape or form this year. Kim has the top two overall segment totals this season and has proven to have a fairly comfortable margin for error even over her toughest adversaries.

Silver: Joannie Rochette (Canada): Rochette has the judges on her side and just needs those jumps to be the same. A couple of less than desirable skates throughout the Grand Prix should invigorate Rochette to skate with solidity here. A peaked Rochette should have no issue beating Leonova, Suzuki, or Wagner, even if they skate at their absolute best, and the Grand Prix Final has not historically been a great competition to Miki Ando, who has not looked so superior to Rochette thus far.

Bronze: Miki Ando (Japan): She never peaks for this event, but because of the huge advantage she will have on PCS over Leonova, Suzuki, and Wagner, Ando should be on the podium if she just skates decently. Competing at home and as the top ranked Japanese female could give Ando a slight boost to her marks as well, but on the flip side, Ando will be bound to feel more pressure at this competition, which could negatively impact her skating.

4th: Akiko Suzuki (Japan): She generally does well at home and can probably bounce back at least somewhat from her poor Skate Canada outing, but she simply doesn't have the polish nor the reputation behind her to give her a medal against far more seasoned skaters, unless of course she skates lights out.

5th: Alena Leonova (Russia): Her overall score from Rostelecom and NHK was higher than that of Wagner's, and Leonova did much better at her first worlds (7th) than Ashley did at hers (16th). Both will be making their debut here, but Leonova has slightly more momentum to ride off of from her silver medal at NHK.

6th: Ashley Wagner (USA): She should have an advantage on Leonova and Suzuki with PCS, but being that this is a major international event, it is possible that Wagner may succumb to pressure and not perform at her best. It is imperative for Wagner to deliver two quality skates, as she can often deliver one great program in a major competition, but not both.

That is all.

2009 Skate Canada Ladies LP Live Commentary

2009-11-21T15:47:00.000-08:00

Start Order

Warm-Up Group 1

1 Joshi HELGESSON SWE
11 40.48

2 Sarah HECKEN GER
10 45.50

3 Jenna MCCORKELL GBR
9 47.48

4 Akiko SUZUKI JPN
8 53.10

5 Caroline ZHANG USA
7 54.58

Warm-Up Group 2
6 Amelie LACOSTE CAN
6 55.10

7 Cynthia PHANEUF CAN
5 55.58

8 Laura LEPISTÖ FIN
4 55.74

9 Mirai NAGASU USA
3 56.34

10 Alissa CZISNY USA
2 63.52

11 Joannie ROCHETTE CAN
1 70.00

5:58 CT Judges being announced.
Warm-up group 1 on ice.
Arena appears to be nearly full.
Helgesson-decent 3S
Hecken-doubled 3T
Suzuki-good 3Z
Suzuki-good 3F
Zhang-3F+2T-landed (mule kick has gotten worse)
Zhang is in blue
McCorkell-good 2A
Warm-up concluded.

Joshi Helgesson (Sweden)
2A-good
1Z-flutzed
3S-good
Sit spin-not low enough
2A-little off on landing but clean
3T-likely UR
3T-fall; will only be counted as a sequence
Spiral sequence-dreadful extension
2A+2T-landed; looked as though she had a 2R planned but didn't have enough speed to try it
Whoever cut the music should be shot
Footwork simplistic
Occasional moments of energy but movement doesn't match music. Extremely poor transitions.

TES: 32.85
PCS: 36.08
Ded: -1.00
Total: 67.93
Grand Total: 108.41

Sarah Hecken (Germany)
3T+3T-slight cheat on 2nd jump but landed
1R-long, slow entrance
3S-good
2A-solid
Slow combo spin
Spiral sequence-slightly better than dreadful extension
3S-leaning to the right; two-foot; fall out; likely UR
2A+2T+1R-landed
2A-good
Good energy in footwork but no involvement of entire body during step sequence
Good energy but relatively poor skating skills and transitions. Choreography is bland but she sells what she has.

TES: 45.50
PCS: 37.98
Total: 78.90
Grand Total: 124.40
Rank: 1

Jenna McCorkell (Great Britain)
2A-good
3Z-fall; likely UR
1F
Deathdrop to sit spin to pancake-decent
Spiral sequence-slightly better than dreadful extension
2A+2T-landed
3F-both hands down
3T-big UR; leaning way to the left in air
2A+2T+2T-completed
Straight line step sequence-slow; looks very tired
Good speed in catch foot layback in spin combo
Her Cirque LP from last year was much better than this program. Not very difficult choreographically and her movement was very lethargic towards the end.

TES: 37.98
PCS: 39.04
Ded: -1.00
Total: 76.02
Grand Total: 123.50
Rank: 2

Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
3Z+2T+2R-good; a bit of a toe-axel on 2T
1A+3T-second jump looked UR
1R
Spiral sequence-adequate
3F-nearly fell
3Z-stepped out
3R+2A+SEQ-good
3S-landed
Flying camel to catch foot-a little slow; good centering
Straight line step sequence-good speed and expression
Flying camel to sit spin to sideways layback-decent
Carried artistry of the program well despite the many jump errors. Good speed and have transitions have improved but her consistency with hitting jump just vanished after the first pass.

TES: 47.98
PCS: 46.64
Total: 94.62
Grand Total: 147.72
Rank: 1

Caroline Zhang (USA)
3F-fall
3Z(flutzed)+2T-landed
2A-landed; no speed entering jump
Sit spin to pancake in spin combo traveled
3F-fall; will only be counted as a sequence
3R-slight cheat but landed
3S(slight cheat)+2T-landed
3R+2T+2R-good
Circular step sequence-slow
Spiral sequence-a tad slow but positions are stunning
Excellent layback to pearl to Bielmann
Extremely flat program choreographically that goes nowhere. There was a particular section before the second 3F which had no choreo, no footwork, no arm movements or anything of that nature. Very poor skate.

TES: 39.32
PCS: 40.56
Ded: -2.00
Total: 77.88
Grand Total: 132.46
Rank: 2

Warm-up group 2 on ice.
Lepisto-good 3S+2T+2T
Czisny-good 3F
Rochette-landed (I believe) a 3S
Nagasu-3Z(slightly UR)+2T-landed
Rochette-fall out on 3F
Lepisto-popped lutz
Warm-up concluded.

Amelie Lacoste (Canada)
3R-good height; turned out
3F-turned out
3Z-landed; possible UR
3T-awkward landing but held on; possible UR
Spiral sequence-adequate
3S-fall
2R
Straight line step sequence-good use of whole body
Spins decent but a tad sluggish throughout
2A-good
Good speed in final spin
Finished after music
Transitions aren't extremely complex but overall a pleasant presentation from her. Good musicality.

TES: 40.23
PCS: 46.80
Ded: -1.00
Total: 86.03
Grand Total: 141.13
Rank: 2

Cynthia Phaneuf (Canada)
3T+2A+SEQ-great 3T; fall on 2A
3Z-fall; possible UR
3R(very forward; possible UR)+2T-landed
3R-fall
Deathdrop to sit spin to pancake-good
2S
Spiral sequence-adequate
3Z-fall; UR; will only be counted as a sequence
Straight line step sequence-nice movement and musicality
3T-landed but will receive zero points because it was the third type of triple jump repeated in the program
This program is lovely when the jumps are on par like they were at the 2009 Four Continents Championships but if falls flat when jumps are not on, as was the case tonight. Disaster.

TES: 34.90
PCS: 46.00
Ded: -4.00
Total: 76.90
Grand Total: 132.48
Rank: 3

Laura Lepisto (Finland)
2T+2T
3Z-landed; possible UR
3R-very forward on landing
Deathdrop to sit spin to pancake-good
Sideways layback to catch-foot layback-good
2A-turned out
3R+2T-landed
Spiral sequence-adequate
2A-good
2S+2T+2T-landed
Nice energy in circular step sequence
Final spin combo-good speed but traveled slightly
She is really coming into her own as an artist, but her jumps are regressing. Good program with great expression and speed.

TES: 48.62
PCS: 54.16
Total: 102.78
Grand Total: 158.52
Rank: 1

Mirai Nagasu (USA)
3Z+2T+2R-slight flutz; little speed coming out; landed
2A(a little slow)+2T-landed
3F-very nice with steps coming before it
Nice sit spin to pancake
Layback-(good position but traveled) to catch-foot layback and Bielmann (very good positions but Bielmann traveled slightly)
Spiral sequence-excellent
3Z-fall out; slight cheat; flutzed
3R(possible UR; turned out)+2T-possible UR
2A-landed
3T-landed
Circular step sequence-Good speed but expression is (oddly) non-existant
Good final spin
Much improved speed but presentation was a bit better at COC. Very nice posture and good flow in-between elements.

TES: 51.69
PCS: 48.80
Total: 100.49
Grand Total: 156.83
Rank: 2

Alissa Czisny (USA)
3Z+2T-good
3F-good
3R-landed but UR
2A+2A+SEQ-a little slow but solid
3Z-fall; likely UR
3T-landed but slow coming out
Spiral sequence-very nice
3R-fall; possible UR
Step sequence-speed is average; good use of whole body
Final two spin combos excellent
Presentation of program is very mature and actually has improved somewhat from last season. Unfortunate falls broke flow of the program but decent effort.

TES: 46.57
PCS: 55.44
Ded: -2.00
Total: 100.01
Grand Total: 163.53
Rank: 1

Joannie Rochette (Canada)
3Z+2T+2R-good; slight bobble of 2R
3F-fall out; good steps preceding it
3R-hand down
Spin combo-good
Spiral sequence-a little wobbly; extension adequate
2Z
3T+3S+SEQ-good
2A+2T-good
2S
Good energy in circular step sequence
Finished slightly after music
Not as on top of the music and sharp choreographically as she was when she debuted this program at the Japan Open. Still, excellent skating skills and transitions.

TES: 50.02
PCS: 62.88
Total: 112.90
Grand Total: 182.90
Rank: 1

Final Standings
1 Joannie ROCHETTE CAN 182.90
2 Alissa CZISNY USA 163.53
3 Laura LEPISTÖ FIN 158.52
4 Mirai NAGASU USA 156.83
5 Akiko SUZUKI JPN 147.72
6 Amelie LACOSTE CAN 141.13
7 Cynthia PHANEUF CAN 132.48
8 Caroline ZHANG USA 132.46
9 Sarah HECKEN GER 124.40
10 Jenna MCCORKELL GBR 123.50
11 Joshi HELGESSON SWE 108.41

The GPF lineup is Kim, Ando, Rochette, Leonova, Wagner, and Suzuki

That is all.

2009 Skate Canada Pairs LP Live Commentary

2009-11-21T10:21:00.000-08:00

Start Order

Warm-Up Group 1
1 Ksenia OZEROVA / Alexander ENBERT RUS
8 40.28

2 Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH CAN
7 51.14

3 Caitlin YANKOWSKAS / John COUGHLIN USA
6 52.42

4 Caydee DENNEY / Jeremy BARRETT USA
5 55.46

Warm-Up Group 2
5 Anabelle LANGLOIS / Cody HAY CAN
4 55.52

6 Jessica DUBE / Bryce DAVISON CAN
3 57.90

7 Maria MUKHORTOVA / Maxim TRANKOV RUS
2 65.80

8 Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY GER
1 74.16

12:28 CT judges being announced.
12:30 Warm-up group 1 on ice.
Denney-clean 2A
Denney/Barrett-decent triple twist
Landed 3Z throw from Ozerova/Enbert
Warm-up concluded.

Ksenia Ozerova / Alexander Enbert (Russia)
SBS 3T-fell out of his
double twist
2A+1A+SEQ-funky landing from her on 2A
Throw 3Z-fall
Positions not fully extended on lift
Spiral sequence-relatively poor
Throw 3R-double footed, possible UR, good turning transition into it
SBS Spins-off unison on transitions and on the exit, he was yelling very loudly (I know many pair skaters do that but he was yelling especially loudly; is there a deduction for that?)
Completely missed entrance on lift and aborted element
Very slow pair spin
Very poor program technically and artistically

TES: 40.16
PCS: 33.92
Ded: -1.00
Total: 73.08
Grand Total: 113.36

Kirsten Moore-Towers / Dylan Moscovitch (Canada)
SBS 3S+2A+SEQ-wobbles from both on first jump but completed; clean 2nd jump; fairly long transition between two jumps
Throw triple twist-low and closely caught
Throw 3R-low but landed
Decent pair spin
Excellent, difficult lift combo. Crowd loves it.
Spiral sequence-very weak extension from him
Throw 3S-turning transition entering element; forward on landing
SBS 3T-landed
SBS Spins-traveled noticeably but decent unison
Fairly undetailed program artistically but good technical elements.

TES: 55.21
PCS: 40.56
Total: 95.77
Grand Total: 146.91
Rank: 1

Caitlin Yankowskas/ John Coughlin (USA)
Triple twist-spiral preceding it; good
Throw 3S-slow going in; slight bobble on landing
SBS 3T-good
SBS Spins-off unison at times and hers traveled noticeably
Spiral-nice extension from her; awful extension from him
Throw 3R-fall out; slow entrance
2A+2T+SEQ-fell out of his; totally off transition going into 2T
Good lift combo but slightly rough exit
Pair spin-a tad slow but decent
Improved presentation.

TES: 50.87
PCS: 40.32
Total: 91.12
Grand Total: 143.61
Rank: 2

Caydee Denney/Jeremy Barrett (USA)
Throw triple twist-slightly wobbly on exit
SBS 3T-landed well; slightly off unison
Throw 3Z-very nice; revolutions finished well before landing
2A+2A+SEQ-completed
SBS Spins-decent unison; his spins traveled
Lift combo good but exit was awkward
Spiral sequence-relatively poor
Throw 3R-very good control on landing
Decent final pair spin
Great speed but choreography doesn't always reflect music. Flow across the ice is improving but they could emote to one another and the audience more. His shoulders are always tense and lifted. Good skate overall.

TES: 57.07
PCS: 44.56
Total: 101.63
Grand Total: 157.09
Rank: 1

Warm-up group 2 on ice.
Dube/Davison-good throw 3R (slightly forward on landing)
Davison-good 3S
Warm-up concluded.

Anabelle Langlois / Cody Hay (Canada)
Throw triple twist-slightly rough exit
SBS 3S-hand down and possible UR from her
Throw 3S-slow, peculiar entrance but well done
SBS 3T+2T-heavily double footed and possibly UR 3T from her
SBS Spin-off unison in places
Good lift combo
Spiral sequence-poor
Throw 3F-heavily double footed
Music suits their style fairly well but their choreography is very simplistic, so the overall presentation is somewhat bland.

TES: 56.67
PCS: 47.76
Total: 104.43 (Big overscore; should not be ahead of Denney/Barrett)
Grand Total: 159.95
Rank: 1

Jessica Dube/Bryce Davison (Canada)
Throw triple twist-a little low
2A+2A+SEQ-singled his 2nd jump, skaters came extremely apart from one another
SBS 3S-fall out
SBS Spins-off unison in several places
Death spiral-very low to ice
Throw 3Z-good
Good one-handed lift
Spiral sequence-relatively poor
Throw 3R-leaning to the right and hand down
Good extension from her during lift combo
Final pair spin-missed last position
Very emotional program. Nice presentation.

TES: 52.95
PCS: 56.08
Total: 109.03
Grand Total: 166.93
Rank: 1

Maria Mukhortova/Maxim Trankov (Russia)
Throw triple twist-good
SBS 2A-solid but very far apart
SBS 3T+2T-good
Good lift combo
Wardrobe malfunction-had to stop program
His boot strap apparently came off
Continuing now
Throw 3R-very nice recovery
Spiral sequence-not terrible
Throw 3S-double footed
SBS Spins-off unison in places
Final pair spin-decent but transitions between spins are a bit rough
Good presentation but interruption ruined the spark they had afterward.

TES: 63.11
PCS: 58.80
Ded: -2.00
Total: 119.91
Grand Total: 185.71
Rank: 1

Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy (Germany)
3T+3T+SEQ-scratchy landings from both on first 3T
Throw 3F-beautiful
1A-spread eagle going into it
SBS Spins-good
Pair spin-decent
Throw triple twist-decent
Good lift
Spiral sequence-best one today
Throw 3S-nice
Dramatically improved technically from their TEB disaster but the program really is not an improvement over their original one. It has some good moments (like the ending) but the program as a whole is quite bland.

TES: 66.55
PCS: 66.00 (Overscored)
Total: 132.55
Grand Total: 206.71
Rank: 1

Final Standings
1 Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY GER 206.71
2 Maria MUKHORTOVA / Maxim TRANKOV RUS 185.71 2 2
3 Jessica DUBE / Bryce DAVISON CAN 166.93 3 3
4 Anabelle LANGLOIS / Cody HAY CAN 159.95 4 4
5 Caydee DENNEY / Jeremy BARRETT USA 157.09 5 5
6 Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH CAN 146.91 7 6
7 Caitlin YANKOWSKAS / John COUGHLIN USA 143.61 6 7
8 Ksenia OZEROVA / Alexander ENBERT RUS 113.36 8 8

Check back for live commentary of ladies free at 7:00 ET tonight.

That is all.

2009 Skate Canada Mens SP Live Commentary

2009-11-20T16:43:00.000-08:00

Start Order

Warm-Up Group 1

1 Joey RUSSELL CAN
2 Jeremy TEN CAN
3 Armin MAHBANOOZADEH USA
4 Denis TEN KAZ
5 Stephen CARRIERE USA
6 Samuel CONTESTI ITA

Warm-Up Group 2
7 Daisuke TAKAHASHI JPN
8 Jeremy ABBOTT USA
9 Michal BREZINA CZE
10 Alban PREAUBERT FRA
11 Patrick CHAN CAN
12 Kevin VAN DER PERREN BEL

6:54 CT Judges being announced.
Warm-up group one on ice. Big crowd responses for two Canadians and Contesti.
Denis Ten-good 3F
Contest-very nice 3Z+3T
Carriere popped lutz
Russell-near fall on 3F
Jeremy Ten-fall on 3A
Mahbanoozadeh-good 3Z
Carriere-landed but wobbly 3A
Contesti-nice 3A
Warm-up concluded.

Joey Russell (Canada)
3A-fall out; possible UR; interesting entrance
3F+3R-leaning to side on landing of 3F; 3R looked UR
3Z-landed but weight forward
Sit spin needs to be lower
Footwork somewhat simplistic but well executed
Sit spin combo a tad slow
Decent final spin
Very good energy and extension for such an inexperienced skater. Some good nuances with the choreography, particularly in the sequence with the spread eagle and the head movements prior to preparing for the triple lutz. He loses that presentation in places but good effort.

TES: 34.72
PCS: 27.10
Total: 61.82

Jeremy Ten (Canada)
3A-fall; looked rotated
3Z-looked flutzed; leaning to the right and fall out; no combo
3F-fall
Deathdrop to sit spin-traveled slightly
Circular step sequence-quirky movement in places but not nearly as fast as he is capable of doing the footwork
Straight line step sequence-same thing as circular step
Traveled on forward catch position spin
Good speed and good edge work, but his body was not at all centered during his jumps.

TES: 21.84
PCS: 25.30
Ded: -2.00
Total: 45.14
Rank: 2

Armin Mahbanoozadeh (USA)
Funky fall at beginning during choreo
3A-a litte low but good landing
3F+3T-nice delayed rotations; excellent
3Z-good
Interesting position in spin
Decent footwork
Sit spin-nice and low but traveled slightly
Good expression in footwork but movement not especially difficult
Good last spin
Very nice expression throughout. He has a strong sense of musicality and if he could combine that with a bit more speed and complexity in his choreography he will be a forced to be reckoned with come the next quad. Nice effort.

TES: 39.70
PCS: 26.60
Ded: -1.00
Total: 65.30
Rank: 1

Denis Ten (Kazakstan)
3A-excellent
3Z+3T-slight wobble on 3T but otherwise great
3F-slightly off in air but well controlled landing
Great spin combo which includes Bielmann attempt
Great circular step; good speed and energy and very quick turns
Pancake spin traveled ever so slightly
Slight slip on straight line footwork, working music well but head movements are far too over the top
Just beautiful speed and jumps. Expression could use improvement but other than that quite creditable skating.

TES: 43.60
PCS: 31.85
Total: 75.45
Rank: 1

Stephen Carriere (USA)
3A-hard fall back; looked rotated
3Z(weight slightly forward)+2T-I think he could have still done the 3T
3R-nice
Sit spin slow and traveled greatly
Straight line step-noticeably slower than Denis Ten's but good use of whole body
Good pancake spin
Great last spin combo
Edges have improved but not as fast as he is capable of. Expression has improved slightly but still has a ways to go. Didn't convey the strength of the music completely in choreography.

TES: 31.70
PCS: 28.70
Ded: -1.00
Total: 59.40
Rank: 4

Samuel Contesti (Italy)
Western themed program
3Z+3T(3T was low)-landed, slight cheat
3A-good
3R-UR, bailed out mid air, split jump preceding it that had especially poor extension
Sit spin-nice and low but weak leg extension
Great expression in footwork; good steps; maintains theme of program throughout
Last spin combo a tad slow
Very entertaining as always. Posture is not the best but has improved slightly.

TES: 36.60
PCS: 30.70
Total: 67.30
Rank: 2

Warm-Up Group 2 on ice.
Brezina-fall on 3A
Chan-good 3F+3T
Brezina-excellent 3F+3T
Chan-hands down on a jump(I believe 3A; missed it)
Preaubert-good 3A
Warm-up concluded.

Daisuke Takhashi (Japan)
Very dynamic expression at start
3F(slightly forward)+3T-landed; looked slightly cheated
3A-beautiful
3Z-good
Good camel to sit to layback variation in spin combo
Very musical straight line step sequence; perhaps not as fast as he is capable of but very good
Great circular step
Very musical and dynamic program with superb energy. He seems to be showcasing his expression much more so than before his injury. Good skate.

TES: 39.20
PCS: 37.10
Total: 76.30
Rank: 1

Jeremy Abbott (USA)
3F+3T-a tad low but well controlled landing
3A-great entrance; a little wobble on landing but clean
3Z-good
Circular step-excellent; great expression, great abandonment in movement
Nice low sit spin
Straight line step-good but not as musical as circular step
Brilliant program. Circular step sequence is to die for. He nixes together technique and artistry very well.

TES: 42.60
PCS: 36.40
Total: 79.00
Rank: 1

Michal Brezina (Czech Republic)
3A-very high; a tad wobbly
3Z-excellent
3F+3T-good height on both jumps; well controlled landing
Sit spin combo-traveled on second variation; a tad slow
Step sequences-movement is OK but his expression is almost non-existant
Decent last spin combo
He has great speed but his posture a bit hunched over in places (like his triple flip entrance). This program could be sold a lot more than it currently is but great jumps.

TES: 40.02
PCS: 31.90
Total: 71.92
Rank: 4

Alban Preaubert (France)
3F(somewhat stiff legged landing)+3T-good
3A-good
Sit spin variations not low enough
3R-possible UR; leaning to the right in air
Very fun footwork; loses speed in places
Spin combo traveled slightly and is slow
Very humorous section in choreo
Great expression in straight line step
Nice program for him and he was really committed, as always, to entertaining to the crowd. Very unpolished and skating skills are abonimable but a good skate for him.

TES: 38.50
PCS: 33.80
Total: 72.30
Rank: 4

Patrick Chan (Canada)
Good speed at start
3A-fall; looked rotated
3F(weight back)+2T-landed
3Z-good height; held on
Superb movement in circular step; improved expression
traveled following deathdrop part of spin combo
Deathdrop to sit spin-traveled greatly and wobbled in spin position; messy
Great straight line step sequence
Good last spin
The lingering effects of his injury are still evident. Great program that actually looks improved slightly from last year choreographically but the technical elements were a mess. Finished slightly after music.

TES: 31.74
PCS: 37.90
Ded: -1.00
Total: 68.64
Rank: 6

Kevin Van Der Perren (Belgium)
1A-looked wobbly on entrance
3Z-great
3F+3T-good
Good low spins in combo but not especially fast
Straight line step sequence-not especially dynamic nor difficult
Circular step sequence-same as straight line
Good last spin
Finished after music
Good combo and solo jumps but other than that a very flat skate.

TES: 29.06
PCS: 29.80
Total: 58.86
Rank: 11
He is disgusted by the scores.

Standings After Mens SP
1 Jeremy ABBOTT USA 79.00 1
2 Daisuke TAKAHASHI JPN 76.30 2
3 Denis TEN KAZ 75.45 3
4 Alban PREAUBERT FRA 72.30 4
5 Michal BREZINA CZE 71.92 5
6 Patrick CHAN CAN 68.64 6
7 Samuel CONTESTI ITA 67.30 7
8 Armin MAHBANOOZADEH USA 65.30 8
9 Joey RUSSELL CAN 61.82 9
10 Stephen CARRIERE USA 59.40 10
11 Kevin VAN DER PERREN BEL 58.86 11
12 Jeremy TEN CAN 45.14 12

I will not be providing commentary for mens free tomorrow but I will be doing live commentary for pairs free and ladies free.

That is all.

2009 Skate America Mens FS Live Commentary

2009-11-14T17:53:00.000-08:00

Start Order

Warm-Up Group 1
1 Igor MACYPURA SVK
12 51.45

2 Tomas VERNER CZE
11 55.90

3 Kevin REYNOLDS CAN
10 59.05

4 Jialiang WU CHN
9 59.16

5 Ryan BRADLEY USA
8 59.24

6 Yasuharu NANRI JPN
7 59.35

Warm-Up Group 2
7 Andrei LUTAI RUS
6 60.64

8 Shawn SAWYER CAN
5 65.95

9 Adrian SCHULTHEISS SWE
4 67.55

10 Brandon MROZ USA
3 71.40

11 Florent AMODIO FRA
2 72.65

12 Evan LYSACEK USA
1 79.17

7:58 CT Judges have been announced. First warm-up group out on ice.
Reynolds-clean 3R; dressed in black and gold
Renyolds-fall on 3F in warm-up
Wu-fall out of 3R
Nanri-lovely 3Z
Bradley-popped axel
Verner-3A(fall)
Verner-turned 4T into triple; fell out
Bradley-landed 4T+2T
Warm-up concluded.

Igor Macypura (Slovak Republic)
3A+3T-good height; well done
3Z+3T-barely held onto 3T but landed
Step sequence slow
Good low sit spin
Spin combo traveled
1R-landed on two feet
1A-slow entrance
1F-totally off in air; landed on two feet
2A-almost no preparation or speed going into it but landed
3S-fall
No energy left
2A+2A+SEQ-decent
Extremely pedestrian choreography. No speed whatsoever throughout program.

TES: 47.07
PCS: 46.50
Ded: -1.00
Total: 92.57
Grand Total: 144.02

Tomas Verner (Czech Republic)
4T-fall but looked roated
3T-opened up in air but landed
3A-nice
Footwork good but not as fast nor as expressive as he is capable of executing that element
Sit spin position could have more stretch
3A+2T-good
3Z-nice
3F-good, maybe lipped
2S
3R+2T-good
Straight line step sequence-a bit slow; footwork is good, however
Final compo spin-traveled slightly
Very methodically skated program. Not much spark or speed but much better than Friday.

TES: 68.06
PCS: 71.10
Ded: -1.00
Total: 138.16
Grand Total: 194.06
Rank: 1

Kevin Reynolds (Canada)
4S-good
2T(intended 4T+3T)
3A-(hunched way forward on entrance; landed jump while leaning forward on landing)+2T
3R+3T(toe-axeled)-landed
3A-possible UR
3S-weight back but well controlled landing
Footwork-needs to get down into ice more; more speed needed
3Z-flutzed
3F+3T(toe-axeled)+2R-landed
Straight line step sequence-movement aren't bad but don't reflect music
Traveled in final spin combo
Has improved slightly artistically; his short program demonstrates that more so than his long.

TES: 72.28
PCS: 58.90
Total: 131.18
Grand Total: 190.23
Rank: 2

Jialiang Wu (China)
3Z+3T-Weight was slightly back but adjusted very well in the air; nicely done
3A+2T-great
2A+2T+2R-nice
Spin combo fairly slow
Hunches over while stroking
3R-two footed; fell out
1A
3F-awkward landing; possibly double footed
2S
Speed and energy is completely gone
Simplistic footwork
Straight line step sequence-extremely slow; void of any actual steps
3Z-hard fall to the side
No presentation.

TES: 55.00
PCS: 51.10
Ded: -1.00
Total: 105.10
Grand Total: 164.26
Rank: 3

Ryan Bradley (USA)
4T-good
4T+2T-slightly forward on landing of 4T but landed
Great expression in footwork
3A-leaning to the left slightly but well controlled landing
3Z-great landing and finishing arm position
Straight line step sequence-slow and not as difficult as others' step sequences but well-executed; good energy
3F-barely picked in; fell out of
3R-good; little bit slow coming out
1S+3T-way off on salchow but centered himself and pulled off 3T well
2Z+2T+2T-landed but slow going in and out of jumping pass
His skating skills are fairly poor but he really does all that he can with expressing to the crowd. Good skate.

TES: 70.38
PCS: 68.50
Total: 138.88
Grand Total: 198.12
Rank: 1

Yasuharu Nanri (Japan)
3A+3T-good
3Z-little slow coming out of it but solid
3A- fall
Good centering in spin combo but sit spin not low enough
3R-struggled to solidify landing but clean
2A+2T+2T-landed
3F-nice height; forward on landing; possibly lipped
Footwork OK but simplistic; very slow during the last part of it
3F-heavily two-footed; looked lipped; perhaps slightly UR
3S-turned out
Circular step sequence-good movement; could be faster
Adequate skating skills but needs to keep up the speed of the program as it continues. Relatively bland presentation.

TES: 51.69
PCS: 58.80
Ded: -1.00
Total: 109.49
Grand Total: 168.84
Rank: 4

Warm-Up Group 2 on ice.
Lutai-good 3R+2T
Mroz-Good 3F+2T+2R
Amodio-Low but landed 3R
Lysacek-Good 3A
Lysacek-Good 3S
Mroz-Fall on 4T
Warm-up concluded.

Andrei Lutai (Russia)
3A-little forward but landed
4T-hands down; fall out
3A-fall; will only be credited as a sequence because neither 3A was in combination
2Z+2T
Good straight line step
Good speed in start of spin combo; slowed down and traveled towards the end
3F-good
3R-fall
2A-good
Circular step sequence-slow
Last sit spin to pancake not low enough
3S-landed awkwardly but held on
Some good moments in the choreography but quite bland after that.

TES: 49.15
PCS: 60.00
Ded: -2.00
Total: 107.15
Grand Total: 167.79
Rank: 5

Shawn Sawyer (Canada)
3A-two-footed; turned out; possible UR
3F+3T-good
3Z-leaning forward on landing; possible flutz
Great split jump transition
Great musicality in step sequence
3R-good with split jump preceding it
2A+3T-hand down
Great spiral
3F-good
2A-turned out
Very entertaining; nicely executed straight line step sequence
3S(scratchy, possibly two-footed landing)+2T+2R-landed
Spin combo a tad slow; traveling; great positions
Very entertaining and polished program.

TES: 68.86
PCS: 69.10
Total: 137.96
Grand Total: 203.91
Rank: 1

Adrian Schultheiss (Sweden)
3F+3T-fall out
3A+2T-little awkward going into 2T but landed
3Z-good
Quirky step sequence; very contemporary
3A-fell out of; possible UR
2A-good
3R-good
3S-good
3Z+2T-very low 2T; fell out of
Straight line step sequence-sluggish
Music is very different but the program itself, with the exception of a few parts, is actually quite generic. Needs to improve speed, particularly when he is entering or coming out of a jump. Noticeable improvement from his performance at this event last year.

TES: 56.32
PCS: 61.20
Total: 117.52
Grand Total: 185.07
Rank: 5

Brandon Mroz (USA)
4T-fall; looked rotated
1A+2T
3F(very slow coming out)+2T+2T(hopped out)-landed
Improved footwork; good quick turns
2A+2T-spread eagle coming before it; intended 3A+2T
3Z+2T-very close to the boards but landed
3R-put free leg down very quickly
2S
2Z
Decent straight line step sequence
Skating skills have improved but jumps were just not there tonight. A poor warm-up directly translated to his skate.

TES: 71.40
PCS: 61.40
Ded: -1.00
Total: 102.60
Grand Total: 174.00
Rank: 6

Florent Amodio (France)
2A-intended 4S
3A-held on
3R-nice
Very creative and expressive footwork
3A-turned out; will only be counted as a sequence
Random fall while stroking but comically shrugs it off
3S+3T-barely held on
3Z-step out
3F-double footed
3Z-fell out of; will only be counted as a sequence
Very quirky skater like Preaubert, Contesti, and Bradley, but has superior skating skills to them all. Good speed but his jumps were quite shaky tonight.

TES: 57.03
PCS: 68.30
Ded: -1.00
Total: 124.93
Grand Total: 197.58
Rank: 3

Evan Lysacek (USA)
3Z+3T-spread eagle going in; excellent
3A-swingy landing but looked rotated
3S-weight back; fall out
Step sequence-Good musicality but could use more motion throughout his entire body as opposed to doing so many arm movements
Nice sit spin to pancake
3A(possible UR)+2T-landed
3R-nice
3F(possible UR)+2T+2R-good landing with spiral preceding jumping pass
3Z-good
2A-good
Great straight line step sequence
Very expressive program

TES: 77.55
PCS: 81.00
Total: 158.55
Grand Total: 237.72
Rank: 1

Overall Standings
1 Evan LYSACEK USA 237.72 1 1
2 Shawn SAWYER CAN 203.91 5 4
3 Ryan BRADLEY USA 198.12 8 2
4 Florent AMODIO FRA 197.58 2 6
5 Tomas VERNER CZE 194.06 11 3
6 Kevin REYNOLDS CAN 190.23 10 5
7 Adrian SCHULTHEISS SWE 185.07 4 7
8 Brandon MROZ USA 174.00 3 11
9 Yasuharu NANRI JPN 168.84 7 8
10 Andrei LUTAI RUS 167.79 6 9
11 Jialiang WU CHN 164.26 9 10
12 Igor MACYPURA SVK 144.02 12 12

That is all.

2009 Skate America Ladies SP Live Commentary

2009-11-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

Starting Order

Warm-Up Group 1
1 Emily HUGHES USA
2 Tugba KARADEMIR TUR
3 Alexe GILLES USA
4 Elena GLEBOVA EST
5 Sarah HECKEN GER
6 Susanna POYKIO FIN

Warm-Up Group 2
7 Joshi HELGESSON SWE
8 Fumie SUGURI JPN
9 Elene GEDEVANISHVILI GEO
10 Julia SEBESTYEN HUN
11 Rachael FLATT USA
12 Yu-Na KIM KOR

5:59 CT Judges have been announced. Warm-Up Group 1 about to take ice. Gilles in pink; Glebova in green.
Gilles joking with Tom Z.
6:00 Competitors take ice.
Emily Hughes gets big ovation; one noticeably louder than compatriot Alexe Gilles.
Hughes is in black dress.
Gilles-clean 2A
Glebova-good 3T; Tara Lipinski commentating and mentions Glebova struggling in practice.
Hecken needs greater than a 128 total score to make Olympic team for Germany.
Poykio in blue dress with rhinestones.
Hecken-Clean 3S
6:07 Warm-up concluded.

Emily Hughes (USA)
1Z+2T-big mistake; very slow entrance
3F-landed well but likely UR
2A-good height and controlled landing
Spiral-good height of the free leg but leg is slightly bent. Back is too dropped.
Great layback to catch-foot layback to Bielmann
Good straight line step sequence
Decent final spin; a tad slow on the last few revolutions
Good expression and speed

TES: 21.56
PCS: 23.72
Total: 45.32

Tugba Karademir (Turkey)
2F+2T-didn't get down into ice on takeoff and big toe-axel on 2T
3S-OK; possible UR
Turned-in layback position
Spiral Sequence-nice leg line
2A-good
Good spin combo
Footwork a bit simplistic
Last spin combo-well centered but a tad slow

FYI: Lipinski's commentary is awful.

TES: 27.50
PCS: 21.92
Total: 49.42
Rank: 1

Alexe Gilles (USA)
3Z+1T-possible UR on 3Z; double footed first jump
1F-weight off in air
2A-nice; good transition preceding it
Good layback but slow and poorly extended Bielmann
Nice spiral
Flying sit spin-not much amplitude; leg in sit spin not extended fully
Footwork starts off well but gets slower
Very elegant program but not nearly as strong as her SP from TEB.

TES: 24.04
PCS: 22.52
Total: 46.56
Rank: 2

Elena Glebova (Estonia)
3S-good but intended 3F
Spiral-relatively poor extension
3T+3T-very nice
Sit spin/pancake variation-well centered but a tad slow
Footwork-good in places but bland overall
2A-low but landed
Completely missed her flying sit
Decent final spins
Relatively bland program; she skated to a strong piece of music of which she had trouble living up to in her skating. I enjoyed her "Songs My Mother Taught Me" SP from last year more. Good skate technically aside from unusual spin error.

TES: 28.80
PCS: 23.48
Total: 52.28
Rank: 1

Sarah Hecken (Germany)
2T-intended 3T+3T but slow entrance; legs loose in air; forward on landing of 2T and didn't do combo
3S-nice
2A-nice
Slow spin
Very poor spiral
Decent catchfoot layback
Footwork-needs more speed; moves not finished; decent expression
Camel extension poor
Facial expression is decent but other than that her movements are very unpolished and slow. First jumping pass was off but the second and third were very clean.

TES: 24.10
PCS: 19.76
Total: 43.86
Rank: 5

Susanna Poykio (Finland)
3Z(very slow; leaning in the air, hand down and likely UR)+2T-landed
2F-fall out
Turned-in layback position
2A-good
Spiral-dropped back; relatively poor free leg extension
Footwork slow
Finished after music
One of the worst skates I can recall seeing from her. Extremely bland, slow program

TES: 22.80
PCS: 23.92
Total: 46.72
Rank: 3

Warm-Up Group 2 on ice. Kim from same dress as TEB. Suguri from same dress from COC. Lipinski mentions Suguri having issues in practice.
Flatt in pink (I believe same one as COC)
Kim-Good 3F
Kim-Another good 3F.
Kim-good 3Z+3T
Flatt-Good but likely UR 3F+3T.
Warm-up concluded.

Joshi Helgesson (Sweden)
Nice expression at start
3T-landed well
3Z+2T-good height; landed; slight loss of speed coming out of 3Z
2A-good; spiral coming out
Spiral sequence-extension poor
Footwork a bit slow, lots of twizzle-esque movements
Turned-in layback position
Weak Bielmann
Very quirky presentation and a clean program; really needs to work on both polishing all of her positions and improving her transitions from element to element

TES: 29.48
PCS: 21.84
Total: 51.32
Rank: 2

Fumie Suguri (Japan)
3Z(slightly flutzed; free leg very crossed over on landing; possible UR)+2T-landed
3F-good control and height; slight cheat
Good speed in spin but positions are weak
Spiral extension relatively poor
2A-good
Deathdrop-traveled slightly; sit spin could be lower
Footwork a bit slow; good expression
Finished slightly after music
Better attention to the music and the choreography than she has done in several previous programs. This program is quite a bit better than her LP.

TES: 29.28
PCS: 26.76
Total: 56.04
Rank: 1
3F apparently got downgraded

Elene Gedevanishvilli (Georgia)
2Z-legs too loose upon propeling up into the air
3T(forward)+2T-landed
Nice spiral extension
Spiral immediately into 2A-slightly forward but controlled well
Good combo spin
Good use of edges in footwork; not as expressive as she is capable of
Nice sit spin/pancake variation
Not as much spark as she is capable; a good program overall but the technical mistakes seem to diminish her interest in the performance

TES: 27.90
PCS: 24.28
Total: 52.18
Rank: 3

Julia Sebestyen (Hungary)
3Z+2T-great height and control
3F-good height; possible slight cheat
Good donut spin
Spiral extension relatively poor
2A-good
Traveling in layback; poor position; slow
Footwork-decent energy; a bit slow
Lacks flexibility and polish but has great height on her jumps and good speed. Decent energy.

TES: 32.10
PCS: 26.44
Total: 58.54
Rank: 1

Rachael Flatt (USA)
3F+3T(leaning to the right; fall; possible slight UR)
3Z-leaning to the side; didn't hold landing very long but clean
Spiral sequence-adequate
Good layback; a tad slow
2A-low but landed
Great energy in footwork
Good speed in final spin
Actually a very nice program aside from the opening fall. Much improved musicality and personality from COC.

TES: 33.40
PCS: 26.40
Ded: -1.00
Total: 55.80
Rank: 1

Yu-Na Kim (South Korea)
3Z+3T-superb
3F-very good
Layback through to Bielmann-good speed; positions not great but improved
Spiral-good speed; position not great but improved
2A-good
Good deathdrop to sit spin
Footwork-very good expression; a tad slow in places
Good final spin
Excellent expression and speed; she really got into the character of the program even more so than at TEB. Fabulous.

TES: 44.00
PCS: 32.28
Total: 76.28 (New World Record!!!)
Rank: 1

Standings Entering LP:
1 Yu-Na KIM KOR 76.28 1
2 Rachael FLATT USA 58.80 2
3 Julia SEBESTYEN HUN 58.54 3
4 Fumie SUGURI JPN 56.04 4
5 Elena GLEBOVA EST 52.28 5
6 Elene GEDEVANISHVILI GEO 52.18 6
7 Joshi HELGESSON SWE 51.32 7
8 Tugba KARADEMIR TUR49.42 8
9 Susanna PÖYKIÖ FIN 46.72 9
10 Alexe GILLES USA 46.56 10
11 Emily HUGHES USA 45.32 11
12 Sarah HECKEN GER 43.86 12

Commentary of men's free to start in 25 minutes.

2009 Skate America Mens SP Live Commentary

2009-11-13T17:57:00.000-08:00

Start Order

Warm-Up Group 1

1 Igor MACYPURA SVK
2 Andrei LUTAI RUS
3 Jialiang WU CHN
4 Ryan BRADLEY USA
5 Shawn SAWYER CAN
6 Yasuharu NANRI JPN

Warm-Up Group 2

7 Florent AMODIO FRA
8 Adrian SCHULTHEISS SWE
9 Kevin REYNOLDS CAN
10 Brandon MROZ USA
11 Evan LYSACEK USA
12 Tomas VERNER CZE

7:59 CT. Judges being announced. Todd Sand is technical specialist.
Warm-Up Group 1 on ice. Bezic and Joyce also commentating this competition.
Macypura and Sawyer almost collided.
Bradley landed 3A in warm-up. Sawyer landed 3A in warm-up with a cheat on landing.
Nanri-turn out on 3A.
Nanri-Did 3A again; leaning to the side and possibly UR but held the landing position.
Warm-Up Group 1 concluded.
Karen Kwan in attendance coaching Igor Macypura.

Igor Macypura (Slovakia)
Blues for Klook music
3A-fall; possible UR
3F-intended combo but no speed coming out of 3F and therefore didn't tack on a 2nd jump
3Z+3T-little speed coming out of either jump but completed
Very slow footwork in both step sequences
Camel spin traveled slightly
Extremely bland program

TES: 29.00
PCS: 24.45
Ded: -2.00
Total: 51.45

Andrei Lutai (Russia)
3A-great
3T+2T-intended 4T+3T; opened up in the air; slow entrance
3Z-jump traveled back instead of up, but landed
Slight slip in footwork
Traveled slightly in spin combo and missed the camel part of the combo spin because he appeared off-balance
Not low enough in the deathdrop to sit spin at the end
Skate needed much more speed, attack, and energy. Slightly more interesting than Macypura's.

TES: 33.04
PCS: 28.60
Ded: -1.00
Total: 60.64
Rank: 2

Jiuliang Wu (China)
3Z+3T-good; slightly pre-rotated 3T
3A-good height; turned out
3R-looked slightly UR but landed
Slow step sequence
Nice amplitude in deathdrop; stumble on exit
Decent straight line step sequence and final spin combo
Definitely could use more speed and bigger movements.

TES: 33.06
PCS: 26.10
Total: 59.10
Rank: 2

Ryan Bradley (USA)
4T+2T+SEQ-UR and fall out on 4T; stepped in-between jumps so will not receive credit for the 2T
3A-swingy entrance; good height but a fall out on landing
3Z-nice arm position on landing
Combo spin-slow
Excellent step sequences; great personality
As always a very quirky presentation from Ryan Bradley; he is able to mask some of his weaknesses in skating skills and transitions in this short program versus the long program. Relatively poor posture. Entertaining program but I have seen him emote to the audience even more than he did tonight.

TES: 30.94
PCS: 29.30
Ded: -1.00
Total: 59.24
Rank: 2

Shawn Sawyer (Canada)
Good speed
3A-fall out; looked slightly UR
3F(slightly leaning)+3T-landed
2Z-opened up on 1st revolution
Great extension in all spin positions
Good incorporation of upper body in circular step sequence; great musicality
Straight line step sequence-not quite as dynamic as circular footwork but still very good
Great extension in Y-scale spin
Dynamic finish
Really great program; a shame about the mistakes technically. Very musical and showed a lot of attention to detail with artistry.

TES: 34.60
PCS: 31.35
Total: 65.95
Rank: 1

Yasuharu Nanri (Japan)
3A-nice
3F+3T-possible double foot; slightly UR on 2nd jump
2Z-way too far forward in air; two-footed
Step sequence decent; could have just a bit more speed and presentation
Deathrop to sit spin-sit spin could be a bit lower
Circular step sequence good not great
Overall the program is decent on pretty much every level but there is nothing unique or exciting in it.

TES: 29.30
PCS: 30.05
Total: 59.35
Rank: 3

Warm-Up Group 2 on ice. Reynolds fall on 2Z in warm-up- not good for someone so reliant on jumps. How the hell is Schultheiss in this top group of two?
Reynolds landed what looked like a 3A. Amodio-low but landed 3F.
Mroz-fall out on 4T.
Warm-up concluded.

Florent Amodio (France)
Good speed
3A-nice; lovely twizzle series immediately following it
3Z-somewhat off but landed
3S+3T-good
Great turning elements in footwork and very quick, continuous movement
Flying sit spin-not low enough and traveled slightly
Great expression in final step sequence
Very finely put together program.

TES: 39.90
PCS: 32.75
Total: 72.65
Rank: 1

Adrian Schultheiss (Sweden)
3Z+3T(possible UR)-slightly rough landing
3A-little speed coming out but landed
Great speed in combo spin
Good movement in footwork but slow
3F-good
Straight line step sequence-decent
Flying sit spin-nice and low; decent speed
Well I'll eat my words from earlier! Not a stunning performance by any means but a huge improvement from his work at this competition last year. Shows more polish and refinement in his choreography than he has previously but the height and speed of his jumps need improving.

TES: 37.80
PCS: 30.75
Ded: -1.00
Total: 67.55
Rank: 2

Kevin Reynolds (Canada)
4S(double footed)+3T-landed
1A-slowed down completely on entrance
3Z-little low but landed
Good deathdrop to sit spin to pancake
Footwork-little slow, expression has improved
Straight line step sequence-musical but again a bit slow
Artistry has definitely improved, but an unfortunate and peculiar mistake on the 3A attempt. Fun program but didn't sell it to its full potential.

TES: 28.70
PCS: 30.35
Total: 59.05
Rank: 8

Brandon Mroz (USA)
4T+3T(turn in-between)-struggled but good fight
3A-turned out; possible slight UR
Good low sit spin
3Z-very nice
Movement in footwork is good but his expression does not relate to the fun nature of the music at all. Serious music seems to suit him a bit better.

TES: 40.90
PCS: 30.50
Total: 71.40
Rank: 2

Evan Lysacek (USA)
3A-looked UR
3Z+3T-slight UR on 2nd jump but landed well
3F-very good but lipped slightly
Good flexibility in pancake through to sit spin
Lots of expression in footwork; good speed; arm flailing at full force
Very well put together program with excellent energy

TES: 39.62
PCS: 39.55
Total: 79.17
Rank: 1

Tomas Verner (Czech Republic)
4T-fall; UR
2A-popped open but landed
2Z
Nice speed in footwork but spark is gone
Quirky expressions but mistakes have diminished overall impression of the program
Complete disaster
Huth seems to be ultimate coach of headcases: Dytrt, Kostner, Verner

TES: 21.80
PCS: 35.10
Ded: -1.00
Total: 55.90
Rank: 11

1 Evan LYSACEK USA 79.17 1 (Would be 83.87 if 3A had gotten ratified, although it was rightfully not)
2 Florent AMODIO FRA 72.65 2
3 Brandon MROZ USA 71.40 3
4 Adrian SCHULTHEISS SWE 67.55 4
5 Shawn SAWYER CAN 65.95 5
6 Andrei LUTAI RUS 60.64 6
7 Yasuharu NANRI JPN 59.35 7
8 Ryan BRADLEY USA 59.24 8
9 Jialiang WU CHN 59.16 9
10 Kevin REYNOLDS CAN 59.05 10
11 Tomas VERNER CZE 55.90 11
12 Igor MACYPURA SVK 51.45 12

That is all.

2009 Skate America Pairs SP Live Commentary

2009-11-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

6:20 CT Live commentary of pairs short program at the 2009 Skate America is to come.

Start List
Warm-Up Group 1

1 Xue SHEN / Hongbo ZHAO CHN
2 Brooke CASTILE / Benjamin OKOLSKI USA
3 Amanda EVORA / Mark LADWIG USA
4 Stacey KEMP / David KING GBR

Warm-Up Group 2

5 Keauna MCLAUGHLIN / Rockne BRUBAKER USA
6 Meagan DUHAMEL / Craig BUNTIN CAN
7 Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Stanislav MOROZOV UKR
8 Dan ZHANG / Hao ZHANG CHN

6:29 CT Judges being announced. Referee is Vanessa Riley.

Shen/Zhao, Castile/Okolski, and Evora/Ladwig get big crowd responses in warm-up. Commentary from Sandra Bezic and Andrea Joyce.

Arena a little less than half full.
Andrea Joyce just announced that this is Shen Xue's 31st birthday. Happy Birthday Shen!
Good throw 3F from Castile/Okolsi.
6:37 CT Warm-up concluded.

Shen Xue/Zhao Hongbo (China)
3T-clean
throw triple twist-stunning amplitude
Throw 3R-great transition preceding it; beautiful landing, not as high as they are capable of
SBS Spins-improved
Pair spin a bit slow
Beautiful straight line step sequence
Very unusual position in death spiral
Excellent transitions and expression. Should be impossible to top for the remaining pair teams tonight.

TES: 41.40
PCS: 32.96
Total: 74.36 (New personal best)

Brooke Castile/Benjamin Okolski (USA)
3S-doubled his; fell out (and maybe doubled) hers
Throw triple twist-fairly low and awkward position when he caught her
Throw 2F-She barely picked in; her weight was back in the air
SBS Spin-little off unison
Decent pair spin
Program has a fun feel to it but they don't convey that much in the choreography, and probably didn't show that expression even more so because of the mistakes. Good speed. Discussing in Kiss and Cry how they want to rearrange some of their elements.

TES: 26.32
PCS: 23.20
Total: 49.52
Rank: 2

Amanda Evora/Mark Ladwig (USA)
Very nice speed
Throw triple twist-decent
SBS 3S-UR and fall from her; her blade almost touched his leg as she was getting up
Throw 3R-forward on landing but good entrance
SBS Spins-a little off
Decent pair spin
This music was used in the intro fluff piece of the 2004 Olympic Gymnastics team final for the women. Very quirky pair with nice athleticism that really needs to work on consistency and security of landing positions.

TES: 28.86
PCS: 22.18
Ded: -1.00
Total: 50.14
Rank: 2

Stacey Kemp/David King (Great Britain)
Nice extension from both
Split double twist-unremarkable
SBS 2F-landed
Throw 3R-no move in the field going in but very well done
SBS Spins-Off unison
Spiral in entrance to lift
Y-scale spiral to death spiral-very off balance and then basically omitted the element
Best quality of this team is extension, and their best technical element is their throw. Very simplistic skate, both technically and choreographically, and a peculiar mistake on the death spiral.

TES: 23.78
PCS: 19.68
Total: 43.46
Rank: 4

7:05 CT Warm-up Group 2 on ice. Good throw 3R from McLaughlin/Brubaker in warm-up.
Stunning throw triple twist from the Zhangs in warm-up.
Clean SBS 3S from McLaughlin/Brubaker, the element they have been having issues with in practice and previous competitions.
Step-out from Morozov on a side-by-side jump.

Keauna McLaughlin/Rockne Brubaker (USA)
Throw triple twist-good
SBS 3S-singled hers; fall out on his
Decent SBS-spin
Throw 3R-nice; slight loss of speed coming out
Great lift
Pair spin traveled slightly
Finished after the music
Very mature, polished program, but one which doesn't showcase their speed and athleticism to their potential.

TES: 32.50
PCS: 26.04
Total: 58.54
Rank: 2

Meagan Duhamel/Craig Buntin (Canada)
Throw double twist-good height
SBS 3T-good
SBS Spin-decent
Y-scale spiral into death spiral
Good lift
Throw 3Z-good transition preceding it; weight back in air but fought to keep landing
Very dynamic finish
Not a very polished pair but this team has both great energy and relates to the music and the audience. Nice skate.

TES: 33.84
PCS: 25.80
Total: 59.64
Rank: 2

Tatiana Volosozhar/Stanislav Morozov (Ukraine)
SBS 3T-fall out from him
Throw triple twist-very nice
Good lift
Throw 3R-leaning slightly to right side but good control on landing
SBS Spin-a little off in places
Slow footwork
Nice death spiral
Very strange music choice; parts where the woman is gasping made me gasping for the program to end. Very nice extension from her; good speed from both.

TES: 35.30
PCS: 26.40
Total: 61.70
Rank: 2

Dan Zhang/Hao Zhang (China)
Throw triple twist-very nice
SBS 3S-doubled hers
Throw 3R-lovely height and landing
Death spiral-lost speed when she changed to the second position
SBS Spin-OK until exit; she completely missed the sit spin
Program doesn't suit her at all; he actually makes an attempt to express the fun of the program. Footwork is a tad slow and appears even slower when matched against the quickness of the music. Very little extension as Bezic mentioned.

TES: 29.92
PCS: 26.92
Total: 56.84
Rank: 5

Standings After Pairs Short
1 Xue SHEN / Hongbo ZHAO CHN 74.36 1 (World Record)
2 Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Stanislav MOROZOV UKR 61.70 2
3 Meagan DUHAMEL / Craig BUNTIN CAN 59.64 3
4 Keauna MCLAUGHLIN / Rockne BRUBAKER USA 58.54 4
5 Dan ZHANG / Hao ZHANG CHN 56.84 5
6 Amanda EVORA / Mark LADWIG USA 50.14 6
7 Brooke CASTILE / Benjamin OKOLSKI USA 49.52 7
8 Stacey KEMP / David KING GBR 43.46 8

Men's SP commentary to come shortly.

NHK Ladies LP Live Commentary

2009-11-07T01:48:00.000-08:00

Start Order

Warm-Up Group 1
1 Becky BERESWILL USA

12 36.26

2 Oksana GOZEVA RUS
11 40.66

3 Shoko ISHIKAWA JPN
10 44.28

4 Annette DYTRT GER
9 44.86

5 Sarah MEIER SUI
8 45.96

6 Cynthia PHANEUF CAN
7 47.22

Warm-Up Group 2
7 Yan LIU CHN
6 47.64

8 Alena LEONOVA RUS
5 52.34

9 Laura LEPISTO FIN
4 53.64

10 Yukari NAKANO JPN
3 54.92

11 Miki ANDO JPN
2 56.22

12 Ashley WAGNER USA
1 56.54

Warm-Up Group 1 on ice.
Meier singled lutz. Phaneuf-nice 3Z.
Sarah Meier went over to the referee in a distraught manner and it looks like she is going to withdraw. No announcement has been made.

Becky Bereswill (USA)
2A-good
2Z-flutzed, bailed out in air, double footed
Nice spiral extension
3R-landed with nice spiral preceding it
2A-looked like she was going to tack on a combo but didn't; low landing
3F-UR
3Z-flutz, possible two-foot
Footwork doesn't match the music
1T-bailed out in air
Very flexible skater but at times quite awkward looking.

TES: 38.56
PCS: 43.60
Total: 82.16
Grand Total: 118.42

Oksana Gozeva (Russia)
3Z-good
1R
3F-good
3S-solid
2Z+2T+2T-landed
2A-good height
Great speed in catch foot layback
2A-turned out
Good final spin
Finished after music
Very mundane program. Gozeva has little expression or personality but does have a fair amount of spring in her jumps and speed in her spins.

TES: 41.71
PCS: 41.60
Total: 83.31
Grand Total: 123.97
Rank: 1

Shoko Ishikawa (Japan)
3F(wild)+2T
2A-good
2Z
3S-held on
Spin combo traveled
Very bent free leg in standard spiral
3F-fall; possible UR
Relatively weak donut spin
Slip in footwork
2S
3T(possible UR)+2T
Very flat performance. Speed is decent but doesn't express herself well to the audience.

TES: 36.35
PCS: 40.00
Ded: -1.00
Total: 75.35
Grand Total: 119.63
Rank: 2

Annette Dytrt (Germany)
3F-forward but landed
1S
2A-good
2A-not as good as first but landed
Spiral-nice speed, positions inadequate
2S+2T-landed
2A-good
2F+2T-landed
Good speed in footwork
Last two spin combos-good speed, traveled a little
Very pleasant skater to watch. Skates with solid speed and does make an effort to relate to the audience. Mature but simplistic program choreographically.

TES: 36.91
PCS: 44.24
Total: 81.15
Grand Total: 126.01
Rank: 1

Sarah Meier has withdrawn.

Cynthia Phaneuf (Canada)
Skating her "Mission Cleopatra" long program from last season
3T+2A+SEQ-good
1Z
3R+2T-good
3R-forward on landing but landed
3S-good
Weak extension on spiral
3Z-fall
3T+2T+2R-good
Strange, so she just switched the 3F with the 3R on a dime? Because had she done the lutz in the beginning she would have been repeating three triples. Smart decision because her flip is not a good jump. Very mature program that suits her well, but quite simplistic choreographically. Very behind music the entire way but somehow managed not to go overtime.

TES: 49.33
PCS: 46.48
Ded: -1.00
Total: 94.81
Grand Total: 142.03
Rank: 1

Warm-up Group 2 on ice. Leonova landed 3R. Nakano landed 3F.
Ando fell out of 2A+3T (UR). Wagner looks relaxed.
Ando good 3Z. Wagner good 3R.
Warm-up has concluded.

Yan Liu (China)
3Z-decent
3F-pretty good
3R-turned out slightly
Weak Bielmann
Adequate spiral
2S+1T+1R-landed
3T+2A+SEQ-good; possible slight cheat on 3T
2A-good
Footwork relatively slow
1S-spiral preceding it
Yan Liu is somewhat elegant but is unbelievably boring. Makes Rachael Flatt look like Katarina Witt.

TES: 36.85
PCS: 42.00
Total: 78.85
Grand Total: 126.49
Rank: 2

Alena Leonova (Russia)
3T+3T(possible UR)-step out
Spirals not good but improved from last season.
3Z-held on
2A-good
3R-good
3F+2T(slightly toe-axeled)-landed
Flying deathdrop to sit spin-traveled slightly
3S+2T+Tano2R-very good
3F-good
Best long program from her so far this season. Should ditch the 3T+3T because the combo has failed her four out of four tries. Excellent energy, very fun to watch.

TES: 57.07
PCS: 51.44
Total: 108.51
Grand Total: 160.85
Rank: 1

Laura Lepisto (Finland)
3T+2T-loss of speed coming out of 3T
2Z
3R+2T-good
Spin combos well centered
2A-solid
1R
Adequate spiral
2A-solid
2S+1T+2T-landed
Excellent footwork
Significantly improved expression and great musicality. This is a nice program from her but some mistakes technically.

TES: 44.95
PCS: 53.60
Total: 98.55
Grand Total: 152.19
Rank: 2

Yukari Nakano (Japan)
2A+2A+SEQ-good
3F+2T-good
2Z
Great donut spin
Good spiral
3F-UR
3S+2T+2R-good
3T-possible slight UR but landed
3S-UR; fall
Great spins throughout
The program is not nearly as strong as her "Giselle" LP from last season. She hardly gets into the character of the music and portrays it, which is a shame because she has been making strides artistically over the past several seasons.

TES: 44.51
PCS: 53.92
Ded: -1.00
Total: 97.43
Grand Total: 152.35
Rank: 2

Miki Ando (Japan)
3Z-fell out
2A+2T-good but didn't do intended 2A+3T
Nice low sit spin
3R-very good
Spiral extension relatively poor
3S-good
3Z-good but will only count as a sequence because neither had a combo
3T+2R(UR)-nearly fell
2A-good
Very good expression in step sequence
Final spin combo traveling
A good program for Miki. Has some kinks to work out with the jumps but she did demonstrate more expression and choreography than several of her past programs.

TES: 48.93
PCS: 58.40
Total: -1.00
Grand Total: 106.31
Rank: 162.55

Ashley Wagner (USA)
3F+2T-good
3R-good
Spin combo traveled slightly
2A-good
3S-fell out
3R+2A+SEQ-shaky on landing of 2A; possible UR on 3R
3F+2A+SEQ-barely held onto landing of 2A
1Z
Slow footwork
Very elegant program

TES: 45.61
PCS: 53.84
Total: 99.45
Grand Total: 155.99
Rank: 3

Final Standings

1 Miki ANDO JPN 162.55
2 Alena LEONOVA RUS 160.85
3 Ashley WAGNER USA 155.99
4 Yukari NAKANO JPN 152.35
5 Laura LEPISTO FIN 152.19
6 Cynthia PHANEUF CAN 142.03
7 Yan LIU CHN 126.49
8 Annette DYTRT GER 126.01
9 Oksana GOZEVA RUS 123.97
10 Shoko ISHIKAWA JPN 119.63
11 Becky BERESWILL USA 118.42

NHK Mens LP Live Commentary

2009-11-06T22:52:00.000-08:00

Start Order

Warm-Up Group 1

1 Jeremy TEN CAN
12 61.69

2 Kristoffer BERNTSSON SWE
11 64.64

3 Vaughn CHIPEUR CAN
10 66.55

4 Daisuke MURAKAMI JPN
9 66.78

5 Adam RIPPON USA
8 67.15

6 Artem BORODULIN RUS
7 69.49

Warm-Up Group 2
7 Michal BREZINA CZE
6 70.80

8 Takahiko KOZUKA JPN
5 74.05

9 Daisuke TAKAHASHI JPN
4 78.18

10 Johnny WEIR USA
3 78.35

11 Jeremy ABBOTT USA
2 83.00

12 Brian JOUBERT FRA
1 85.35

Warm-up Group 1 on ice. Jeremy Ten landed 3S; turned out of 3R. Berntsson landed 3S+2T. Chipeur landed 3S.
Murakami landed 3Z+3T. Rippon did 2A.
Murakami landed 3A. Rippon did another 2A.
Warm-up has concluded.

Jeremy Ten (Canada)
3A-fall out; hands down
3Z-looked flutzed; forward on landing but clean
3F-good
3R(turn out)+2T-landed
3R(possible UR)+2T+2R-slow but landed; good transition preceding the jumping pass
3Z+2T-looked slightly flutzed but otherwise good
3S-good
2A-landed
Finished after music
Good program overall; has a good sense of musicality and has good expression. He doesn't utilize his speed as much in this program as he did in his August Rush LP from last year.

TES: 60.98
PCS: 57.2
Ded: -1.00
Total: 117.18
Grand Total: 178.87

Kristoffer Berntsson (Sweden)
3F+3T-forward on landing; awkward landing of second jump but kept free leg from touching ice
3A+2T-good
3A-fall
2Z
Very slow spin
3S(turned out; hop)+2T
2F
3R-good
Footwork-fairly lethargic
3T-nice
Talk about peculiarity. First his music starts out upbeat and the music changes to a more zen theme and then it ends more upbeat. Very odd music transitions. Attempts at making this a fun program failed miserably. Very slow.

TES: 52.47
PCS: 59.90
Ded: -1.00
Total: 111.37
Grand Total: 176.01
Rank: 2
Can't believe his PCS was higher than Ten's

Vaughn Chipeur (Canada)
3A-excellent
3F-looked like he planned a combo but didn't do it; cleanly landed
3Z-nice
2R
2A-clean
3S-fall out
2A-fall out
1Z-nice steps preceding the element though
Footwork sequences have good speed but he does not relate to the crowd whatsoever. The music is fun and jazzy but is expression is blank the entire way through. Speed is excellent. Transitions are a little smoother than they were last year.

TES: 49.71
PCS: 60.10
Total: 109.81
Grand Total: 176.36
Rank: 2

Daisuke Murakami (Japan)
3Z+3T(toe axeled)-forward on landing of 3Z; landed
3A-turn out
3A(slight cheat)+2T-landed
Nice spin combo
Strength of footwork doesn't match dynamics of music
3R-OK
3F(slight cheat)+2T+2R-landed
3Z-fall
3S-very nice
2A-near fall
Very choppy program. Many of his movements show the effort behind them as opposed to making everything look easy.

TES: 58.16
PCS: 57.10
Ded: -1.00
Total: 114.26
Grand Total: 181.04
Rank: 1

Adam Rippon (USA)
3F+3T-great
3A+2T-landed with nice transition preceding it
Nice spin combo
Spiral through to 3R-very nice
3A-fall; looked rotated
Tano 3Z from steps-UR
3Z+2T+2R-very nice, back bend transition going in
1A
Orser in back waving his arm while Rippon does illusion LOL
3S-low but landed
Nice donut spin
Nice overall program but not nearly as strong as TEB. Will likely need stronger performance at U.S. Nationals to secure podium finish

TES: 66.06
PCS: 65.40
Ded: -1.00
Total: 130.46
Grand Total: 197.61
Rank: 1

Artem Borodulin (Russia)
3A-turned out; very awkward entrance
3F-good
3A-near fall; not in combo so it will only be credited as a sequence
3R-landed
3Z(flutzed)+3T(fell out of)
3F(forward)+2T(hop)
3S-good
Circular footwork- more armwork than footwork
2A+2T-landed
Straight line step sequence ever so slightly better than circular footwork
Very rough around the edges.

TES: 52.73
PCS: 60.70
Ded: -1.00
Total: 112.13
Grand Total: 181.62
Rank: 2

Warm-up group 2 on ice. Kozuka landed 3T. Weir forward on landing of 3A (possible two foot)
Abbott excellent 3A+3T in warm-up. Joubert 3T. Joubert and Kozuka landed 4T (Kozuka's was actually better) Weir did what looked like 3Z+3T cleanly.

Warm-up concluded.

Michal Brezina (Czech Republic)
3A+2T-landed
3F-excellent; good ice coverage
3S-nice
3A-very smooth
3F+2T-good
2A-good
3Z-very nice
2A+2T+2R-no effort at all
Excellent jumps. Good ice coverage and speed, choreo is decent but he really doesn't believe in his presentation while skating. Lots of fun moments in the music where he needs to draw the audience into his performance. One to watch in the next quadrennium for sure.

TES: 78.78
PCS: 67.90
Total: 146.68
Grand Total: 217.48
Rank: 1

Takahiko Kozuka (Japan)
4T-fall but looked rotated
1A+3T-landed
3Z+2T+2R-good
Nice spin combo
3R+2T-landed
3A-fall; possibly UR
3F-good
3S-wobble
3Z-landed
Phenomenal edges. Program has potential but he really needs to take his eyes off the ice. Very rough skate.

TES: 46.85
PCS: 67.10
Ded: -2.00
Total: 111.85
Grand Total: 186.00
Rank: 3

Daisuke Takahashi (Japan)
4T-double footed; step out; possible UR
3A(forward)+2T-landed
3A-fall out
Very quirky step sequence; lots of speed and energy
3Z+3T(more like 2.5T)-fall
3R-fall
3Z+2T-landed
3F-slightly forward on landing but clean
Traveled slightly on spin
Excellent straight line step sequence
Very fun program but perhaps not his most choreographically demanding or inspiring. Jumps don't look back yet; seemed to get very flustered after falling out of his second triple axel.

TES: 61.21
PCS: 76.90
Ded: -2.00
Total: 136.11
Grand Total: 214.29
Rank: 2
Scores a tad generous in comparison to those of Kozuka

Johnny Weir (USA)
3F-good
3A+3T-latter jump looked ever so slightly UR
3S-good
3A-great
Footwork-good attack
1R-weight was way too far back on entrance
3Z(slight double foot)+2T-landed
3Z-wild landing; possible slight double foot
2A-good
Footwork-great speed and emotion. Ending part of footwork when music starts to really pick up was not strong enough however.
Spin combo traveled
Good program; should lead.

TES: 68.15
PCS: 71.20
Total: 139.35
Grand Total: 217.70
Rank: 1

Jeremy Abbott (USA)
4T-fall; slight UR
3F-fall
1A+2T
2A-good
3A-fall
3Z+3T+2R-good
3R-good
3S(weight forward)+2T-landed
Mistakes on the jumps zapped the life out of the program. Very tentative, rough skate, and what a shame after his brilliant SP.

TES: 56.65
PCS: 71.80
Ded: -3.00
Total: 125.45
Grand Total: 208.45
Rank: 4

Brian Joubert (France)
4T-excellent
3S-good
3A-fall out
3F-good
3Z-good
3Z+2T-good
3S+2T-nice
3F+2T-solid
Very conservative skate, but I like the program. It isn't the most difficult or visually appealing but it's strong and it suits Joubert very well. I criticized Joubert's presentation in my previous blog post "How the Quad Receives Its Due," but one thing that he does do well with presentation is his focus. He has a very strong, commanding presence and the simple fact that he looks up and out as opposed to Takahiko Kozuka makes the audience respond in kind.

TES: 70.65
PCS: 76.70
Total: 147.35
Grand Total: 232.70
Rank: 1

Final Standings

1 Brian JOUBERT FRA 232.70
2 Johnny WEIR USA 217.70
3 Michal BREZINA CZE 217.48
4 Daisuke TAKAHASHI JPN 214.29
5 Jeremy ABBOTT USA 208.45
6 Adam RIPPON USA 197.61
7 Takahiko KOZUKA JPN 186.00
8 Artem BORODULIN RUS 181.62
9 Daisuke MURAKAMI JPN 181.04
10 Jeremy TEN CAN 178.87
11 Vaughn CHIPEUR CAN 176.36
12 Kristoffer BERNTSSON SWE 176.01

NHK Pairs LP Live Commentary

2009-11-06T21:07:00.000-08:00

Start Order

Warm-Up Group 1

1 Narumi TAKAHASHI / Mervin TRAN JPN
8 39.80

2 Paige LAWRENCE / Rudi SWIEGERS CAN
7 47.32

3 Mylene BRODEUR / John MATTATALL CAN
6 51.10

4 Ksenia KRASILNIKOVA / Konstantin BEZMATERNIKH RUS
5 51.32

Warm-Up Group 2
5 Rena INOUE / John BALDWIN USA
4 52.52

6 Caydee DENNEY / Jeremy BARRETT USA
3 55.20

7 Qing PANG / Jian TONG CHN
2 67.30

8 Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV RUS
1 68.90

Judges are being announced.

Warm-up group 1 on ice.

Warm-up has concluded.

Narumi Takahashi/Mervin Tran (Japan)
SBS 2A-big step outs from both
split double twist-good
Throw 3T-fall; not much height and slow entrance
SBS Pair Spins-first spin very off; second spin good
Nice transitional lift
Throw 3S-forward on landing but clean
SBS 3S-singled hers; fell on his
Death spiral very low to the ground
Amazing extension from her. Pair has some decent qualities but need more refinement and (especially) more dynamics. Program is very flat and doesn't go anywhere or change in mood.

TES: 43.16
PCS: 39.52
Ded: -3.00
Total: 79.68
Grand Total: 119.48

Paige Lawrence/Rudi Swiegers (Canada)
Clockwise pair (most are counter-clockwise)
Split triple twist-little low
3T-fall from her
2A+2T-singled his axel
SBS Spin-Not awful
Good speed in spiral
Presses his hips way too far forward on Y-scale spiral; not an attractive position but hers is OK
Throw 3R(IIRC)-shaky but landed
Lift-Scary. He fell to the ice as he was descending her but luckily she was low enough to the ice that she didn't crash
Throw 3Z-both hands down
Very rough last pair spin

TES: 44.09
PCS: 41.36
Ded: -2.00
Total: 83.45
Grand Total: 130.77
Rank: 1

Mylene Brodeur/John Mattatall (Canada)
Skating to Singin' in the Rain
Good speed
Throw triple twist-barely rotated; low
SBS 3T-doubled his
SBS Spin-Off unison in the middle of it
Throw 3R-put free leg down immediately after landing
SBS 2A+2A+SEQ-wobbled on her 2nd jump but good
Throw 3S-Low but clean
Very nice final lift
Ended right on the music
Cute program but they need to sell the fun theme of the program more. Throws, whether they be twist throws or throw jumps, need to be much higher and stronger.

TES: 52.33
PCS: 47.28
Total: 99.61
Grand Total: 150.71
Rank: 1

Ksenia Krasilnikova/Konstantin Bezmaternikh (Russia)
SBS 3S-Very off-unison, fall from her
double twist
Throw 3F-no distance, landed but possibly double footed
SBS Spin-off at start but got better as it went
SBS 2A+2A+SEQ-fell on her 2nd jump, singled his 2nd jump
Throw 2R-low and no speed
Very rough program. She looked like she was going to kill him throughout the entire skate (even though she was the one mucking up).

TES: 45.13
PCS: 43.04
Ded: -2.00
Total: 86.17
Grand Total: 137.49
Rank: 1

Warm-up group 2 on ice.
Denney and Barrett in purple and black, respectively. Barrett singled axel in warm-up. Pang and Tong in red.

Pang and Tong stunning 3R throw. Kavaguti and Smirnov in pink and black, respectively.
Kavaguti and Smirnov excellent 3R throw. K/S just did throw 3S.

Warm-up concluded.

Rena Inoue/John Baldwin (USA)
Loud crowd response
SBS 3T-looked UR on his part
SBS 2A+2A+SEQ-forward on landing of his first jump but otherwise good
Throw triple twist-low; barely rotated
Throw 3R-very nice
Throw 3A-hard fall to the side; very off in air
Awkward exit from lift
SBS Spins-off in places
A fall on the throw 3A but otherwise a good skate. They are not capable of stunning artistry but this program is somewhat pleasant to look at and their choreography is simplistic but well suited to them. They look more fit than last year.

TES: 59.14
PCS: 49.12
Ded: -2.00
Total: 106.26
Grand Total: 158.78
Rank: 1

Caydee Denney/Jeremy Barrett (USA)
Sheherezade
Throw triple twist-best one seen today; good
SBS 3T-nice transition going into it, slight wobble from him on landing; good overall
Throw 3Z-fall
2A+2A+SEQ-singled his 2nd axel
SBS Spin-pretty good
Throw 3R-very good
Last pair spin-slightly traveled
Good lifts throughout. Much more speed than Inoue/Baldwin. Some very strong points of the program, rough around the edges in places but good overall. She has sizable room for improvement with extension.

TES: 50.27
PCS: 46.96
Ded: -1.00
Total: 96.23
Grand Total: 151.43
Rank: 2

Qing Pang/Jian Tong (China)
2A+2A+SEQ-good
SBS 3T-good
SBS Pair Spin-Unison decent but traveling like mad (particularly him)
Throw triple twist-good height; slightly double footed
Throw 3S-very nice
Throw 3R-very nice
Great one-handed lift at the end
Finished slightly after music and didn't hold final pose
Great presentation

TES: 69.63
PCS: 62.72
Total: 132.35
Grand Total: 199.65 WOW!!!
Rank: 1

Yuko Kavaguti/Alexander Smirnov (Russia)
Throw 4S-hard fall; much like fall at 2009 worlds
She is injured, stopped the skate
Continuing now

How the Quad Receives Its Due

2009-11-06T18:57:00.000-08:00

            Just yesterday at the 2009 NHK Trophy in Nagano, Japan, 2007 World Champion Brian Joubert of France took a sizable lead in the men's short program of over two points, despite skating a program which contained fairly rudimentary choreography and a faulty landing on a triple lutz. This performance placed ahead of current U.S. Champion Jeremy Abbott, who exhibited exceptional interpretation, musicality, and skating skills in his program to "A Day in the Life". Joubert's program also managed to top the slightly underwhelming, but clean, short program skate from former world bronze medalist Johnny Weir by seven points. Joubert is by no means a poor skater even if he is to take away his jumps: he has good speed, quick steps, and improved spins. His current short program is a fun program which does a decent job of connecting to the audience, but the program's transitions are noticeably inferior to those of several of his adversaries, and, more importantly, the overall look of his short seems to be designed as a vehicle to entertain, rather than as one to actually skate. On the other hand, Jeremy Abbott's short program demonstrated immaculate skating skills and a true sense of musical interpretation. Skating with clarity and abandonment, Abbott showed off his artistry most in his footwork sequences, elements which were timed brilliantly to the music. Abbott did a long turning entrance on one foot into his triple axel, far more difficult than the standard entrances to triple axels done by nearly all of the men, and exited out of the jump with the flourish that united the so-called "separate" concepts of technique and artistry into one. Abbott did not do a quad, so Joubert's superiority to Abbott on the technical score, 46.80 to 45.40, is perhaps justifiable, but no matter how one looks at it, Joubert's strength to Abbott on the program components score, 38.55 to 37.60, is inequitable. Abbott only managed to best Joubert on one of the five PCS marks, transitions (and not by much, 0.15), when Abbott arguably should have been ahead on all five. So, why then does Joubert receive a higher score? Obviously reputation has to do with it, but the reasoning boils down to more than even that. It is because Joubert did a quad jump, something that he has long commented to not be justly rewarded.

            Quads used to be the norm in men's figure skating. During the quad boom leading up to the 2002 Olympics, a skater would have just as good an opportunity to medal at a worlds/Olympics withdrawing from the event if he did not have a quad in his arsenal. American Timothy Goebel landed three of them in his free skate at the 2002 Olympics and only came away with bronze. The long program of eventual winner Alexei Yagudin contained two quads and one triple axel, a performance that was criticized as "conservative" by commentator Scott Hamilton. Six years later, 2006 Olympic bronze medalist Jeffrey Buttle won his first and only world title without the four revolution jump. Joubert took silver that year after having won the title the year before. Joubert was assertive in the press conference immediately following the event that the quad is not valued high enough and that he is disappointed that those who attempt it are not duly rewarded. Just prior to the 2009 World Championships, eventual silver medalist Patrick Chan fired back on Joubert's claims that the quad is not valued high enough to The Canadian Press, commenting, "Yes, okay, fine, men are doing worse accoridng to (Joubert), but if you're going to say, let's all do quads, then he better have three quads in his program and do them good. Otherwise he has nothing to say." Chan went on to beat Joubert at that competition, but it was clear from the presentation scores being given that the judges had not intended to let that happen. Prior to those worlds, Joubert made a comment to the Chicago Tribune that he felt Evan Lysacek was going to be his top rival at that event, largely because of the fact that he had a quad. Joubert's core prediction ended up being true, but his reasoning was not, as Lysacek became the second consecutive world champion to win the competition without the jump.

            In spite of all this, Joubert stands out to the judges because he is one of the few who does consistently compete and land quad jumps. After all, Joubert did not beat Jeffrey Buttle's program components score in the long program at the 2008 Worlds because of his inferior skating skills, transitions, and musicality. There was little reason for the judges to prop him up for the event, as Joubert had only finished third at the Europeans and fellow French countryman Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder had already won the dance event. Buttle even skated after Joubert in the long program at that competition. But it was the quad that aided Joubert there, although not to the point of allowing him to win the championship. He also did not lead the short program at the 2009 Worlds because of a sloppy quad-triple combination nixed together with unspectacular choreography, but the mere fact that he tried a quad stood out over those who did not, such as Lysacek and Chan. Joubert also did not beat Patrick Chan's program components score in the long program at said competition for a bleak program in which he fell on a double axel. Likewise, current Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko has taken full advantage of his mastery of the jump throughout his career, and he has scored highly with the presentation mark on numerous refrigerator break programs. The same thing is occurring now, as he scored quite well on program components at the 2009 Cup of Russia even after a three year layoff, a period when several of the men upped the ante with things like skating skills, transitions, and choreography.

             Now, this is all not to suggest that one can just learn a quad and be destined to become an Olympic champion. Canadian Kevin Reynolds has certainly had a difficult time proving that. However, for such established skaters like Joubert and Plushenko, the jump helps out in pivotal ways. The increase in value of the quad from 9.0 to 9.8 is one plus, but its add onto the program component mark is much beneficial to both men, particularly when the intentions of how the program components are supposed to be scored do not meet either skater's strength. Joubert and Plushenko are actually better than most when it comes to presentation; they are just not exceptional, but the judges never seem to see it that way. There are also many other factors that play into a skater being overscored, whether it be his reputation, home crowd advantage, political ties, et al. In a technical sense, however, the quad does nothing but help a skater, and not just on his technical mark. Patrick Chan is correct. Brian Joubert should not think that the quad is not valued high enough; nor should he want other men to do it (he can do that after he retires). The quad is his greatest gem, not only in his skating, but also in his score.

Live commentary of pairs, mens, and ladies free from NHK Trophy to come tonight/early tomorrow morning. I put new polls up a few days ago.

That is all.

Ashley Wagner SP

2009-11-06T16:38:00.000-08:00

Ashley Wagner is leading the women's short at the NHK Trophy by a mere .032. At first I was not a huge fan of this program, but it has really grown on me and it really demonstrates maturity and drama. I don't love the music but she uses it quite well. It's amazing to see her depth of emotion in this program when comparing this to past programs of hers (before she went to Prescilla Hill) which consisted of very little besides jumps. She has clearly put much emphasis on artistry as of late and it is really showing. Go Ashley!

COC Pairs Free Skate Live Commentary

2009-10-31T03:27:00.000-07:00

Start Order
Warm-Up Group 1
1 Vanessa JAMES / Yannick BONHEUR FRA

8 47.28

2 Amanda EVORA / Mark LADWIG USA
7 48.02

3 Huibo DONG / Yiming WU CHN
6 50.32

4 Meagan DUHAMEL / Craig BUNTIN CAN
5 55.08

Warm-Up Group 2

5 Dan ZHANG / Hao ZHANG CHN
4 61.92

6 Lubov ILIUSHECHKINA / Nodari MAISURADZE RUS
3 62.54

7 Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Stanislav MOROZOV UKR
2 62.98

8 Xue SHEN / Hongbo ZHAO CHN
1 72.28

Vanessa James/Yannick Bonheur (France)
SBS 3S-doubled hers; fell on his
throw triple twist-messy landing
throw 3S-lovely
SBS spins shift from being on unison and off unison constantly
2A+2A+SEQ-he singled both of his jumps
Very creative exit to overhead lift
throw 3F-held onto landing
Pair spin-very slow
Very different forward entrance to final lift; drew gasps from crowd.

TES: 46.17
PCS: 42.32
Ded: -1.00
Total: 87.49
Grand Total: 134.77

Amanda Evora/Mark Ladwig (USA)
throw triple twist-slightly double footed
SBS 3T+2T-out of unison; UR on her part for the 3T
throw 3Z-landed on one leg but put her free leg down onto the ice very quickly
SBS 2A-landed
throw 3R- she was leaning slightly in the air but pulled landing off well
Superb lift where he balanced on one leg and glided across the ice
Fairly boring program with little emotional impact on the audience

TES: 49.10
PCS: 45.20
Ded: -2.00
Total: 92.30
Grand Total: 140.32
Rank: 1

Huibo Dong/Yiming Wu (China)
SBS 3T+2T-good
SBS 3S-both doubled with fumbled landings
throw triple twist-decent
throw 3R-deep landing but good control
throw 3S-same type of landing as that of throw 3R
Final pair spin-decent
Lifts are not the most difficult
A very bland team presentation wise

TES: 53.77
PCS: 42.40
Total: 96.17
Grand Total: 146.49
Rank: 1

Meagen Duhamel/Craig Buntin (Canada)
3T+3T+SEQ-rough landings from both on first jump but better landings on second
Adequate spiral sequence
double twist-OK
Pair spin- a bit slow
Decent unison on SBS spins
SBS 2A-singled his
throw 3R-good
throw 3Z-dropped free leg down very quickly upon landing
Best team we have seen thus far artistically.

TES: 52.68
PCS: 49.84
Total: 102.52
Grand Total: 157.60
Rank: 1

Warm-Up Group 2 out on ice. Zhangs did a beautiful throw triple salchow. Shen Xue is dressed in a darker pink dress and Zhao Hongbo is in red and black.

Zhao did clean 3T.

Dan Zhang/Hao Zhang (China)
2A+3T-wonky landings from both
SBS 3S-good
throw triple twist-excellent
SBS spins-decent
Throw 3S-superb
Throw 3R-good but didn't have the extension of position on landing that the throw 3S had
Great lift, awkward cut of music during that section of the program
Good final lift
Slow final pair spin
Pretty good program, one of their better ones IMO. They do try to emote to one another and create a relationship on the ice, but the key word here is try. They need to do.

TES: 65.77
PCS: 58.80
Total: 124.57
Grand Total: 186.49
Rank: 1

Lubov Iliushechkina/Nodari Maisuradze (Russia)
SBS 3S-she fell out of hers
Good one-handed lift
SBS 3T-two-foot and fall out from her
Throw triple twist-caught a little close
Throw 3Z-double footed
Throw 3R-looked double footed
Spin combo-started off well but she completely missed her exit and they thus became very out of unison
Finished well after music

TES: 40.44
PCS: 50.32
Total: 90.76
Grand Total: 153.30
Rank: 3

Tatiana Volosozhar/Stanislav Morozov (Ukraine)
SBS 3T+2T+SEQ-good
SBS 3S-singled his
Near fall on throw
Throw triple twist-nice
Throw 3S-double footed
Excellent lift
SBS spin-went back and forth between being on unison and off
She is a far more elegant skater than he is

TES: 54.41
PCS: 54.40
Ded: -1.00
Total: 107.81
Grand Total: 170.79
Rank: 2

Shen Xue/Zhao Hongbo (China)
SBS 3T-slight wobble from him but otherwise good
SBS 2A+2A+SEQ-fall out on her second jump; his landings were shaky
Good SBS spin combo
Unusual position in death spiral
Throw triple twist-excellent
Throw 3R-great landing and transition beforehand
Throw 3S-nice
Excellent performance. Their passion and artistry as a team are second to none today.

TES: 62.13
PCS: 66.50
Total: 128.69
Grand Total: 200.97
Rank: 1

Final Standings
1 Xue SHEN / Hongbo ZHAO CHN 200.97

2 Dan ZHANG / Hao ZHANG CHN 186.49
3 Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Stanislav MOROZOV UKR 170.79
4 Meagan DUHAMEL / Craig BUNTIN CAN 157.60

5 Lubov ILIUSHECHKINA / Nodari MAISURADZE RUS 153.30

6 Huibo DONG / Yiming WU CHN 146.49

7 Amanda EVORA / Mark LADWIG USA 140.32

8 Vanessa JAMES / Yannick BONHEUR FRA 134.77

COC Mens Free Live Commentary

2009-10-31T01:10:00.000-07:00

Here is my live commentary for the mens free skate, taking place at the 2009 Cup of China.

Start Order
Warm-Up Group 1
1 Armin MAHBANOOZADEH USA
12 59.54

2 Kevin REYNOLDS CAN
11 60.12

3 Ming XU CHN
10 61.02

4 Denis TEN KAZ
9 64.05

5 Chao YANG CHN
8 65.10

6 Stephen CARRIERE USA
7 65.24

Warm-Up Group 2

7 Yannick PONSERO FRA
6 66.65

8 Jinlin GUAN CHN
5 66.70

9 Samuel CONTESTI ITA
4 72.08

10 Evan LYSACEK USA
3 80.80

11 Sergei VORONOV RUS
2 81.40

12 Nobunari ODA JPN
1 83.35

Armin Mahbanoozadeh (USA)
3A-fall
3A+3T-fall on 2nd jump; good attempt
3F(lovely)+2T(toe-axeled)-landed
3R-landed
Good flying deathdrop
3Z-nice
3S-good; came after Ina Bauer (without back bend)
3Z+2T-lutz not as high as 1st, combo was cleanly landed nonetheless
2A-good
Good final spin combo

TES: 65.29
PCS: 53.70
Ded: -2.00
Total: 116.99
Grand Total: 176.53

Kevin Reynolds (Canada)
4S-fall out
2T
3A(wobbly)+2T
3R+3T-no speed coming out of 2nd jump but landed
3A-possible UR but landed
3S-preceded and followed by spirals; nice
3Z-low but clean
3F+3T(slight toe-axel)+2R-good
Spins were OK throughout program but the last spin combo was far and away the best with great speed
Transitions and expression have improved slightly from last season. Crowd liked the performance.

TES: 72.45
PCS: 55.90
Total: 128.35
Grand Total: 188.47
Rank: 1

Ming Xu (China)
Warsaw Concerto
3A-fall
3A-good but will only count as a sequence because neither 3A was in combination
3Z-good
Fairly simplistic footwork
3Z+1T-It looked like he missed his toe pick on the entrance to the toe
2A+2A+SEQ-good height; barely held onto landing of first 2A
3R-clean
1A
3S-clean
Missed exit to spin
Interpretation and transitions are very weak. Choreography is repetitive but speed is OK.

TES: 52.45
PCS: 51.10
Ded: -1.00
Total: 102.55
Grand Total: 163.57
Rank: 3

Denis Ten (Kazakstan)
3A-very nice
Z-off balance on entrance, tripped, didn't leave the ice
Nice step sequence
Great middle section of choreo
3F-fall
3Z-fall; possible UR
3R-landed
3S-good (plus another jump that was landed in a sequence that I missed)
2A-good
Very nice straight line step sequence
Good dynamic presentation

TES: 59.38
PCS: 61.20
Ded: -2.00
Total: 118.58
Grand Total: 182.63
Rank: 2

Chao Yang (China)
3Z+3T-great air time
3F-lovely
2A-less height on this jump than previous triples but clean
Nice speed in spin combo
2A+2T+2R-very hunched over landing on 2A but otherwise OK
3F(slightly UR)+2T-landed with steps preceding jump pass
3S-nice
Footwork doesn't use motion of whole body; fairly bland
2A-landed
Flying deathdrop-slightly off-axis
Very tired and slow toward end of program
3Z-good
Off balance to entrance of final spin
Very bland artistically

TES: 66.49
PCS: 58.40
Total: 124.89
Grand Total: 189.99
Rank: 1

Stephen Carriere (USA)
3A-nice
3R+2A+SEQ-good
3Z-good with steps preceding it
Good step sequence
3F-little off but held on
2A+2T-opened up in air and fell out of landing
3R-good
3Z+Tano2T+2R(w/both arms above head)-close to the boards but clean
3S-forward on landing; held on
Good speed on final combo spin; traveled slightly
Much improved skating skills and musicality

TES: 65.94
PCS: 63.90
Total: 129.84
Grand Total: 195.08
Rank: 1

Warm-Up Group 2 is on the ice. Guan landed nice 3Z+3T. Contesti did a clean but wobbly triple flip. Lysacek is in black as usual.

Yannick Ponsero (France)
4T-very nice
3A-slightly forward on landing but clean
3Z-fall backwards
3A+2T(he was leaning in the air in the 3A, hopped and turned out of it but did not put his foot down and tacked on the 2T)
3S+2T+2T-good
3R-leaning over right side and fell
3T+half loop+3S-nice
Good spins
Incredible speed in his stroking; program was not as fun and carefree as the theme of the music suggested to be.

TES: 61.77
PCS: 68.70
Ded: -2.00
Total: 128.47
Grand Total: 195.12
Rank: 1

Jinlin Guan (China)
3Z+3T-great
3F-lovely air time and smooth landing
2S
2A-good height
deathdrop
3F-hand down; leaned in the air
3R-landed
3Z-solid
2A+2T+T-landed
Guan has good understanding of subtlety and holding out movements to match some of the sections of the score that have slower tempos. Good expression; footwork sequences need more speed and power.

TES: 57.35
PCS: 63.90
Total: 121.25
Grand Total: 187.95
Rank: 5

Samuel Contesti (Italy)
3A+3T-Put his hand and free leg down to the ice on 2nd jump but did not fall
3F-crashed into boards
3Z-nice
3A-good height
3R-fall out
2A-good
3S+3T-solid
2A+2T+2T-good
Very fun, quirky program, but his western-themed LP from last year worked better because it carried a theme and it was explored in a comedic manner. Contesti's facial mannerisms are fun to watch at first but become repetitive.

TES: 69.47
PCS: 67.30
Ded: -1.00
Total: 135.77
Grand Total: 207.85
Rank: 1

Evan Lysacek (USA)
3Z+3T-forward on landing but OK
3A-good
3S-slightly off to left side but controlled landing
3A+2T-landing on 3A a little wild but clean
3R-landed; possible UR
3F(possible double foot)+2T+2R(possible UR)
3Z-slightly wild landing, held on
2A-good
Great climax to straight line step sequence
Very dramatic program. I prefer something like his Gershwin LP from last season that is more subtle; the more dramatic programs like this, Carmen, and Tosca, go very overboard with expression.

TES: 72.87
PCS: 78.50
Total: 151.37
Grand Total: 232.17
Rank: 1

Sergei Voronov (Russia)
4T-held on
2Z+3T-dealt with mistake on lutz well
3A+2T-very good
Nice use of levels in footwork
1A
3R-excellent; finished revolution well before landing
2F
3S+2T+2R-good
2A-good
Program doesn't really go anywhere and his movement does not always reflect the intensity of his music.

TES: 65.59
PCS: 73.40
Total: 138.99
Grand Total: 220.39
Rank: 2

Nobunari Oda (Japan)
3Z-nice
3A+3T-entrance a little slow but otherwise excellent
Good spin combo
3S-solid
1A
3Z+3T+2R-great recovery, very solid
3F-preceded by spiral; good
3R-nice
2A-nice
Very nice performance. This Charlie Chaplin themed program is different, but is also something that can be very easily appreciated. The programs flows together very well and maintains the fun, comical theme throughout.

TES: 78.13
PCS: 78.10
Total: 156.23
Grand Total: 239.58
Rank: 1

Final Standings
1 Nobunari ODA JPN 239.58
2 Evan LYSACEK USA 232.17
3 Sergei VORONOV RUS 220.39
4 Samuel CONTESTI ITA 207.85
5 Yannick PONSERO FRA 195.12
6 Stephen CARRIERE USA 195.08
7 Chao YANG CHN 189.99
8 Kevin REYNOLDS CAN 188.47
9 Jinlin GUAN CHN 187.95
10 Denis TEN KAZ 182.63
11 Armin MAHBANOOZADEH USA 176.53
12 Ming XU CHN 163.57

COC Ladies Free Skate Live Commentary

2009-10-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

I will be doing live commentary of the ladies free taking place at the 2009 Cup of China. Below is the startlist and note that Binshu Xu has withdrawn.

WD Binshu XU CHN

12 37.08

2 Diane SZMIETT CAN

11 44.24

3 Bingwa GENG CHN

10 47.64

4 Beatrisa LIANG USA

9 50.76

5 Yan LIU CHN

8 51.28

6 Joannie ROCHETTE CAN

7 52.12

Warm-Up Group 2

7 Fumie SUGURI JPN

6 55.46

8 Rachael FLATT USA

5 58.80

9 Akiko SUZUKI JPN

4 59.52

10 Carolina KOSTNER ITA

3 61.12

11 Kiira KORPI FIN

2 61.20

12 Mirai NAGASU USA

1 62.20

Warm-up group 1 has taken to the ice. Geng in red, yellow, and black dress. Liang in dark blue. Liang-clean 2A.

Rochette in same blue dress from WTT. Yan Liu in red.

Warm-up has concluded.

Diane Szmiett (Canada)
white and silver dress
3Z-OK
3S-solid
3F-leaning forward but held on; possible hand down
3T+2T+2T-good
3S(swingy free leg but held on)+2T-landed
2A+2A+SEQ-little speed coming out of either jump
Very poor spiral
3T-held on, big smile
Footwork not musical, slow
Last spin traveled back to Canada

TES: 55.64
PCS: 44.40
Total: 100.04
Grand Total: 144.28

Bingwa Geng (China)
3Z+2T-good takeoff edge, forward on landing of 3Z
3F-long entrance, fell out of but rotated
3S-fall; possible UR
2A+2T-good
good spin combo
Spiral sequence-extension needs improvement
3Z-good; possible slight UR
2A-step out
3T-fall
good donut spin
footwork is fairly simplistic
Weak layback position; great speed going into catch foot and Bielmann spins

TES: 38.28
PCS: 37.28
Ded: -2.00
Total: 73.56
Grand Total: 121.20
Rank: 2

Beatrisa Liang (USA)
3Z-fall; possible UR
3F-preceded by spiral; swingy free leg but good
1R-three turn entrance into it
2A-good control of landing edge
deathdrop to pancake spin-good
3F+2T-good
Spiral-extension is not as strong as 2007 IIRC but is decent
3Z+2T-good; possibly double footed first jump
footwork-good in places; intensity and speed not continuous
3T-held on
good final spin combo

TES: 39.15
PCS: 42.48
Ded: -1.00
Total: 80.63
Grand Total: 131.39
Rank: 2

Yan Liu (China)
2Z-very simplistic entrance
1F
3R+2A+SEQ-little speed coming out of either jump but clean jumping pass
Weak Bielmann
Adequate spiral
3S+2T+1R-popped last jump but otherwise good
3T+2A+SEQ-good
2A-low but clean
Footwork is extremely bland
2S-preceded by spiral; bailed out mid air and it will be counted UR as a single salchow
Final spin combo-traveled
Fairly clean skater but her transitions mark should be no higher than a 1.0. There was nothing interesting going on in-between her major elements.

TES: 39.84
PCS: 41.68
Total: 81.52
Grand Total: 132.80
Rank: 2

Joannie Rochette (Canada)
3Z-forward on landing; possible UR
3F-lovely
3R-good
good fast spin
Adequate spiral placed at awkward point in the music
3Z+2T-decent; possible UR
3T+2S+SEQ-I'm not positive if first jump was 3T but I think it was
2A-fall backward
3S-good
Very detailed program choreographically and demonstrated tremendous use of skating skills and transitions. Interpretation of the music is very strong also.

TES: 53.42
PCS: 58.64
Ded: -1.00
Total: 111.06
Grand Total: 163.18
Rank: 1

Warm-up group two out on ice. Suzuki singled flip. Kostner in same dress from TEB. Kostner just took a hard fall on 3R.

Nagasu in red. Korpi in same dress from TEB. Nagasu just landed 3Z. One minute left in warm-up.

Fumie Suguri (Japan)
3Z+2T-slight flutz but good
3F-held on; possible two-foot
2A-lovely
Good speed in spin
Relatively weak spiral
3S-UR, struggled valiantly to keep free leg up off the ice
1Z-flutzed
3F-heavily two-footed; possible UR
2A+2A+SEQ-good
Footwork didn't always correspond to intensity of music
Final spin combo-good speed, some positions weak

TES: 39.89
PCS: 50.64
Total: 90.53
Grand Total: 145.99
Rank: 2

Rachael Flatt (USA)
Dressed in red and gold
2A-preceded by spiral; landed
3F+2T-a little off on 3F landing but otherwise good
3Z-step out, possible UR, way off-axis in air
Spin combos weak positions
3R-solid
2Z
3F-step out
3S+2T+2R-landed
Very nice footwork, the only remotely interesting aspect of the program choreographically.
Not a great skate. I would say this is the flattest of Flatt's programs so far, footwork excepted. Jumps look lower and not as centered in the air.

TES: 48.51
PCS: 50.40
Total: 98.91
Grand Total: 157.71
Rank: 2

Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
3Z+2T-swingy free leg on lutz but otherwise OK
2A+2A+SEQ-good
Good centering on spin; positions weak
Adequate spiral
3F-very calm landing
3Z-good landing; possible flutz
3R+2A+SEQ-somewhat wild landing on 2A but clean
3S-low but landed cleanly
Excellent energy in footwork
Lovely program!

TES: 64.58
PCS: 52.56
Total: 117.14
Grand Total: 176.66
Rank: 1

Carolina Kostner (Italy)
3F-fall out; possible UR
1Z
2A+2T-nice
Good position on camel; sit spin not low enough
Excellent spiral; nice transition with choreography between Y-scale spiral and standard spiral
3T-good
3R-unsteady but held on
2A-wobbled on landing and sharply put free leg down onto the ice
3S-fall; possible UR
Great footwork; lots of one foot skating
Good speed and expression throughout

TES: 38.38
PCS: 55.68
Ded: -1.00
Total: 93.08
Grand Total: 154.18
Rank: 4

Kiira Korpi (Finland)
2Z-rough landing
3S+2T-good
3R-good
good spin combo
1S-Bailed out mid-air; landed on two feet
Adequate spiral
3R+2T+2R-clean
2A+2T-good
Flying sit spin-doesn't maintain speed and low position when she changes her arms and focus to the side
Footwork fairly simplistic
2A-held on
Much improved from TEB. Expression and maturity has improved as well.

TES: 49.51
PCS: 52.56
Total: 102.07
Grand Total: 163.27
Rank: 2

Mirai Nagasu (USA)
3Z+2T+2R(looked UR)-otherwise clean
2A+3T(borderline for downgrade)-wobbly landing
3F(possible UR)+2T-landed
Good spins as usual
Great spiral extension
3Z-slightly off-axis landing but held on
3R-bailed out mid-air and fell
2A-low but landed
3T-UR
Excellent final spin

TES: 42.90
PCS: 51.28
Ded: -1.00
Total: 93.18
Grand Total: 155.38
Rank: 5

Final Standings
1 Akiko SUZUKI JPN 176.66
2 Kiira KORPI FIN 163.27
3 Joannie ROCHETTE CAN 163.18 7 2
4 Rachael FLATT USA 157.71 5 5
5 Mirai NAGASU USA 155.38 1 6
6 Carolina KOSTNER ITA 154.18 3 7
7 Fumie SUGURI JPN 145.99 6 8
8 Diane SZMIETT CAN 144.28 11 4
9 Yan LIU CHN 132.80 8 9
10 Beatrisa LIANG USA 131.39 9 10
11 Bingwa GENG CHN 121.20 10 11

Congratulations Akiko!

COC Ladies SP Commentary

2009-10-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

Here is my commentary for the ladies SP which took place earlier today in Beijing. I am watching this event without knowing the results beforehand and this page will be updated as I see the competitors skate.

Skate Order:
Warm-Up Group 1
1.) Bingwa Geng (China)
2.) Binshu Xu (China)
3.) Yan Liu (China)
4.) Diane Szmiett (Canada)
5.) Beatrisa Liang (USA)
6.) Mirai Nagasu (USA)

Arena is about half full. Same arena as last year's Cup of China. Binshu Xu in pink top with blue skirt. Yan Liu in light blue. Szmiett in red; Liang in black; Nagasu in black and gold.

Liang looks a little out of shape but just landed a triple toe. Nagasu did a triple flip which looked slightly UR. Yan Liu stumbled out of her triple loop slightly.

Nagasu did a triple lutz with a slight fall out and inside edge takeoff. Liu (I believe) did a 3Z at the end of the warm-up.

Bingwa Geng (China)
Purple dress
Looks like a young Caroline Zhang, and is skating to Meditation from Thais
3S-good steps before, entrance was long but the jump had great height and a good landing
3Z-fall out, +1T-won't get credit for 2nd jump, put her foot down in-between, takeoff edge looked clean
2A-lovely
spiral-extension is good, not great
Footwork-nice
Good donut spin
Layback position is too turned in but her Bielmann is great
Nice ending pose
She will get marked down quite a bit for her mistake on the triple lutz but otherwise a very nice performance. Geng could be a legitimate contender at major competitions in the future. Good choreography, nice use of arms, and did express herself well in places.

TES: 28.20
PCS: 19.44
Total: 47.64
PCS are a little low IMO but scores at this event were rather tight last year.

Binshu Xu (China)
3T-fall; likely UR
3S-solid; slightly UR
spin combo-good speed; weak positions on layback and Bielmann
spiral-extension is decent; skating edge is very wobbly
2A-nice
last spin combo-good speed but traveled
Very weak projection to the audience.

TES: 19.36
PCS: 18.72
Ded: -1.00
Total: 37.08
Rank: 2

Yan Liu (China)
IIRC the same as last year's SP
3Z+2T-a little slow coming out of 3Z and possibly flutzed; otherwise clean
3R-good
Rough transition from standard spiral to catch-foot spiral
2A-coming after front spiral; very good
good layback to catch-foot spin
footwork-relatively easy and not very continuous
Very flat program artistically; she is a mature skater but has no relation to the audience whatsoever. However, it was a very fluid, clean skate, and it was certainly one of her best short programs as of late.

TES: 30.00
PCS: 21.28
Total: 51.28
Rank: 1

Diane Szmiett (Canada)
Skating to West Side Story
3F+2T-long entrance but otherwise good
3Z-two footed first and then fell
2A-fell out of
spin combo-traveled in beginning but centered it afterward
Very poor attempt at Charlotte Spiral (if that was even what she was trying)
Relatively slow footwork
Great speed in catch foot spin at the end
No emotional depth to program; speed is decent.

TES: 25.08
PCS: 21.16
Ded: -2.00
Total: 44.24
Rank: 3

Beatrisa Liang (USA)
Tango de Roxanne
3Z+2T-good
3F-little wobbly, very slight UR
layback to catch foot spin combo-very good
spiral-good extension
2A- step out
good spin combo
footwork-fall
This program is a great one for her and really enables her to showcase expression, drama, and musicality. A shame about the mistakes at the end but at least it started off well.

TES: 29.04
PCS: 22.72
Ded: -1.00
Total: 50.76
Rank: 2

Mirai Nagasu (USA)
Pirates of the Carribean soundtrack
3Z(likely UR)+2T-landed; also looked flutzed
3F-good
Spiral-great extension and speed
layback to catch-foot to Bielmann spin-excellent
2A-from Ina Bauer-very good
footwork-good energy
Good last spin combo
Her growth spurt has caused her to under rotate jumps more so than when she was tinier but it has helped her out tremendously with speed. She travels across the rink very quickly no matter if it is stroking, footwork, or gliding across the ice. Good skate.

TES: 37.40 ( I guess she got the lutz credited?)
PCS: 24.80
Total: 62.20 (Nice!)
Rank: 1

Warm-Up Group 2
7.) Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
8.) Fumie Suguri (Japan)
9.) Kiira Korpi (Finland)
10.) Rachael Flatt (USA)
11.) Joannie Rochette (Canada)
12.) Carolina Kostner (Italy)

Flatt in pink; Korpi in a light green/yellow; Rochette in black.

Flatt did 2A; landed but looked low. It looked like Rochette did 3Z+3T with a slight wobble on the landing of the 2nd jump. Flatt doubled her lutz. Flatt just did 3Z; looked lower than usual but landed.

Akiko Suzuki (Japan)
3Z+2T-slight loss of speed coming out of 3Z but otherwise good
3F-good
flying camel-slightly off balance but got her centering back
Spiral sequence-adequate
2A-good control on the landing edge
spin combo-good speed but traveled towards the end
footwork-very fluid, creative, and fast
Good last spin combo
Very nice performance. Suzuki has great expression and she is very musical. Great attack with the footwork and showed a lot of character in the section immediately following the triple flip. Spins and spirals were not nearly as strong as Nagasu's.

TES: 34.40
PCS: 25.12
Total: 59.52
Rank: 2

Fumie Suguri (Japan)
Good expression at the start
3F(slight UR)+2T-good speed coming out
3Z-flutz, double-footed, possible UR
Spiral sequence-adequate
2A-great height; slight wobble on landing
Combo spin-good speed but lost speed when grabbing her leg in the catch foot layback position
Footwork-good movements but slow
Finished after music

TES: 30.38
PCS: 25.08
Total: 55.46
Rank: 3

Kiira Korpi (Finland)
3Z(possible flutz; hand down)+2T
3R-good; three-turn entrance
Good continuous speed in spin combo
2A-solid
Spiral sequence-decent
Flying sit spin-nice low position
footwork-good
Good speed in final spin
Improved expression but still bland in places.

TES: 34.80
PCS: 26.40
Total: 61.20
Rank: 2
Score is higher than she deserved in my opinion. Her PCS should be in line with those received by Nagasu and Suzuki, not ahead of.

Rachael Flatt (USA)
3F(forward on landing, possible UR)+2T
3Z-solid
flying camel
Spiral sequence-adequate
Good position on layback; speed could be improved
2A-forward on landing; held on
Improved footwork from previous seasons
A cute program that has potential but Flatt will need to sell it even more to bring the entertaining concept home. All of her jumps looked lower.

TES: 33.40
PCS: 25.40
Total: 58.80
Rank: 4

Joannie Rochette (Canada)
Music is to La Cumparsita
2Z-opened up in air
3F-good but didn't add in a combo
1A
Adequate spiral
Footwork a bit slow in places
Spins were all OK
The program is very well choreographed, and she does have the most mature presentation that we have seen today. Perhaps this whole battle with landing the 3-3 is messing with her nerves? In that case, she should just stick to a triple lutz+double toe, something she does consistently in the long.

TES: 23.92
PCS: 28.20
Total: 52.12
Rank: 6

Carolina Kostner (Italy)
3F+2T-good
3T-solid
Spiral-great speed and extension
2A-solid
Spin combo a little slow
Flying deathdrop-sit spin position should be lower
Good attack in footwork
Good presentation.
Interesting jump layout! She seems to be saying to hell with the 3/3 and is putting the triple toe in as a solo jump. It will put her behind in base value but a clean program will keep her competitive because of her high PCS scores.

TES: 31.80
PCS: 29.32
Total: 61.12
Rank: 3

Good thing I didn't have any money riding on this competition. Also, AKIKO SUZUKI WAS ROBBED!!!!!.

That is all.

2009 Cup of China-Ladies Preview

2009-10-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Rachael Flatt (USA)

          The two-time U.S. silver medalist is consistent, reliable, and yes, flat. However, with Sasha Cohen's withdrawal from Trophée Eric Bompard and both Mao Asada and Carolina Kostner's respective meltdowns at COR and TEB, Flatt has a very strong opportunity of qualifying to the Grand Prix Final after missing the final last year by two placements. Flatt won her first U.S. silver medal in 2008, skating a clean long program which contained seven triple jumps. Subsequently competing at the World Junior Championships, she repeated the same clean skate and defeated both Mirai Nagasu and Caroline Zhang to win the title. Flatt once again settled for silver at this year's U.S. Championships, missing the gold medal in a very controversial loss to Alissa Czisny. Flatt went onto the 2009 World Championships and finished 5th in her first try. Flatt has competed twice since the conclusion of last season in summer events, including the Colorado Championships and the Golden West competition, beating Alexe Gilles at the former and Caroline Zhang and Mirai Nagasu at the latter. Flatt showed visible improvement in her swing-themed short program with her presentation and speed, but reverted back to her fairly mundane style in the long program, choreographed to Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."

          While Flatt's style is not necessarily bad - she actually does make a fairly strong effort to use facial expression and relate to the music - her lines are impeded by her rather awkwardly proportioned body. Her neck is very short; thus, when her shoulders lift, even just ever so slightly, it creates a very distorted line of both her back and overall upper body. She is not an exceptionally flexible skater, nor a very fast one. However, Rachael Flatt made it to the top five at last year's worlds in spite of these flaws, and her innate ability to compete and remain in the moment when the pressure mounts has been her ace in the hole thus far in her career. She has also been remarkable in avoiding major injury as a figure skater, something that has also been advantageous to Flatt against her fellow adversaries. Flatt is doubtful to reach the medals stand in Vancouver, but she stands a solid chance of claiming an Olympic berth in Spokane come nationals. One of her closest competitors for one of those spots, Mirai Nagasu, will be competing against Flatt at this competition, and it will be intriguing to see who is ahead at this stage in the game.

Carolina Kostner (Italy)

           For more info on Kostner see the TEB preview post for the ladies. The two-time world medalist has quite a ways to go when it comes to returning to peak form after her sixth place finish just over a week ago in Paris. For Kostner to have any chance at qualifying to the Grand Prix Final, she would need to win this event, a tough task in of itself, and then hope that others meltdown at future Grand Prixs so that she could qualify. While one can argue several different ways regarding why Kostner was overscored at the 2008 worlds, it certainly did help her that she was the bronze medalist from the Grand Prix Final and the current European champion heading into those Championships. Now that the Grand Prix Final is most likely out of the question, winning Europeans will be of the utmost importance for Kostner heading into Vancouver. Kostner should be able to win a European title very easily at her optimum, but she is still capable of losing gold at that event, doing so last year to Laura Lepisto.

          Both of Carolina's programs that she debuted in Paris are hardly her best; they don't appear as well composed or emotionally inspired as several previous programs of hers, including her "Canon" short and "Memories of a Geisha" long from the 2006/2007 season. Her low finish in Paris is, while a setback reputation-wise, by no means an indication that she has glossed herself out of the picture for an Olympic medal. In 2004, Kostner only finished 7th at Cup of Russia and went on to defeat Michelle Kwan for the bronze medal at worlds. Similarly in 2007, Kostner did pull off a bronze medal at Cup of China, but she was competing against a very weak field and skated extremely poorly in the free. She would later go on to win the world silver medal that season. Kostner has already been making several changes to her jumps since moving to Frank Carroll (such as taking a more fluid entrance to her triple flip and not telegraphing), and consistency with these changes naturally take time, as her warm-ups looked excellent in Paris but during her competitive skates her nerves ended up taking center ice. Kostner is never strong at her first event of the season, but does often improve for her second. In this all important Olympic season, she needs that to be the case here.

Mirai Nagasu (USA)

Although a seemingly benevolent, dainty personality, the 2008 U.S. Champion has not been one to hide her emotions or thoughts to the public. Nagasu arrived to her free skate at last year's U.S. Championships in tears, but finished the program without a major error and beamed with pride. Recently, during the U.S. Olympic Media Summit, Nagasu arose concern in the skating community with her comment, "...I'm not very smart and I'm not very pretty and there's nothing else that stands out about me besides my skating." Nagasu was also the only skater to vocal her concern over what Sasha Cohen's comeback would mean for her Olympic chances. Nagasu came out of nowhere to win the gold medal at the U.S. Championships on the junior level in 2007, defeating heavy favorite Caroline Zhang in the process. The following year, she shocked many once again by taking the senior U.S. title, but was age-ineligible to compete at the 2008 World Championships. The following year, a disastrous 8th place showing at the NHK Trophy continued to fire off tensions between Nagasu and her then coach, Charlene Wong, largely because Nagasu was opting out of resting a severe ankle injury. Nagasu toughed it out in her free skate at the U.S. Championships, finishing 5th, and upon concluding her season, she decided it was best to resume her skating under the tutelage of Frank Carroll.

Judging by the recent Golden West competition, Nagasu does not look as strong as Flatt overall, but does have several things going for her. Nagasu has routinely been plagued by under rotated jumps that often stem from a lack of amplitude, but at Golden West her jumps looked visibly higher and stronger. Her Carmen long program also looks to have great potential, and the music arrangement of the program has several of the more unused selections of the score. Nagasu has a fairly steep hill to climb to make the Olympic team, but appears to have started off on the right off toward getting to the top of the hill, something that cannot be said for many of the athletes vying for tickets to Vancouver.

Joannie Rochette (Canada)

Although some past Olympic and world champions have peaked at 15 or 16, Joannie Rochette has taken the slow and steady route to peaking at the ripe old age of 23, having just won a world silver medal. Rochette earned her first world championship medal on her eighth try and comes toward this season with what will likely be her last opportunity to win an Olympic medal. While debuting her new long program to "Samson and Delilah" at the recent Japan Open, Rochette looked fit, confident, and polished. Rochette landed all seven triples and scored a 126.39, the highest free skate for her in an international competition to date. Rochette certainly needs to be mindful of not peaking too early; however, one shouldn't be too concerned because she did perform expertly at last year's Skate Canada and, with one exception (Grand Prix Final), maintained that level of solidity throughout the season's entirety.

With Mao Asada and Carolina Kostner struggling and Sasha Cohen's "comeback" in question, Rochette has found herself with more than just a realistic aspiration of winning an Olympic medal. At this point, it looks as though Rochette is the only woman capable of even challenging South Korean superstar Yu-Na Kim for the gold, although Kim still is the unwavering frontrunner at this point. Once noted for her inconsistency, Rochette has worked diligently to correct this foible. The current world silver medalist remarked in a recent CTV Olympics article that touring with Stars and Ice in Canada has been beneficial to her psych and that the presence of media attention motivates her to perform at a superior level. Her mindset is obviously working, but will she keep her confidence intact when faced with skating for an Olympic medal in her home country? We shall see.

Fumie Suguri (Japan)

It hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for Suguri since winning her world silver medal in 2006, but she shocked many when she won the silver medal at the 2008/2009 Japanese nationals, defeating Miki Ando, Akiko Suzuki, and Yukari Nakano. Suguri qualified to the 2009 World Championships, her first worlds since 2006, and she also qualified to the Four Continents team, a competition where she placed 6th. Battling a shoulder injury, Suguri had a relatively shaky long program at the World Championships and was unable to muster anything better than an 8th place finish. Suguri stands a decent chance of making the Olympic team, a chance which she hopes to augment by moving to Alexei Mishin, coach of Evgeni Plushenko. Upon changing coaches, Suguri also scrapped both of her scheduled programs for the 2009/2010 season and has replaced them with a short program to "Air on the G String" and "Tocatta and Fugue" by Bach and a long program to Khachaturian's "Spartacus."

Suguri performed poorly at the recent Finlandia Trophy, finishing 7th against a weak field. However, once adjusted to all of her changes, Suguri should be a force to be reckoned with for a spot on the Olympic team. She only finished 8th at her opening event of the 2005/2006 Olympic season, Skate Canada, but stunned all by winning the Japanese nationals, defeating the then reigning Grand Prix Final champion Mao Asada and eventual Olympic champion Shizuka Arakawa. With Miki Ando and Mao Asada near locks for the team (even with Asada's issues, she has far too much recognition and stardom to be left off), Fumie Suguri is in a race for the third ticket with Yukari Nakano and Akiko Suzuki, the latter of whom she will compete against this week. Suguri may not be primed to do well this week if Finlandia Trophy is any indication, but she has proven capable of sneaking up on her rivals when something big is on the line and can certainly do that again with jump doctor Mishin by her side.

Akiko Suzuki (Japan)

Suzuki had her best season to date last year, winning a silver medal at the NHK Trophy and achieving a 4th place finish at the Japanese nationals. Much like Joannie Rochette, Suzuki has been slower in reaching her peak, and part of this is because of an eating disorder she suffered from in 2003, which kept her out of competition for the 2003/2004 season. Suzuki was inspired by Shizuka Arakawa's 2004 world title and became motivated to give the sport another try. Although success was slow to come after that, she did improve dramatically for last season and made the most out of her year. Suzuki does stand a legitimate chance of making the Olympic team, and were it not for a (perhaps unfairly) downgraded triple salchow in her long program at Japanese nationals, she may have been a part of the 2009 world championship team. Suzuki is set to debut her new programs for the first time internationally in China, which are a short program to Andalucia and a long program to West Side Story. Former world champion ice dancer turned choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne worked with Suzuki on her long program for this season and praised Suzuki's skating ability and work ethic on a Japanese television fluff. Suzuki already has had a good start to her season, winning a regional championship in Japan with a score higher than what she received at last year's Japanese nationals. Suzuki is a solid jumper and an attractive artist; she should do well here if her consistency from last season is any indication. As the Japanese Skating Federation appears to be making much of their Olympic team decisions based on Grand Prix results, Suzuki wants to leave her first major event of the season with a bang.

Predicted Standings

Gold: Joannie Rochette (Canada)

Silver: Rachael Flatt (USA)

Bronze: Akiko Suzuki (Japan)

4th: Carolina Kostner (Italy)
5th: Mirai Nagasu (USA)
6th; Fumie Suguri (Japan)

That is all.

Mao Asada Update

2009-10-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

The following was reported by Canadian skating commentator PJ Kwong on her twitter: "Mao Asada in press conference today said no change to music in SP and FP and no change in 3As in SP (1) and FP (2)...Tarasova concurred"

*Sigh*

Thoughts On the Ladies Free In Moscow

2009-10-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

I've been fairly busy this weekend and have thus not been able to watch all of the individual competitions from the Rostelecom Cup. However, I did watch several performances from the ladies free skate, and I wanted to comment on them because there is much to be said for several of the competitors.

Mao Asada (Japan)

Within a couple of hours of this video being posted there were already a good 60 comments on it. The Japanese view Mao as their star and pride, and for her to have finished off the podium at a Grand Prix event for the first time in her career is a devastating result. Now, Asada will most likely not be able to qualify to the Grand Prix Final. This is of especially sad irony to her because the 2009 Grand Prix Final is being held in the very same arena where she won the gold medal in 2005, when she was not age eligible to compete in the Olympics. The fans have been nearly unanimous with the thought that Asada should leave coach Tatiana Tarasova, and her assistant, Shanetta Folle. If the Japanese Skating Federation had the gall to pull Asada from her former coach, Rafael Artunian, while she was having a good season and leave her without a coach entering into a World Championships, the likelihood that the federation would pull off similar actions in this far more dire situation is high. I will do a post later on analyzing what Asada needs to do to get back to the top, if she can get back to the top, and who she will be attempting to get back to the top with.

Ashley Wagner (USA)

Very nice performance! The program is a bit rough around the edges, and she could stand to soften her arms and hold out her positions longer, but her program has quite a bit of potential. I saw even further improvement with expression from last season, which she particularly demonstrated in the opening part of the program and the part after her double axel in the middle. However, her jump layout is a bit puzzling. She put in a second double axel in place of her triple toe after the halfway point of the program, and I'm guessing that's because she wants to make her opening combination a triple flip+triple toe? Wagner appears to slightly toe-axel her double toes in combination, and I'm skeptical as to whether she could pull off a triple toe as the second jump of a combination. Ashley would be better off sticking to a triple+double combination in the beginning of the program as she has been doing, putting the triple toe back as a solo jump, and replacing her triple lutz with either a triple loop or triple salchow. Her salchow is slightly more consistent than the more valuable loop jump, but either way that would be a better substitute for her lutz, which basically gets -2 GOE before she even takes off. With all that said, this was a great showing here from Wagner and she has put herself in a position to make the Grand Prix Final. She will face a relatively deep field at NHK Trophy, which includes Miki Ando, Alena Leonova, Sarah Meier, and Yukari Nakano.

Alena Leonova (Russia)

I don't particularly like the music cuts, but this is a fun program with good energy and the typical spunk we have come to expect from Leonova. She has put effort into improving her extension over the summer and, while it has improved, it does have a ways to go. Her intended triple toe+triple toe combination at the beginning has failed her now at three successive competitions, and she would perhaps be wise to go back to her triple toe+double axel sequence that she was doing last year. Similar to Ashley Wagner, Leonova also has to be mindful about fixing her flutz, who also received an "e" edge call. Leonova's short program is superior to her long; it is better put together and showcases her speed much more. Leonova, a model of consistency, had a slightly rough long program here, and also at Finlandia Trophy, but perhaps those slightly weaker skates are merely indicative of her desire to not peak now. If Leonova has realistic aspirations of competing at the Grand Prix Final she must not finish lower than 2nd at her next event, NHK Trophy.

Miki Ando (Japan)

Ando looks quite trim and fit this early in the season, having only one mistake in this program to "Cleopatra." I saw this program from a video taken at the recent "Stars, Stripes, and Skates" show and I actually much preferred her performance there than at this competition. Ando didn't seem all that committed to her choreography (not really a surprise), and her slow step sequence was even further marred by her intense usage of arm flailing. I much preferred Cynthia Phaneuf's interpretation (which she will supposedly be reprising this season) of Cleopatra in her long program from last season. I would advise Miki to leave her aspirations of landing the quad (if she has not already) and instead put her triple salchow in place of her double axel after the halfway point. Her triple salchow is always extremely solid, and she could switch the double loops that she does after her triple toe and put them after her triple salchow for more credit. As I said initially, Ando looks very trim but could stand to do more conditioning to get her stamina in check, as her footwork sequence at the end was quite lethargic. She has added more transitions into the beginning of her program, but the musicality is just not there. Ando looks good overall, however, and she, with Asada's slump, has the ideal opportunity to establish herself as Japan's top female skater.

Alissa Czisny (USA)

First off, I must commend Czisny for her short program, which has so far been consistent for her while choreographically appealing. She could demonstrate a little more fire in her short, particularly in her step sequence, but the program is coming along nicely. I cannot say the same for her long program, which I wished she hadn't chosen to keep for another season. The program doesn't really go anywhere, and the score, although beautiful, doesn't evoke any passion from Czisny and it causes her to look tense and nervous while she is skating. She really needs to focus on rotating her jumps, something which has been a longtime issue for her, but it's good to see that she is standing them up much more consistently so far this season. Her lutz jump technique actually looks improved; she still takes a while with the entrance, but the actual jump is getting more spring. She had both of her loops downgraded, but considering that her double axels are fairly problematic, she should try to do them both again at Skate Canada and work on getting more height on them so that they are rotated. Finishing behind Ashley Wagner didn't exactly help Czisny's Olympic chances, but she did score higher than Caroline Zhang and Alexe Gilles did last week in Paris. Czisny will face Laura Lepisto, Mirai Nagasu, Joannie Rochette, Akiko Suzuki, and Caroline Zhang at Skate Canada in November.

COR Preview-Men

2009-10-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

Men

Florent Amodio (France)

Born in Brazil and adopted as an infant by a French couple, Amodio recently won the French Masters competition, beating far more experienced and acclaimed skaters such as Brian Joubert, Yannick Ponsero, and Alban Preaubert. At 19-years-of-age, Amodio has commendable talent, but his inexperience has shown through for him at several competitions, including at last season's World Junior Championships, where he placed 15th. This low finish was especially surprising, considering that it came shortly after his victory at the Junior Grand Prix Final, and his 2nd place finish at French nationals. His silver medal did not grant him a world team berth, however, because Brian Joubert withdrew from that competition. Fortunately, Amodio was granted the experience of competing at the World Team Trophy directly after worlds, where he placed 10th in the men's competition. While Amodio's recent defeating of Joubert at French Masters is doubtful to mean that he will suddenly start besting Joubert every competition out, his win there is impressive nonetheless, largely because of the great room for improvement he had in both of his programs. Amodio did attempt a quad salchow (which appeared rotated, but had a fall) during his free skate at French Masters and his slight, lean build enables him to rotate jumps with little to no effort at all. Amodio has a tough task at hand to get the second ticket on the French men's team, but he has already gotten his season off on a satisfactory note. A solid placement here at his first senior Grand Prix event (preferably in the top five) will win him further respect from the French judges who will help decide his Olympic dream, particularly after compatriots Ponsero and Preaubert (especially the latter) had weak outings at Trophée Eric Bompard.

Takahiko Kozuka (Japan)

Kozuka was one of the men who experienced a breakthrough season last year, but said season concluded on a fairly sour note. Kozuka shocked many by defeating both Johnny Weir and Evan Lysacek at last year's Skate America and went on to win the silver medal at the Grand Prix Final, but he finished over 13 points shy of making the podium at worlds, and he also finished behind less talanted skaters such as Vaughn Chipeur and Sergei Voronov at the World Team Trophy, where he placed 8th. Kozuka is blessed with some of the softest knees and securest edges in the world, but his expression is nearly non-existent, and he has yet to land a quadruple toe loop in competition. The judges were rallying to Kozuka's support in the early part of last season, with them giving him higher PCS marks than those of Johnny Weir's at the Grand Prix Final for both programs. As soon as Patrick Chan and Evan Lysacek improved significantly for the Four Continents Championships, the judges' interest in Kozuka appeared to wain and his PCS marks dropped at that competition and at the World Championships despite executing similar skates. Kozuka is immensely talented, but is a darkhorse medal threat for the Olympic podium at best. His competition in Los Angeles was far less than what it will be in Vancouver, and yet he still finished three places off the podium. As far as this event is concerned, Kozuka is doubtful to win with the return of reigning Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko on his home turf. However, Kozuka is entirely capable of finishing 2nd. His main rival for that placement is Johnny Weir, who Kozuka defeated at two competitions last season. With Nobunari Oda's win at Trophée Eric Bompard, and Daisuke Takahashi's victory at the Finlandia Trophy, Kozuka seems destined to enter the Olympic Games as the third ranked Japanese team member, and will thus have to wait longer before he is truly in contention for a world championship or Olympic medal.

Brandon Mroz (USA)

Mroz was another skater who enjoyed a breakthrough season last year, shocking a plethora of observers to win the silver medal at the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships with two technically sound programs. The 18-year-old St. Louis native went on to finish 9th at his first World Championships, doing just enough to help Evan Lysacek claim three berths for the United States men at the upcoming Winter Olympics. Mroz is under the tutelage of Tom Zakrajsek, who formerly coached one of Mroz's top rivals in the United States, Jeremy Abbott. Now that Abbott has relocated to Michigan to train under Yuka Sato, Mroz could improve his skating over the next year with him likely to receive more attention from his coach. Although a very consistent short program skater, the reigning U.S. silver medalist has yet to recapture his performance in the long program at nationals at any other competition. Mroz may need such a performance to make the Olympic team, as he only beat Evan Lysacek, with a shaky long program, by less than a point in Cleveland. The gap between Mroz's skating technically and artistically is quite sizable, and it will be a necessity for him to develop a more mature presentation for this Olympic season. Mroz has stated that he wishes to learn a quadruple salchow and upgrade to a quad-triple combination for his short. These are both quite ambitious plans, if he chooses to follow through with them, because his quad toe was landed only one time out of five competitions last season. No longer an unknown, Mroz must not rely on an optimum result at just one competition to get himself a ticket to Vancouver.

Evgeni Plushenko (Russia)

The much-anticipated return to major international competition from the Olympic and three-time world champion has finally arrived. Plushenko has been out of competition ever since winning his 2006 Olympic gold medal, and cited his reason to comeback to the current weakness of men's figure skating in Russia. The announcement of his comeback has some fans in ecstacy and others (perhaps far more) in anguish, but the Russian seems determined to make this comeback a strong one and will settle for nothing less than a second Olympic gold. Nonetheless, his programs of which he revealed at the recent Cup of Russia in Perm defied the limits of boredom, particularly his long program to "Tengo Amore" by Edvin Marton (shown in the above video). Plushenko's jumps are looking very solid, however, and the mere fact that he has a quad in his arsenal should boost his PCS scores. Brian Joubert was wrong to claim that the quad is not valued high enough; while it may not be rewarded justly on the technical score, it is often rewarded on the program component score (particularly when the skater is well-known), as has been the case in the past for Plushenko. Joubert certainly didn't beat Jeffrey Buttle's PCS score during the long program of 2008 worlds for his comparatively inferior expression and edge quality. Plushenko received high PCS marks through the roof at the 2006 Olympics for stylistically bland programs, and while one hopes that the judges will judge him more strictly after his time away from competition, such an instance cannot be guaranteed.

Shawn Sawyer (Canada)

An exceptionally limber skater, the 24-year-old Canadian finished 5th at both of his Grand Prix events last season, winning the long program at Skate Canada with a score of 142.36. The string of fifth-place finishes continued for Sawyer, as he unfortunately finished two placements at Canadian nationals from what would have qualified him to the 2009 world championship team. Now that Canada has only two Olympic spots available for the men, the three-time Canadian bronze medalist has a tough battle in order for securing the second spot on the Olympic team. Conquering his nemesis, the triple axel, would help his prospects of competing at a second Olympic Games significantly. Grand Prix results didn't seem to have much of an impact on the results of Canadian nationals last year, as Shawn Sawyer had stronger showings at his events than Vaughn Chipeur did, but Chipeur wound up beating Sawyer by three places at Canadians. Chipeur, who after last season seemed like the best bet for the second Olympic spot, just recently finished last at Trophée Eric Bompard. Sawyer did peak too early in the season as last year, as Chipeur did not, and that was what made the difference when it came to who was chosen to compete in Los Angeles. Ultimately, a strong showing from Sawyer here may not be the greatest indication that he will compete in Vancouver.

Kevin Van Der Perren (Belgium)

The two-time European bronze medalist is not realistically in the Olympic medal hunt, but wishes to step back onto the ice on the right track after a disappointing 14th place finish at the 2009 World Championships. So far he has not done so, falling to 12th at the recent Finlandia Trophy. Van Der Perren has already competed in two previous Olympics, placing 12th in 2002 and 9th in 2006. His highest finish at a World Championships was a 6th place showing in 2008, scoring the third highest free skate score of the competition. At his peak, Van Der Perren is an excellent jumper capable of landing quadruple toe loops and triple-triple-triple combinations. Unfortunately, he lacks the superior line and complex choreography of the other top men and thus often receives less than desirable program component scores (even when his jumps are solid). Although Van Der Perren is unlikely to qualify to the Grand Prix Final and would not risk his Olympic spot by performing poorly here, he does wish to perform well to gain prize money to support both he and his wife's training (Jenna McCorkell is his wife, who will be competing in Moscow). At 27 years of age, it remains very probable that this will be Van Der Perren's last season competing.

Johnny Weir (USA)

Last season started off decently for the three-time U.S. Champion, but concluded bitterly with a fifth place finish at the 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, a competition which came after a severe illness he had contracted while skating in Japan and South Korea. U.S. Figure Skating showed no mercy to Weir in their selection for the world championship team, leaving him off of both that team and the Four Continents team. Although he has not actually competed in a major event since January, Weir did show his long program at the MidAtlantics last month, and performed his new short program at the recent "Stars, Stripes, and Skates" show in Connecticut. Weir only marked slightly above a 129 for his long program at MidAtlantics, where he apparently left out his footwork and some of his transitions because of the small size of the rink. His second triple axel was downgraded to a double (an extremely rare occurence for him), and he doubled his lutz (also a rare occurence). He encountered similar errors at the show, double footing and slightly under rotating his triple axel, and putting his hand down on his triple lutz. Weir trains on an Olympic-sized rink and appeared to have trouble adjusting to smaller ice surfaces, but Nobunari Oda still managed to land eight clean triples whilst debuting his Charlie Chaplin themed long program on the same rink. Much like Brian Joubert, how Johnny Weir's first event of the season goes generally showcases in some form how he will do later on in the season. In 2007, a brilliant showing at Cup of China led to a world bronze medal. In 2006, one of the weakest long programs of his career at Skate Canada led to a third place finish at nationals and an eighth place finish at worlds. Thus, one should be able to determine much based on Johnny Weir's performances at this competition alone.

Predicted Standings-Men

Gold: Evgeni Plushenko (Russia)

Silver: Takahiko Kozuka (Japan)

Bronze: Johnny Weir (USA)

4th: Brandon Mroz (USA)
5th: Florent Amodio (France)
6th: Shawn Sawyer (Canada)

That is all.

COR Preview-Pairs and Dance

2009-10-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Pairs

Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov (Russia)

Bazarova and Larionov demonstrated considerable potential in their first season competing on the international circuit, winning the silver medal at the 2007 World Junior Championships, and placing 7th on the senior level at the Russian nationals that same year. The team improved the following season, winning the Junior Grand Prix of Great Britain and winning the bronze medal at their first senior international event, Skate America. The team went on to take the Junior Grand Prix Final title that season, but the result was short-lived and the consequences to come were not so. Larionov was suspended after the competition for a doping violation, thus putting the team out of international competition ever since. His suspension was initially supposed to terminate in January of next year, but was moved back to July 17th, 2009, allowing the team to return to competition for this year's Rostelecom Cup. Bazarova and Larianov recently performed at a small competition in Perm, performing two strong programs. While shabby in places artistically, the team demonstrated an especially creditable technical base, completing elements such as throw triple flips, throw triple twists, and exemplary lifts. The team did mark a 57.14 in their short program and a 113.36 in their long program at that event, scores which, while likely inflated, would be very competitive for a medal at this competition. With Russia having three berths available for the 2010 Olympics and 2010 World Championships, the first two spots essentially belong to Yuko Kavaguti/Alexander Smirnov and Maria Mukhortova/Alexei Trankov. However, the selection of the third spot will be a far more difficult process, and Bazarova and Larionov will face one of their top rivals for that Olympic ticket at this competition, the team of Anastasia Martiusheva and Alexei Rogonov. Considering Bazarova and Larionov's recent showing in Russia and their past success as juniors, this team should be in good stead to at least challenge for that third spot come Russian nationals, and will be granted an even stronger advantage if they are to perform well here.

Yuko Kavaguti/Alexander Smirnov (Russia)

As Scott Hamilton remarked at this year's worlds, the thought of someone "defecting to Russia" would have been inconceivable as little as two decades ago. However, times have changed, and Yuko Kavaguti is certainly grateful that they have, as she is enjoying her greatest success thus far of her career doing pairs representing Russia with Alexander Smirnov. Kavaguti placed no higher than 13th at a World Championships with her first two partners, but is now the current world bronze medalist with Smirnov. Likewise, Kavaguti is Smirnov's third partner of his career, and he has been having his greatest success of his career with her. Training under the tutelage of legendary Russian coach Tamara Moskvina, Kavaguti and Smirnov are not as passionate and musical as some, but demonstrate an impressive amount of athleticism, speed, and extension. The team's technical assets are broad, with Kavaguti armed with limitless flexibility and Smirnov capable of lifting his partner like a ragdoll. However, the emotional impact of their presentation does not come across nearly as strong as that of Shen/Zhao or Savchenko/Szolkowy. Kavaguti and Smirnov are the only currently competing team to consistently attempt a quadruple salchow throw, an element which they missed at the 2009 worlds. Despite missing the element, the team won their first world championship medal, even ahead of former world champions Pang/Tong, who Kavaguti and Smirnov will be competing against here. Kavaguti and Smirnov are looking to convey contrasting themes in their programs, with their short program set to "The Swan" and their long program choreographed to "The Blue Danube."

Keauna McLaughlin/Rockne Brubaker (USA)

An exceptionally talented team, McLaughlin and Brubaker were lauded as future Olympic medalists when they were victorious at the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, winning the senior title on their first try. The team's consistency has waned since them, and the Americans came away from the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships expecting far greater than their 11th place finish, a placement attained with one of the poorest free skates the team has performed since competing on the senior level. McLaughlin and Brubaker subsequently packed their bags and headed from Colorado Springs to Aliso Viejo, California, where they are now training under the adroit eyes of John Nicks, best known for his coaching of Sasha Cohen and former world champion pair Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner. The move to Nicks is a wise one on the part of McLaughlin and Brubaker, as Nicks has immense experience to aid him with dissecting the team's weaknesses, which have been related primarily to inconsistency (particularly with side-by-side jumps). The team has especially commendable speed, but often sacrifices their ability to breathe and create emotion between one another when they are always doing their elements quickly, as was the case with sections of their "West Side Story" long program from last season. Despite the fact that the current two-time national champions were bested by young upstarts Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett in Los Angeles, McLaughlin and Brubaker have mostly been the top U.S. pair team since their first senior national title in 2008, and stand a great chance at claiming one of the two spots allotted for the U.S. pairs at this coming Olympics. With Kavaguti/Smirnov and Pang/Tong battling it out for gold, and the inexperience of the other two Russian pairs, McLaughlin and Brubaker will be satisfied leaving Moscow with a bronze medal in hand.

Qing Pang/Jian Tong (China)

At their optimum, Pang and Tong nix together excellent throws and twist lifts with exemplary musicality, but in spite of this, the team has not medaled at a world championship for the past two years. Pang and Tong have produced a couple of impressive upsets in their careers thus far, including their victory at the 2006 World Championships, where they beat the favored Olympic silver medalist team of Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang. More recently, Pang and Tong defeated both the Zhangs and Savchenko/Szolkowy for the gold medal at the 2008 Grand Prix Final, but both teams got the last laugh at this year's World Championships, where Savchenko/Szolkowy and the Zhangs went 1-2 and Pang and Tong, held back by a flat long program, finished over five points shy of the medal stand. It appears as though Pang and Tong are battling six other teams (Dube and Davidson, Kavaguti and Smirnov, Mukhortova and Trankov, Savchenko and Szolkowy, Shen and Zhao, and the Zhangs) for those three spots on the podium. Pang and Tong are by all means capable of medaling - their scores at GPF and Four Continents would have placed them 2nd at this year's Worlds, but they must reach their peak condition at the Olympics and not prior to. As far as this event is concerned, Kavaguti and Smirnov appear to have the slight upper hand on Pang and Tong. The former has a home field advantage, and is coming off from having just beaten Pang and Tong at worlds. The 2006 world champions have not been victorious at their first Grand Prix of the event of the season since 2003 Skate America.

Predicted Standings:
Gold: Yuko Kavaguti/Alexander Smirnov (Russia)
Silver: Qing Pang/Jian Tong (China)
Bronze: Keauna McLaughlin/Rockne Brubaker (USA)
4th: Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov (Russia)

Ice Dance

Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte (Italy)

The 2nd-ranked Italian team recently placed 10th at the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles, duplicating their finish from the 2008 World Championships. Cappellini and Lanotte, now in their fourth season together, broke the top five at this year's European Championships and finished 4th at this competition last year. Cappellini and Lanotte don't have much of an opportunity to break into the medals stand at future World Championships/Olympic Games, and certainly won't be doing so with the top ranked Italian team, Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali, still competing. Cappellini and Lanotte actually have very strong interpretation of the music and expression, and had a very strong "Love Story" free dance last season. Unfortunately, their extension and speed don't compare to those of the top teams, and their lack of difficulty and originality within their elements are weaknesses to hold them back also. However, with world champion teams Domnina/Shabalin and Dolobel/Shoenfelder out of the Grand Prix, and their withdrawing from the events (Domnina/Shabalin-COR; Dolobel/Schoenfelder-SA) of which this team is competing at, Cappellini and Lacotte have feasible opportunities to medal both at this event and at Skate America. The team is favored for a silver medal here, having finished two places ahead Canadians Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier, at the 2009 World Championships. Crone and Poirier are expected to be Cappellini and Lanotte's top rivals for silver at this event, with Meryl Davis and Charlie White nearly assured to win the competition.

Vanessa Crone/Paul Poirier (Canada)

As is the case with Cappellini and Lanotte in Italy, Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier are the second ranked team in Canada, achieving the silver medal at this year's Canadian nationals in just their second year competing on the senior level. The Canadians were second at the 2008 World Junior Championships, and made their debut at the senior World Championships this year, finishing a respectable 12th. Their placement and Virtue and Moir's bronze medal did not, however, meet the criteria for Canada to have berths for three dance teams in Vancouver. Crone and Poirier are likely to attain the second spot on the Olympic team, considering that they beat the bronze medalists from last year's Canadian nationals by over five points. Crone and Poirier are a technically proficient team with commendable lifts, and the Canadians did receive six out of a possible eight level fours for their free dance elements at worlds. Unfortunately, the team's speed, artistry, and creativity need to increase sizably if they are to eventually equal the success earned by their countrymen, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. Crone and Poirier are only 18 and 17, respectively, so there is still much time available for growth to be made. Beating Cappellini and Lanotte at this event for the silver medal would be an excellent result for the Canadians, but Crone and Poirier should consider a bronze medal satisfactory enough.

Meryl Davis/Charlie White (USA)

The current U.S. champions have come to prove that U.S. ice dancing is not merely a showcase of Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, as Davis and White rapidly improve to what they hope will culminate in a world championship or Olympic gold medal. The team, coached by Igor Shpilband and Marina Zueva, has competed at the last three World Championships, controversially missing the bronze medal in Los Angeles by just .04. That result means bad news bears for their 2010 Olympic medal prospects, as Tanith and Ben's experience gave them an advantage over Davis and White in the judging at last year's worlds, and Virtue and Moir now have the bonus of competing at home for this season's premier event. Davis and White recently made their debut of their new free dance to "Phantom of the Opera" in a U.S. summer competition. The program was rough around the edges, but showed considerable improvement by the time the Nebelhorn Trophy came by, where Davis and White were competing against a weak field and thus easily won the competition. The team has particularly dynamic expression and speed, but a particular weakness on Meryl's part is her lack of extension, with her leg line and foot form being inferior to that of Tanith Belbin and Emily Samuelson. Davis and White have no issue racking up exemplary TES scores; in fact, they received the highest TES score in their free dance at 2009 worlds. Davis and White's PCS marks were what prevented them from medaling, likely more due to reputation than of their actual skating at that given competition. Davis and White received a noticeably larger ovation following their free dance in Los Angeles than that of Belbin and Agosto, but the judges did not respond in kind. It may remain that way until Belbin and Agosto retire for Davis and White to become the top U.S. ice dance team, and will need to be so in order to medal at a future world championship or Olympic Games.

Ekaterina Rubleva/Ivan Shefer (Russia)

The current Russian silver medalists are perhaps better known for Rubleva's wardrobe malfunction during the compulsory dance at the 2009 Europeans then they are for their actual skating, but nevertheless, this team stands a very good chance of snatching the third spot on the Russian Olympic team for ice dance. This is especially true, considering their strong 5th place finish at the recent Trophée Eric Bompard competition, where Rubleva and Shefer bested current U.S. bronze medalists Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre and fellow compatriots Kristina Gorshkova and Vitali Butikov. Rubleva and Shefer have competed at one World Championships thus far in their careers, in 2008, where they placed 15th. Rubleva and Shefer have a tall task at hand of trying to become the top Russian team before they retire, even if Domnina and Shabalin hang their skates up after 2010. Rubleva and Shefer are an elegant team, but have a long way to go to match the current strength of current Russian and European champions, Jana Khoklova and Sergei Novitski. Rubleva and Shefer don't exactly have years ahead of them to improve either, as they are 24 and 26 years of age, respectively. Rubleva and Shefer's premier priority for this season is obviously to claim that last spot on the Olympic team, and the process of attaining that begins here. Beating the two other Russian ice dance teams competing will put Rubleva and Shefer's Olympic chances in even superior stead.

Predicted Standings
Gold: Meryl Davis/Charlie White (USA)
Silver: Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte (Italy)
Bronze: Vanessa Crone/Paul Poirier (Canada)
4th: Ekaterina Rubleva/Ivan Shefer (Russia)

Next post: COR Preview-Men

That is all.

TEB Ladies Free Skate-Live Commentary

2009-10-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

Start Order

1 Gwendoline DIDIER FRA

10 41.96

2 Anna JURKIEWICZ POL

9 43.86

3 Elene GEDEVANISHVILI GEO

8 48.68

4 Carolina KOSTNER ITA

7 51.26

5 Kiira KORPI FIN

6 54.20

Warm-Up Group 2

6 Caroline ZHANG USA

5 57.26

7 Alexe GILLES USA

4 58.22

8 Mao ASADA JPN

3 58.96

9 Yukari NAKANO JPN

2 59.64

10 Yu-Na KIM KOR

1 76.08

11:29 CT Ladies are currently warming up

11:32 Kostner is in blue, Gedevanishvili in black. Kostner did a clean triple salchow earlier in warm-up; Gedevanishvili doubled hers.

Gwendoline Didier gets big ovation; looks very nervous.
3Z-maybe double-footed
3S-UR, hand down, double-footed
2F
Very different, awkward catch-foot with right leg crossed over left shoulder in spiral
2A+2T-landed with no speed
2T
3T (possible UR)+2T-landed
2A-good
Slow footwork
Lethargic final spin

TES: 37.87
PCS: 38.24
Total: 76.11
Grand Total: 118.07

Anna Jurkiewicz (Poland)
2F
3T-both hands down
fast catch-foot layback spin
2F
2A+2T-good
3T+2T-solid, good height on first jump
1S-long, slow entrance
2A-fall
final spin compo-good speed
Good speed and expression in places but doesn't carry those traits throughout the program.

TES: 30.76
PCS: 41.44
Ded: -1.00
Total: 71.20
Grand Total: 115.06
Rank: 2

Elene Gedevanishvili (Georgia)
3Z-excellent
3T+3T-double footed, possible UR
3S-good, with Y-scale spiral coming before it
2A-good with spiral going into it
Deathdrop traveled slightly
3S-fall, will only be counted as a sequence
slip while stroking
2A+2T-good
good spiral
2A-good
Dynamic finish
Robin Wagner is pleased

TES: 47.99
PCS: 47.76
Ded: -1.00
Total: 94.75
Grand Total: 143.43
Rank: 1

Carolina Kostner (Italy)
3F-hand down, dropped free leg quickly
3Z-fall
2A+2T-good
Excellent spiral
3T-UR, hand down
3R-hop out of it
Completely bailed out of her axel
3S-landed; possible UR
Good expression in places but the choreography of this program doesn't appear as difficult as past programs of hers have been. The footwork sequence is very dynamic, but overall the program doesn't really go anywhere.

TES: 41.85
PCS: 55.52
Ded: -1.00
Total: 96.37
Grand Total: 147.63
Rank: 1

Kiira Korpi (Finland)
Doing last year's program
3Z-UR; step-out
3S-good height but fell
2R
1S
Very weak extension on spiral
1R
2A+2T-slight toe-axel on toe but otherwise clean
2A+2T-landed with little speed coming out
This performance had a more dynamic presentation then I've seen from her in the past but the jumps were just not there for her tonight.

TES: 35.15
PCS: 50.48
Ded: -1.00
Total: 84.63
Grand Total: 138.83
Rank: 3

12:11 CT Warm-up group two. Huge crowd ovation for Kim and a big ovation for Asada as well.

Mao is in a different dress from WTT; it's red on the top and black at the bottom. Kim is in blue, and she just landed a solid triple lutz. Nakano in the same God awful costume from WTT.

Nakano just landed 3F. Asada landed 3F+2R+2R, Kim did 3Z+2T (clearly opened up 2nd jump, which was intended to be 3T). Zhang is in a light blue dress.

Nakano just landed 3Z. Kim landed 3Z.

Caroline Zhang (USA)
3F+2T-mule kick as present as ever but landed
3Z+2T-flutz, otherwise OK
2A-landed but slower entrance than in SP
good spins
3F-step out
3R- landed
3S-good
3R+2T+2R-not much speed coming out of the first jump but was able to pull off the combo
Stunning spiral
Great pearl to bielmann at the end; spin combo traveled slightly
Very flat performance. This program is significantly weaker than her short, the latter of which actually showcased improved speed and expression.

TES: 47.89
PCS: 48.00
Total: 95.89
Grand Total: 153.15
Rank: 1

Alexe Gilles (USA)
2T+2T (bailed out on 2nd jump in the air)
3Z-hand down, possible UR
3R-good recovery
Weak Bielmann
Spiral has adequate extension
2A-lovely spiral coming out of it
3F(possible UR)+2T+2R
1Z
3S+2T-good
Very cute program! She maintained good expression throughout, and hopefully she can develop her consistency further to become recognized by the international judges who underscored her on PCS during the short.

TES: 45.70
PCS: 48.00
Total: 93.70
Grand Total: 151.92
Rank: 2

Mao Asada (Japan)
Enormous ovation
3A+Tano2T-good
3A-UR, Double footed
3F+2R-good
Good spiral extension
3R-excellent
3F+2R+Tano2R-possible UR on last jump but otherwise clean
3T-good
2A-fell out of; very strange error
Excellent footwork
One-handed Bielmann to end, finished after music

Much improved from the Japan Open. She needs to take the 2nd 3A out pronto; it isn't working. Skated with improved speed and expression.

TES: 55.07
PCS: 60.96
Ded: -1.00
Total: 115.03
Grand Total: 173.99
Rank: 1

Yukari Nakano (Japan)
2A+2A+SEQ-very good
3F+2T-leg wrap but otherwise clean
3Z-UR, double footed
3F-good besides wrap
3S(possible UR)+2T-landed but leaning in the air on 3S
3T-good
3S-Double-footed and step out
Spins good throughout program.

Improved performance technically and choreographically from Japan Open. Showed much more personality, but this is still an inferior program to her "Giselle" from last year and her short program.

TES: 48.86
PCS: 57.20
Total: 106.06
Grand Total: 165.70
Rank: 2

Yu-Na Kim needs 97.92 to win.

Yu-Na Kim (South Korea)
3Z+3T-excellent
Lost balance and completely bailed out on the triple flip
2A+2T+Tano2R-lovely, with Ina Bauer before it
2A+3T-excellent
3Z-excellent
Footwork a little slow
2A-solid

What a peculiar error on the triple flip, but she recovered extremely well. The program is very elegant and fun, and it's very much designed around the code of points. I like the program very much, it has lots of great moments but I wouldn't say it's a masterpiece.

TES: 67.55
PCS: 66.40
Total: 133.95 (New world record!!!)
Total: 210.03 (New world record!!!)

Final Standings
1 Yu-Na KIM KOR 210.03
2 Mao ASADA JPN 173.99
3 Yukari NAKANO JPN 165.70
4 Caroline ZHANG USA 153.15
5 Alexe GILLES USA 151.92
6 Carolina KOSTNER ITA 147.63
7 Elene GEDEVANISHVILI GEO 143.43
8 Kiira KORPI FIN 138.83
9 Gwendoline DIDIER FRA 118.07
10 Anna JURKIEWICZ POL 115.06

I won't be doing commentary for the dance free; I have my life to tend to in the meantime.

That is all.

TEB Pairs Free Skate-Live Commentary

2009-10-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

8:38 CT-Here will be my commentary of the pairs free skate for the 2009 Trophee Eric Bompard competition, updated as the competition goes on live. Enjoy!

8:45-The judges are being announced. Arena looks about 60% full.

8:47 Large response for James/Bonheur from their home audience; Inoue/Baldwin get a decent response also.

8:49 James/Bonheur is same costumes from Worlds FS. Just tried a throw double twist.

8:50 Bonheur fell out of SBS triple salchow in warm-up.

8:51 James/Bonheur good throw triple salchow in warm-up.

8:52 Camera hasn't paying much attention to Inoue/Baldwin; Inoue is in a white dress and Baldwin is in black.

8:53 Warm-up has concluded. Vanessa James/Yannick Bonheur are about to skate. Big response from crowd. They look relaxed, particularly she.

8:55 Same program as last season IIRC.

James/Bonheur
SBS 3S-UR and two-footed from him, hers was fine
double twist-looked she was going for a triple but bailed out
throw 4S-fall; great attempt!
2A+2A SEQ-fall on second jump from Vanessa
spiral sequence different in that they face each other
throw 3F-fall

Very weak skate compared to last year's worlds, but still a really gutsy (and I would say fully-rotated) attempt at the throw 4S. Her expression is superior to his.

TES: 44.40
PCS: 38.43
Ded: -3.00
Total: 79.40
Grand Total: 118.66

Castelli/Shnapir

Cool transition into double twist
SBS 3S-fall out from him
throw 3S-fall out
2A+2T SEQ-looked like she singled hers but I missed it
throw 2A-hand down; fall out
Very cool lift sequence; nice positions
Spin combo off unison

TES: 44.63
PCS: 38.88
Total: 83.51
Grand Total: 133.01
Rank: 1

Great senior international debut!

9:11 Dong/Wu China

SBS 3T+2T-good
SBS 3S-fall from him
throw triple twist-first one we've seen today; good
spin combo-started off well but good off unison in the middle
throw 3R-good
throw 3S-leaning to her right side in the air, but landed without error
This team is talented technically but bland artistically. They need to skate to something more lyrical, because their free skate music was much too strong and intense for what they were able to emote to.

TES: 54.63
PCS: 41.12
Ded:-1.00
Total: 94.75
Grand Total: 144.45
Rank: 1

9:19 Inoue/Baldwin

SBS 3T-he doubled his
2A+2A+SEQ-fall out from her on 2nd jump
throw triple twist-poor exit
throw 3R-good
throw 3A-excellent; WOW!
spin combo-good centering
Program to Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto no.1. They had one of their better skates in the last couple of years. Excellent throws, but side by side jumps need major work in terms of consistency from both of them. A better program choreographically than past programs, but their attempts to look romantic are a colossal failure.

TES: 56.70
PCS: 47.60
Ded: -1.00 (they went overtime, finished way after the music)
Total: 103.30
Grand Total: 158.36
Rank: 1

9: 28 Warm-up group 2 is on the ice.

9: 31 Savchenko/Szolkowy dressed in some brown/yellow disaster. Canac/Coia had a good throw 3F.

9: 32 One minute left in warm-up.

9:33 Warm-up concluded. Cheers for Canac/Coia start before their names are even announced.

9:34 Canac/Coia FS
Samson and Delilah music.
Catch-foot position from her on the opening pose; good thing Dick Button isn't there commentating.
good double twist into a spiral
SBS 3S-nice
throw 3F-very low; put her hand down but manged to not fall
Good extension from her on spiral
2A+2T+SEQ-She singled her axel and didn't bother to do the toe
throw 3S-way off in the air
Her presentation is significantly better than his. They are a potentially good team but need to work on the throws. He doesn't throw her at all, and thus she barely gets two inches off the ground and falls.

TES: 48.82
PCS: 46.40
DED: -1.00
Total: 94.22
Grand Total: 150.18
Rank: 2

9:43 Dube/Davidson
throw triple twist-little rough on exit but better than Inoue/Baldwin's
SBS 2A+2A+SEQ-clean
SBS 3S-good
throw 3Z-two-footed
throw 3R-both hands down
Very nice lift combo
Ending pair spins a little slow
Lovely program! They both emoted really well to each other and to the audience and I think this music really suits their artistry. Ending was a bit anti-climatic, with the slower pair spins and the lack of energy going into the final pose (as the final note of the music is very strong). SBS jumps were very good; throws need work and looked a bit low.

TES: 58.91
PCS: 57.52
Total: 116.43
Grand Total: 180.97
Rank: 1

Mukhortova/Trankov
Love Story
Costumes are just awful
Throw triple twist-best one we've seen today
SBS 2A-good
SBS 3T+2T-solid
Throw 3R-lovely leg extension and speed on landing
Throw 3S-excellent; they are on!
Nicely centered spin combo
Very passionate finish
Program was a bit bland artistically (unusual for them) until the last third or so of the program when they got their big technical elements out of the way. Excellent performance technically and great ending; should go into 1st.

TES: 64.77
PCS: 61.28
Total: 126.05
Grand Total: 192.93
Rank: 1

Savchenko/Szolkowy need 119.96 to win.

3T+3T+SEQ-Two-footed 2nd jump from both of them
Throw 3F-nice
Crazy fall backward from her on Y-scale spiral
SBS 3S-fall from him; hers looked UR
death spiral-another fall
throw double twist-good
throw single salchow
Total meltdown! Taking away all the mistakes technically, I don't think this program is as polished nor as passionate as their "Shindler's List" LP from a year ago. Between their week performance at Nebelhorn and here, they have started off their Olympic season on an especially rocky track.

TES: 46.16
PCS: 57.28
Ded: -2.00
Total: 101.44
Grand Total: 174.42
Rank: 3

Final Standings
1 Maria MUKHORTOVA / Maxim TRANKOV RUS 192.23

2 Jessica DUBE / Bryce DAVISON CAN 180.97
3 Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY GER 174.42
4 Rena INOUE / John BALDWIN USA 158.36
5 Adeline CANAC / Maximin COIA FRA 150.18
6 Huibo DONG / Yiming WU CHN 144.45
7 Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR USA 133.01
8 Vanessa JAMES / Yannick BONHEUR FRA 118.66

Check back for live commentary of ladies later in the day.

That is all.

The Queen Reigns

2009-10-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

Yu-Na debuted her lovely, entertaining James Bond short program today at the 2009 Trophee Eric Bompard, a competition which she now leads by over 16 points. The program is an excellent vehicle for her to develop throughout the season, and she appears to be extremely fit. My only criticism is in the step sequence; it starts off with all guns blazing, but the middle of it (2:50-2:54) slows down and loses the intensity that was so strong initially. However, I'm confident that this program will be even better in her later events. When comparing her "Dance Macabre" short program from Skate America to Worlds last year, one can see that every movement Kim does is stronger and richer at the latter event.

ETA: Also note that there are some new polls toward below my blog archive on the right side of the page.

TEB Preview-Ladies

2009-10-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

Ladies

Mao Asada (Japan)

The Olympic season has finally arrived for the 19-year-old Japanese superstar, who will aim to live up to the expectations of a proud nation hoping that the 2008 world champion will dethrone her top rival, Yu-Na Kim, for the 2010 Olympic gold medal. Asada was formerly under the tutelage of Rafael Artunian, who led her to the 2007 world silver medal and two Japanese national championships. However, after Asada's 2007 nationals win, the Japanese Skating Federation pulled her from Artunian and sent her to the Four Continents and World Championships without a permanent coach. Nevertheless, she went on to win both competitions. The JSF later paired Asada with legendary Russian coach Tatiana Tarasova, who has taken Asada away from the more lyrical style of her youth to a much more dramatic presentation, something many fans have voiced their disapproval over. Asada's time with Tarasova has been hot and cold thus far, with high points that include her win (defeating Yu-Na Kim in her come country) at the 2008 Grand Prix Final, and becoming the second lady to break 200 points at the 2009 World Team Trophy. However, Asada was left off the podium in Los Angeles, despite not skating poorly, and received her lowest long program score since 2006 at the recent Japan Open.

Asada's attempts to land two triple axels in her long program are admirable, but the great risk involved often proves to be much more of a detriment than a reward. She is bound to pop, under rotate, or fall on one of them (exceptions being 2005 Japanese Nationals and 2008 Grand Prix Final), and more often than not, the mistake comes on the second attempt. It was also perplexing when, at the Japan Open, Asada missed her inconsistent triple salchow, trying that jump in favor of her consistently secure triple loop. Practice videos of Asada's jumps aired just prior to the Japan Open showed her to be in fine condition, but her jumps at the Japan Open were labored and were vacant of their usual spring. However, her artistry in her "Bells of Moscow" long program showed a marked improvement from last year's long to "Masquerade Waltz." Asada performed poorly at this event last year, which was her first event of the 2008/2009 season, and cannot afford to do the same this season with a sinificantly deeper field competing. However, it is worth noting that Asada's second competition of the season has historically been significantly stronger than her first.

Elene Gedevanishvili (Georgia)

The Georgian firecracker is wildly talented and wildly inconsistent, having finished 10th at this year's worlds, just after failing to qualify for the free skate at the 2009 Europeans. Gedevanishvili has competed at an Olympics once before, in 2006, where she shockingly qualified to the final group for the free skate and ended up placing 10th. Currently training under 1982 world champion Elaine Zayak in New Jersey, Gedevanishvili is a spunky skater with a solid triple lutz and triple toe+triple toe combination. The 19-year-old Tbilisi native has already competed once since last year's worlds, at the 2009 Moran Memorial, where she finished ahead of Ashley Wagner in the free skate, but behind behind her in the short program and overall. Gedevanishvili has a solid combination of athleticism, flexibility, and personality, but will need to gain consistency and refine her posture and transitions between elements if she is to stick around and skate onto the podium at a future World Championships or Olympic Games. Gedevanishvili's performances in Los Angeles appeared to significantly increase her confidence level, and a strong placement in Paris (preferably in the top five) would allow the judges to have more faith in Gedevanishvili's potentially strong but divergent skating.

Alexe Gilles (USA)

Gilles is one of the tallest ladies figure skaters to have ever made it to the competitive ranks domestically and internationally, standing at 5'7''. This added height allows Gilles to have jumps that are nothing short of breathtaking when landed, particularly her triple lutz, but it also impedes her consistency. Gilles competed at the Colorado Championships this summer, where she defeated two-time U.S. silver medalist Rachael Flatt in the short, but fell behind her in the long program and overall. The bronze medalist from last year's Junior Grand Prix Final and 9th place finisher from the 2009 U.S. Championships, Gilles has the opportunity for this to be somewhat of a breakthrough season, but only somewhat, because it's unlikely she will make the Olympic team. She was granted her first senior Grand Prix assignment, being this competition, in the spring and was eventually added to the Skate America roster when Michelle Kwan announced her decision not to return to competitive skating. A solid finish here will be a tall order for Gilles, as she is competing against seven creditable skaters and five especially formidable ladies (Asada, Kim, Kostner, Nakano, and Zhang). Regardless of placement, this competition will be of tremendous service to Gilles's development, and it will give her an idea of how she stacks up with some of the top female figure skaters in the world.

Yu-Na Kim (South Korea)

The pride of South Korea will take to the ice for the first time since her victory at the 2009 World Championships, where she won her first world title by an astounding 16.42 points, breaking the then existing world record by over eight marks. Kim has been one of the few skaters to have avoided summer competitions, and comes to Paris to debut her new short program to themes from "James Bond" and her long program to Gershwin's "Piano Concerto in F." Orser lauded Kim's new programs in an Icenetwork article back in July; however, Kim critiqued them in a more staid manner in a recent interview, commenting "Though I am under the apprehension that both programs of this season are less gorgeous than those of last season, I will prepare them well and do my best as I have done before."

Although Kim is perhaps not as talented a skater technically speaking as Asada, she is able to work the code of points in her favor more so than her top rival. An example of this is that receives nearly unanimous level fours for her non-jump elements, even while some of her spin and spiral postitions don't achieve the prettiest shapes. The code of points also aids her in the fact that she can switch her problematic triple loop with an easier, quality double axel, which doesn't end up costing her much at all. Kim's speed, detailed choreography, and committed expression enabled her to receive the highest program component marks of every phase of every competition she competed in last season. Kim should continue to bank on those high program component marks, but it is unlikely that one will see Kim score jaw-droppingly high artistic marks, like the 68.40 PCS score she received for her long program at 2009 worlds, especially if she is not to skate a clean short program and have a commanding lead after that phase.

One concept Kim must continue to be mindful about to ensure herself success in Vancouver is to train well, but not overtrain and risk serious injury. Kim's back was a huge source of pain for her prior to the 2007 and 2008 World Championships, both competitions of which she was capable of winning, but did not. Kim peaked herself at exactly the right time last season, but it could be difficult to achieve that masterful pacing again, considering all of the pressure from the people of South Korea and Kim's constant drive to push to envelope further (notice how she claimed that she now aims for 215 points instead of just 200 in the article linked earlier in this commentary). Kim is generally strong, albeit unspectacular, at her first event. While this is precisely how she should desire to perform early in the season, such a performance is not always indicative of the culmination of her year, as was the case with her 2007/2008 season.

Kiira Korpi (Finland)

Korpi missed the Grand Prix portion of the season last year due to injury, but recovered in time to defeat Laura Lepisto at the 2009 Finnish Championships to win her first Finnish senior national title. However, because the criteria for selecting the world team was largely based on the results of the 2009 European Championships, Korpi was not chosen to compete in Los Angeles because of her 5th place finish at that event - the lowest placement of the three Finnish women (Korpi, Lepisto, Susanna Poykio) competing there. Korpi has already gotten her feet wet this season, competing at the Nebelhorn Trophy and Finlandia Trophy, where she placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively. It seems likely that Laura Lepisto will secure one of the two berths available for the Finnish women intending to compete at the 2010 Olympic Games, which means that Korpi will need to fend off current European bronze medalist Susanna Poykio for the second spot. This should prove to be an interesting battle, as both skaters are very comparable in their overall consistency and potential. Poykio may have had the upper hand when it came to last year's Europeans, where Korpi (in the video shown above) took a devastating fall into the boards in her long program, but Poykio didn't exactly show the world that she was of the best use to the Finnish team in Los Angeles with 13th place finish, a placement even lower than Carolina Kostner and her epic long program meltdown. Korpi's competitions in the early part of the season are great opportunities for building confidence, but shouldn't have much impact on whether she is named to the Olympic team or not. Peaking as close to the Olympics as possible will be of the utmost importance for Korpi to return to a second Olympic Games, and to improve on her 16th place finish from 2006.

Carolina Kostner (Italy)

As dream of a city Los Angeles was for Yu-Na Kim, it was a living nightmare for Carolina Kostner. Entering the long program in 5th place, Kostner appeared rattled by Kim's thunderous ovation, as the 22-year-old Italian went on to skate her worst long program in memory, one which contained zero clean triple jumps. The performance dropped Kostner to 12th, understandably prompting her to make a coaching change from Michael Huth to Frank Carroll, who is currently coaching Evan Lysacek and Mirai Nagasu also. Kostner could be the ultimate Olympic dark horse if she is somehow able to gain consistency, confidence, and competitive fire by Vancouver.

Kostner skates with blinding speed, has creditable height on her triples, and is armed with a strong sense of musicality, which, coupled with strong poltical favor from Italian ISU head Ottavio Cinquanta, make it foolish for one to count her out of the medal picture in Vancouver. A recent training video from an Italian television network shows Kostner to have made several changes to her skating in the short time she has had with Frank Carroll, including having more fluid entrances to her flip and loop, and adding the triple toe as a solo jump. She did not show a triple flip+triple toe combination, and given her recent troubles with that combination (having only one out 10 successful triple+triple combination attempts last season), Kostner may be going back to an easier triple flip+double toe combination and putting the triple toe in place of her double axel solo jump in the long program.

Kostner has been wise to let both of her programs be of a more classical genre this season, as classical programs, such as her 2007 Canon short program, aptly suit her artistry. Kostner will debut her short program to Tchaikovsky's "Chopin Nocturne and Violin Concerto" and her long program to Bach's "Air on a G String" and Vivaldi's "Cello Concerto" in Paris. If recent history is any indication, Kostner will not be in strong form here, as her opening performances during several previous seasons have been of particular sloppiness. Little is known of whether Kostner will be able to come back from her Los Angeles catastrophe and skate of quality worthy of making the Olympic podium, but one will be able to start finding out after this weekend. Kostner has many opportunities in her favor to make the Olympic podium; all she has to do is trust herself and take them.

Yukari Nakano (Japan)

Nakano is generally strong early in the season, but was not so at the recent Japan Open, scoring below 100 points with a technically and choreographically fireless long program to "The Firebird." Her debut of her new long program was of particular disappointment to many of Nakano's fans, as she has enhanced her style over the past several seasons, and showed an especially mature presentation in her long program to the ballet score of "Giselle" last season. Nakano has had an impressive career, but one that has had many unerasable disappointments, which include her falling short of an Olympic team that she probably should have been on in 2006 (instead of Miki Ando who finished 15th in Turino), and missing a world championship medal in 2008 in a controversial result. Most recently, Nakano led the field after the short program at the Japanese nationals in December 2008, but ended up skating one of her weakest long programs in memory, dropping to 5th place and being left off of the world championship team.

Nakano has several lovely aspects to her skating, all of which are marred by her greatest trademark and weakness, her leg wrap. Skaters typically cross their legs tightly in the air for a jump, but for whatever peculiar reason, Nakano developed a technique where her left leg crosses over her right thigh, thus creating a distracting line and providing an impediment to the rotation speed of her jumps. She is immune from using that technique on her salchow jump and also on her triple axel, a jump she has not landed cleanly in well over a year.

As far as placements are concerned for this competition, it is worth noting that Nakano improved very quickly at the beginning of last season, when she performed poorly at a minor competition in Japan before going on to skate strongly and place second at Skate America. Nakano was also strong at her opening Grand Prix event in 2007, Skate Canada, and thus could be in for a good competition here despite her poor outing in Japan just weeks ago.

Caroline Zhang (USA)

Zhang will be returning to competition after a raucous off-season, which included two coaching changes (one to Charlene Wong and one back to her original coach, Mingzhu Li), a torn meniscus, and a third place finish (behind Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu) at the Golden West competition last month. Zhang had a bittersweet 2008/2009 season, missing the world championship team while going on to prove in nearly every way possible, whether it be Alissa Czisny's short program meltdown in Los Angeles, Zhang's fourth place finish against a deep field at the Four Continents Championships, or Zhang attaining the top technical score in her free skate at the World Team Trophy, that she deserved to compete in Los Angeles.

Zhang has certain aspects to her skating that are absolutely spellbinding, and other aspects that earn her a plethora of scornful remarks from observers. Zhang can bend her body limitlessly, but skates slower than Carolina Kostner does in slow motion and has an extremely awkward technique on her flip and lutzes, where she twists her hips and kicks her leg up to the ceiling, a technique dubbed the "mule kick" by critics. The main issue with Zhang is that she has been said to have an extremely difficult time breaking out of her confort zone, which is certainly an evident reality when considering the lack of improvement in many aspects of her skating over the past few seasons in terms of speed, transitions, the mule kick, and presentation. Zhang is notorious for flutzing, but was credited with a clean lutz at the Golden West competition. However, she received an "!" call for her flip at that competition, which was also a call she received at this year's U.S. nationals.

Zhang was far from her optimum at her first competition last season, Skate Canada, which seemed to play a factor in how she was scored at nationals relative to Alissa Czisny, who outscored Zhang in the long program despite only landing three triples to Zhang's six. Zhang seems to be marked more favorably internationally than she is domestically, an oddity which she would like to reverse for the time being to earn an Olympic berth. As nationals results are frequently based off of Grand Prix results when it comes to someone being favored on the second mark, two quality performances are necessary for Zhang in Paris.

Predicted Standings-Ladies
Gold: Yu-Na Kim (South Korea)
Silver: Mao Asada (Japan)
Bronze: Yukari Nakano (Japan)
4th: Carolina Kostner (Italy)
5th: Caroline Zhang (USA)
6th: Elene Gedevanishvili (Georgia)

That is all.

TEB Preview-Men

2009-10-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

Men

Ryan Bradley (USA)

The 2007 U.S. silver medalist's quirky style and crowd-pleasing charm make him an ideal show skater, but his relatively weak basic skating skills and inconsistent jumps do not make him the dream competitive skater. Bradley has a respectable competitive track record, having placed in the top five at the last three U.S. Championships and 15th at the 2007 World Championships. Bradley has already competed once this year, finishing 4th at the Nebelhorn Trophy, where he did manage to pull off a quad in the short. While it is always ideal to train with someone who is a top skater to motivate you further, it would seem probable that Bradley gets passed under the dust by his current coach, Tom Zakrajsek, because he does not have as strong an Olympic bid as his training mates, Rachael Flatt and Brandon Mroz. With the current depth in U.S. men's skating, Bradley seems to rank behind five men (Jeremy Abbott, Evan Lysacek, Mroz, Adam Rippon, and Johnny Weir) to get one of the three spots on the Olympic team, and thus a major upset would be in order for Bradley to compete in Vancouver. Nonetheless, Bradley has pulled off a major upset once, at 2007 nationals, where he was only expected to be an outside contender for the world team and ended up finishing 2nd and beating Johnny Weir in the process.

Vaughn Chipeur (Canada)

Armed with jumps that launch to the sky, it is peculiar that the reigning Canadian silver medalist does not have a quadruple jump in his repetoire. Chipeur has a rough, unpolished style, muscles all of his elements, and carries a tremedous amount of tension in his upper body (particularly his shoulders), but is a good competitor, has a stellar, delayed triple axel, and has excellent speed across the ice. Chipeur finished 12th at his first world championship in Los Angeles, coming just one placement shy of helping Patrick Chan secure three Olympic berths for Canada in the Olympics. Chipeur will be fending off Jeremy Ten, Shawn Sawyer, and Kevin Reynolds for the 2nd spot on the Canadian Olympic team, and while Chipeur by no means has it sewn up, he is favored for it based on his performances at last year's Canadian Nationals, Four Continents Championships, and World Championships. Chipeur will be the lone Canadian male competing in Paris, and his result here, if poor, will not necessarily foreshadow whether he makes the Olympic team. Chipeur appears to be a skater who performs better at home then overseas, and his performances at the end of last season were far superior to those at the beginning.

Brian Joubert (France)

The French heart-throb had nearly every opportunity handed to him on a platter to win his second world championship title in Los Angeles last season. Evgeni Plushenko and Stephane Lambel had yet to announce their return to skating, and Daisuke Takahashi was out because of an injury. The judges were clearly rewarding Joubert's experience, and the fact that he was trying quads in both programs, over pre-competition favorite Patrick Chan of Canada. He was even leading the field going into a long program with a program that included a botched combination with an under rotated second jump that was ratified as a complete jump. However, in the long program, Joubert succumbed to the pressure brought about by Evan Lysacek's clean performance, fell on an easy double axel, and fell to third. This disappointment led the French federation to give Joubert a new coach, Laurent Depouilly, and have former world ice dance champions Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski choreograph his programs for the Olympic season. Although it is not ideal for one to peak at the beginning of the season, it is worth noting that, in previous seasons, Joubert's first event foreshadowed the success or failure of the rest of his season. In 2005, he only placed 3rd at Skate America, and ended up finishing 6th at the Olympics, although he did salvage his season with a silver at worlds. In 2006, he won Trophée Eric Bompard and ended up going undefeated that season. In 2008, he was only 4th at this event and went on to finish only 3rd at Worlds. If this pattern continues, much will be at skate for Joubert's confidence at his opening Grand Prix.

Nobunari Oda

Oda could be a force to be reckoned with if he just the learned the simplistic art of how to count. Oda is capable of landing quad+triple combinations and is blessed with good flexibility and deep knees, which enable him to land his jumps softly and securely. He arrived to the recent Stars, Stripes, and Skates show with his new Charlie Chaplin long program and eight cleanly landed triple jumps in tow. Unfortunately, Oda often forgets that there are only a maximum of three combinations allowed in the long program, and that if one repeats a jump twice without doing it in combination, the second jump is counted as a combination. Oda has made this mistake at four major competitions (2006 nationals, 2006 worlds, 2007 worlds, and 2009 worlds) and lost the 2006 national title, 2006 world bronze medal and a 2006 Olympic team berth because of his inept ability to work around the jump rules of the code of points. Oda's 7th place finish at 2009 Worlds, along with Takahiko Kozuka's 6th place finish, mean that Japan will have three berths for the men at the 2010 Winter Olympics, and Oda will most likely receive one of them. In Paris, Oda will be up against a deep field that includes Joubert, Adam Rippon, and Tomas Verner. He does have the capability of winning this event if he skates well, and based on his recent show performance, he should, at the very least, be in contention to do so.

Yannick Ponsero (France)

Ponsero has to be one of the sport's premier headcases, which is a real shame because he is capable of having one of the most breathtaking quadruple jumps in the sport (and is the only skater besides Evgeni Plushenko who has received a final mark of +2 GOE for that element), and has excellent speed and commendable edge work. Ponsero won the free skate at last year's Europeans, but missed the podium by .06 because of a double lutz in his short. Unfortunately, his overall Europeans performance was far superior to his showing in Los Angeles at Worlds, where he finished 16th. Ponsero did not start off this season well at the French Masters competition, taking a nasty fall on his triple axel in his long program and finishing 4th behind Florent Amodio, Joubert, and Alban Preaubert. Ponsero is competing against a deep field in Paris, and will compete with many creditable skaters at his next event, Cup of China, so his aspirations for qualifying to the Grand Prix Final are relatively dim. He has every capability to attain the second spot on the 2010 French Olympic team; however, if he finishes 3rd at the 2010 French Nationals, he will also have his lackluster showing in Los Angeles to blame for an Olympic dream taken away.

Alban Préaubert (France)

A native of Grenoble, the host city for the 1968 Winter Olympics, Préaubert has demonstrated that he is an Olympic caliber skater, but will need to perform especially well at French nationals to be named to the Olympic team. The 24-year-old has competed in two world championships, placing 8th in 2006 and 11th in 2007, and was scheduled to compete in 2008 but withdrew. He did not qualify to the world team last season, but did crack the top five at the European Championships. Préaubert is comparable to Ryan Bradley with his entertaining, yet unpolished, artistry, and also considering the fact that the two have had commendable careers without accomplishing anything spectacular in the sport. Préaubert is not as talented of a skater as Yannick Ponsero, but the former has been more consistent throughout his career, which will be a necessary aid for Préaubert come French nationals. Préabert beat Ponsero slightly at French Masters, and the judges' marks could be swayed in Préaubert's favor at French nationals for him to make the Olympic team if he were to beat Ponsero at this event also.

Adam Rippon (USA)

Rippon struggled throughout the bulk of last season, until he switched coaches from Nikolai Morozov to Brian Orser, the latter of whom is a two-time Olympic silver medalist and coach of reigning world champion Yu-Na Kim. Rippon competed at the 2009 U.S. Championships immediately following his switch to Orser, and had a shaky outing with a 7th place finish. However, by the time Junior Worlds rolled around, Rippon had transformed, landing two triple axels in his long program for the first time and handily winning the title by over 17 points. Rippon, just 19 years of age, is already a very polished, lyrical skater who resembles the Japanese skaters very much with his soft jump landings and superior edge quality. Rippon's total score of 222.00 at Junior Worlds would have placed him 7th at Worlds, ahead of where Brandon Mroz and Jeremy Abbott finished, and he actually would have placed 6th adding back the points he lost for not doing an additional footwork sequence at Junior Worlds (only one footwork sequence is allowed in a men's long program at junior worlds, two footwork sequences are allowed for senior men). The question that will begin to be answered at TEB is whether Rippon's performance at Junior Worlds was a fluke. Consistency will be imperative for Rippon at his two Grand Prixs, in order to be marked favorably at nationals if he is to have a legitimate opportunity to make the 2010 Olympic team. Rippon did not have a stellar Grand Prix season last year, but with a new coach will look to start off on the right track and stay there.

Tomas Verner (Czech Republic)

Verner would be wise to leave his current coach, Michael Huth, something Carolina Kostner did over the summer, because the Czech's consistency has been nothing to swoon over throughout his entire career. Verner is very much the equivalent of Carolina Kostner on the men's side, as both skaters have fine jumping ability (when they're on) and have made many strides artistically over the past several seasons, but both skaters have always struggled with poor consistency and have lost several medals in major competitions because of that foible. Verner is one of the few men who consistently attempts quads in both programs, and actually landed them both at Worlds in Los Angeles, where he finished 4th. Verner actually had one of his better competitions in Los Angeles, but taking into the account that he was off the podium there with Lambiel, Plushenko, and Takahashi not present, it wouldn't be wise to bet money on him to medal at the Olympics. At his peak, Verner beat Lambiel and Joubert to take the 2008 European title, only to hit rock bottom at Worlds with a 15th place finish (he was 20th in the long). Verner could feasibly win this competition, but is seldom ever at his optimum early in the season, having finished 6th at this event in 2007.

Sergei Voronov (Russia)

Although by no means a poor skater, Voronov's presence as the Russian national champion has brought much encouragment for 2006 Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko to come out of retirement. Having competed at three world championships, Voronov's results have been up and down, finishing 19th in 2007, 7th in 2008, and 13th in 2009. Vornov has won the last two Russian national titles; however, he was beaten by Andrei Lutai at the 2009 Worlds by three placements. As Russia has only two spots for the Olympics, and with Plushenko more than a lock for the first one, Voronov and Lutai are in direct battle for the second. Voronov opened up his season this weekend at the Finandia Trophy, skating solidly and finishing 2nd, ahead of Stephen Carriere of the United States. Voronov will compete next at Cup of China.

Predicted Standings-Men
Gold: Nobunari Oda (Japan)
Silver: Brian Joubert (France)
Bronze: Adam Rippon (USA)
4th: Tomas Verner (Czech Republic)
5th: Alban Preaubert (France)
6th: Ryan Bradley (USA)

Next post: TEB Ladies Preview

That is all.

TEB Preview-Pairs and Dance

2009-10-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

Pairs

Jessica Dube/Bryce Davidson (Canada)

The only pair team who has even a remote chance of beating the current world champions at this event is the 2008 world bronze medalists and two-time Canadian pair champions Jessica Dube and Bryce Davidson. Dube and Davidson are capable of being a brilliant pair, with strong side-by-side jumps, lifts, and musicality in their arsenal. However, they are also capable of being an inconsistent pair with programs that don't spark emotion; an example being their long program at 2009 Worlds which lead them to a 7th place finish. Dube and Davidson's disappointing showing in Los Angeles also means that Canada will not have three Olympic berths in the pairs event, although it is very unlikely that Dube and Davidson will sink to 3rd at Canadian Nationals and be left off the Olympic team. Dube and Davidson had originally planned to keep last year's long program to "Carmen," but midway through the off season they announced that they would be skating their long program to "The Way We Were" instead, with their short program being to the music of "Requiem For a Dream." Although Dube and Davidson will be hard-pressed to defeat Savchenko and Szolkowy, they have a feasible chance to finish 2nd, provided that they beat the 5th place finishers from last year's worlds, Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov of Russia. They will also compete against Savchenko/Szolkowy and Mukhortova/Trankov at Skate Canada.

Vanessa James/Yannick Bonheur (France)

Vanessa James was a former singles skater who competed for the United States and Great Britain before teaming up with Yannick Bonheur in 2007 after his partnership with French pair skater Marylin Pla terminated. The team has come a long way after having only competed one season together, finishing 10th at Europeans and 12th at Worlds, where they had a nearly clean free skate (the only exception being Bonheur's fall out on a side-by-side double axel). James and Bonheur have many decent aspects to their skating, including high throws and twists and precise unison in their side-by-side jumps and choreography. The team will need to add more complex spins, transitions, and have superior interpretation of the music to move up in the standings and it will be necessary to have made these improvements in the off-season in order for them to have a chance to medal at this event. James and Bonheur qualified an Olympic berth for France by virtue of their finish at the 2009 World Championships.

Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy (Germany)

Savchenko and Szolkowy arrived at the 2006 Olympics in Turino as a team budding with potential, entering the competition as European silver medalists. That potential never materialized in Italy, with shaky performances that could be blamed on a first-time Olympic experience or the distraction of the investigation of their coach (Ingo Steuer) and his involvement with the Stasi secret police in the former East Germany. Three-and-a-half years later, Savchenko and Szolkowy have become the unquestionable #1 pair team in the world, having won the last two world titles and three European titles. However, the return of three-time world champions Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo could post a significant roadblock in the German pair's gold medal aspirations. Even if Shen and Zhao are not to return as serious gold medal threats, Aliona and Robin were subject to a poor performance at last season's Grand Prix Final, where they dropped to 3rd and were bested by Chinese pair teams Qing Pang/Jian Tong and Dan Zhang/Hao Zhang. Savchenko and Szolkowy won against a weak field at the recent Nebelhorn Trophy, but their long program didn't appear to be nearly as intricate and passionate as their "Schindler's List" program was from last season. The most crucial aspect to observe about Savchenko and Szolkowy's showing in France is not really based on where they will finish, as they should emerge victorious easily, but rather to see if there will be significant improvement of the long program for this competition.

Maria Mukhortova/Maxim Trankov (Russia)

Mukhortova and Trankov are the 2nd ranked Russian pair behind Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov, cracking the top five at Worlds last year and winning the bronze medal at Europeans. The spirited, dramatic duo are in their 7th season skating together, and will be debuting their new programs at this competition. Their short program is to "Appassionata" and their long program is to "Love Story," which could suit their cold yet engaging chemistry in an intriguing way. This team's mastery in the short program, which they won last year at Europeans with a tremendous score of 69.62, has yet to carry over to their long program in a major competition. Botched landings on their side-by-side jumps and throw triple salchow at this year's Europeans prevented any hope of winning there, and the team was criticized by NBC analyist Sandra Bezic at Worlds for their simplistic choreography and lack of actual skating. For this season, it will be imperative that Mukhortova and Trankov bridge the gap between the strength of their short program and the weakness of their long if the team is to break into the top tier of pairs skaters.

Rena Inoue/John Baldwin (USA)

The 2004 and 2006 U.S. pairs champions are perhaps most well-known for their on-ice engagement after their free skate the 2008 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, where Baldwin asked Inoue for her hand in marriage to the face palms of many fans. Tacky wedding proposals aside, the team's skating has declined since their historic feat in 2006, by becoming the first pair to ever land a throw triple axel. The team has dropped the element from their program as of late, and may need it in order to attain one of only two Olympic berths granted to the United States in the pairs event. Citing last year's disappointment of finishing 3rd at nationals and being left off the world team, Inoue and Baldwin have made a coaching change to former U.S. Champions Jenni Meno and Todd Sand. Former U.S. bronze medalist Jenny Kirk is pessimistic about their coaching change, stating, "No matter what Meno and Sand do, I don't see them fixing this team's lackadaisical work ethic and giving Baldwin the 180-degree turnaround he needs." There seems to be quite a bit of truth to this statement, especially considering that Baldwin is seldom able to cleanly land his triple toe loop, which is all the more peculiar when considering that he could land triple axels in his singles days. Inoue and Baldwin have three creditable teams who they will be competing against for those Olympic spots, Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker, Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett, and Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski. Inoue and Baldwin won't be required to transform into the Protopopovs to make the Olympic team, but they will need to show a fair amount of improvement from their performance at last year's U.S. Nationals. Not competing against any U.S. teams who could feasibly go to the Olympics in Paris, it would still help for political favor at U.S. Nationals for Inoue and Baldwin to perform well here, despite the fact that their chances to qualify to the Grand Prix Final are shabby at best.

Predicted Pairs Standings:

Gold: Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy (Germany)
Silver: Jessica Dube/Bryce Davidson (Canada)
Bronze: Maria Mukhortova/Maxim Trankov (Russia)
4th: Rena Inoue/John Baldwin (USA)
5th: Vanessa James/Yannick Bonheur (France)

Ice Dance

Madison Hubbell/Keiffer Hubbell (USA)

The brother and sister team of Madison and Keiffer Hubbell is coming off of a creditable 2008/2009 season, finishing 4th at U.S. Championships and at World Juniors, where they missed the opportunity to complete a U.S. medal sweep by a mere 0.46. Trophée Eric Bompard will mark the first time that the 2008 U.S. junior dance champions take to the ice in a senior international competition. The Hubbells are competing against two U.S. teams in Paris, who they will need to best at the 2010 U.S. Championships in order to be named to the Olympic team: Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates, and Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre. Both teams bested the Hubbells at the 2009 U.S. Championships, and the prospects of the Hubbells beating one, let alone both, teams here and at the U.S. Championships are weak. The Hubbells need considerable time to improve aspects of their skating, such as extension, originality in their lifts and choreography, and skating closer together. Nonetheless, they should be a force for the Olympic team come 2014; however, with Meryl Davis/Charlie White and Samuelson/Bates likely to stick around into the next quadrennium, the Hubbells will be hard-pressed to become the premier team for U.S. ice dance.

Sinead Kerr/John Kerr (Great Britain)

A creative, expressive team, Sinead and John Kerr have been British national ice dance champions for the last six years, and have placed in the top eight at the last two World Championships. In January, the team became the winner of the bronze medal at Europeans, which was the first European medal attained by a British ice dance team since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean's European title in 1994. Sinead and John, 31 and 29 years of age, respectively, have steadily risen through the ranks at the six World Championships that they have competed in. Unfortunately, they are unlikely to reach the medals stand at a future World Championship/Olympic Games, as it is probable that their competitive skating careers are coming to an end. As far as placements are concerned for this event, the Kerrs should be looking at a bronze medal. It will be an almost insurmountable task to best Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, and a fairly difficult one to beat Nathalie Pechalat and Fabien Bourzat, but besting the three American dance teams should be a realistic task to accomplish for the British.

Kimberly Navarro/Brent Bommentre (USA)

Navarro and Bommentre have been the U.S. bronze medalists for the last two years; however, they were unable to compete at Worlds last year because of Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto's successful petition onto the team after they withdrew from nationals due to Agosto's back injury. Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates beat Navarro and Bommentre at this year's U.S. Championships by over five points, a significant margin in ice dance. Navarro and Bommentre are extremely generous and personable performers and are always fun to watch, but are lacking in terms of superior extension, posture, and do not have some of the more complex lifts and spins that one would see from other top teams. With Navarro and Bommentre skating at a later stage of their career and Samuleson and Bates at the beginning of theirs, USFSA would be inclined to give the latter the benefit of the doubt when it comes to determining the Olympic team because of the experience and international recognition Samuelson and Bates could gain by competing in Vancouver. Samuelson and Bates have not competed against Navarro and Bommentre much internationally, but Samuelson and Bates's score at 2009 Worlds (where they finished 11th) was nearly nine points ahead of Navarro and Bommentre's score in 2008 (where they finished 12th). Thus, it is likely that Samuelson and Bates will snatch the third Olympic spot for ice dance at Nationals, and it is equally as probable that they will beat Navarro and Bommentre at this Grand Prix.

Nathalie Pechalat and Fabien Bourzat (France)

Pechalat and Bourzat truly define the word "quirky" with their skating, with impressively innovative lifts and complex steps and choreography. The French progressed rapidly last season, going from 4th at Europeans to 5th at Worlds just two months later, where they beat current European champions and 2008 world bronze medalists Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski of Russia. Staying in the top five come the Olympics will be extremely difficult, as 2008 world champions and fellow compatriots Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder return to the ice after Delobel's pregnancy. Pechalat and Bourzat are right up with the top teams technically, having received eight out of eight level 4s for their elements during their free dance in Los Angeles. Presentation wise, there is some room for improvement with expression, but those marks should boost over time with added reputation. Beating the Kerrs at Worlds after having lost to them at Europeans was also a big plus for Pechalat and Bourzat, and the French will certainly be looking to beat the British at this competition next week.

Emily Samuelson/Evan Bates (USA)

Samuelson and Bates have come a long way in a short period of time, finishing just outside the top 10 at their first world championship this year and winning their first U.S. senior dance medal. Samuelson and Bates' strongest portion of the competition is typically their free dance, where they were 9th in Los Angeles, and their weakest phase is generally the compulsory dance. The team's polish and extension is very impressive, but hopefully the Americans will debut a more original and dynamic free dance, which is scheduled to be to "Canto Della Terra" by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli, as their "Otonal" free dance last season did not fully stretch the team emotionally. Although Samuelson and Bates, who are 19 and 20, respectively, are extremely creditable skaters for being so young, they are keen on improving on all of their underlying weaknesses. They voiced that they are improving several areas of their skating in the off season in a Golden Skate interview, including their lifts, spins, and overall entertainment value. The strength this team further augments the excellent depth of U.S. ice dancing.

Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir (Canada)

Virtue and Moir were sidelined in the Grand Prix last season because of Virtue undergoing surgery for a rare leg condition where she could not expand and contract her muscles normally. The team came back to finish 2nd at Four Continents and controversially bested training partners Meryl Davis and Charlie White for the bronze medal at this year's World Championship. The Canadians won silver at Worlds in 2008, safely taking over the reign of Canada's top ice dance team, formerly a position held by Marie-France Dubreil and Patrice Lauzon. Virtue and Moir will debut their new original dance, a flamenco piece called "Farrucas," and their new free dance to Gustav Mahler's dramatic "Symphony No. 5". It seems very likely that the three teams on the podium in Vancouver (assuming that no one is injured and that Dolobel comes back to full form after her pregnancy), will be Domnina/Shabalin, Dolobel/Schoenfelder, and a North American team. Since Virtue and Moir beat Davis and White on the latter's home turf at Worlds this year, Davis and White should not stand a significant threat to Virtue and Moir's potential spot on the podium, or at least not nearly as much as Belbin and Agosto. Belbin and Agosto easily finished ahead of Virtue and Moir in Los Angeles, and were ahead of them in all three phases of the competition, but Virtue and Moir have the advantage of the home crowd, and the judges were quick to rip Belbin and Agosto to shreds after Tanith fell in the compulsory dance of 2008 worlds. Whether Virtue and Moir will be able to medal at the Olympics will begin to be seen at this competition. Like Savchenko and Szolkowy, Virtue and Moir are not in much danger to lose this event, but wish to perform well to be scored highly and viewed favorably by the international judges.

Predicted Dance Standings:
Gold: Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir (Canada)
Silver: Nathalie Pechalat/Fabien Bourzat (France)
Bronze: Sinead Kerr/John Kerr (Great Britain)
4th: Emily Samuelson/Evan Bates (USA)
5th: Kimberly Navarro/Brent Bommentre (USA)
6th: Madison Hubbell/Keiffer Hubbell (USA)

Next post: Analysis of men and ladies to compete at TEB

That is all.

2009 Trophée Bompard Preview

2009-10-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

There are six total Grand Prixs which are contested in six successive weeks in the fall prior to the final. Each skater or pair/dance team is assigned a maximum of two Grand Prixs, and those who have two Grand Prixs are the only ones with feasible chances to qualify to the Grand Prix Final. The top three finishers from last year's worlds do not compete at the same events, and the same is true for the 4th-6th place finishers. Other factors that determine whether a skater receives two Grand Prix assignments include ISU world ranking, season's best total from last year, and placement at last season's Worlds, Grand Prix Final, and Junior Grand Prix Final. Inevitably, the strength of the competition is greater at some events, particularly when skaters become injured and have to withdraw from a competition. Nonetheless, all events are weighted equally. There is a points system alotted to determine who will compete at the Grand Prix Final, set to take place in Tokyo this December. A first place finish receives 15 points, 2nd place 13 points, 3rd place 11 points, 4th place nine, 5th place seven, 6th place five, 7th place four, and 8th place three. The top six skaters or pair/dance teams in each discipline qualify to the final and all competitors enter the competition with a clean sleight.

The 2009 Trophée Bompard will be contested next week in Paris, France, and will serve as the first major competition of the season, with five world champions scheduled to compete. Although the skaters don't wish to be at their optimum at this time, they still want to be in good enough form to place at this competition, and preferably medal, so as to augment their chances of qualifying to the Grand Prix Final. While it is not the end of the earth if a skater doesn't qualify to the Final, it is of his own benefit to do so to allow for greater confidence and political backing at the skater's national championship and onward to the Olympic Games.

In the pairs event, current two-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany are coming off of a victory at the Nebelhorn Trophy just two weeks ago. However, their shaky long program at that competition means there is much room for improvement at this competition, although looking at the competition it is unlikely the German pair will be defeated regardless of how they skate.

The 2007 world champion Brian Joubert will be competing at his home Grand Prix event for the 2nd straight year, and Joubert is hardly immune to nerves associated with a home crowd, finishing 4th at this event last year and suffering a defeat to relative unknown Florent Amodio at the French Masters competition just recently. Joubert will not be competing against Amodio at this competition, but should face tight competition from 2009 World Junior Champion Adam Rippon, 2008 European Champion Tomas Verner and compatriots Yannick Ponsero (2009 French Champion) and Alban Preaubert (2006 Grand Prix Finalist).

Canada's premier ice dance team, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, will be competing for the first time since last year's World Championships, where they edged training partners Meryl Davis and Charlie White by a mere .04. The Canadians were not present at the Grand Prix last season because Virtue underwent surgery on her legs after it was discovered that she has an unusual condition where her legs were unable to expand and contract normally. Virtue and Moir should have an easy victory at this event, although the French will be well represented by Nathalie Pechalat and Fabien Bourzat, who snuck into the top five at last year's World Championships.

The ladies event is often jokingly referred to as the "ladiezzzz event" by fans, but the competition will be anything other than a snooze fest in Paris, where the deepest ladies Grand Prix field among the six events will take the ice. Defending world champion Yu-Na Kim will face off her top rival, Japan's Mao Asada, while in the process debuting her new programs. Asada recently performed her long program at the Japan Open, but will debut her short program in Paris. Italy's Carolina Kostner is making her first competitive appearence since her nightmare free skate in Los Angeles, where she dropped from 5th place in the short program to 12th overall with a disastrous skate. Three-time Japanese world team member Yukari Nakano and current U.S. bronze medalist Caroline Zhang will also look to stir up the standings. The 2006 Olympic silver medalist, Sasha Cohen, was slated to have Trophée Eric Bompard be her return to competition, but she recently withdrew due to tendonitis in her right calf.

In my next post, I will breakdown of the competitiors who will be competing in each discipline, and my predictions as to where each skater will finish in Paris.

That is all.