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.
Showing posts with label 2009 Rostelecom Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009 Rostelecom Cup. Show all posts
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
COR Preview-Men
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
5th: Florent Amodio (France)
6th: Shawn Sawyer (Canada)
That is all.
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.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
COR Preview-Pairs and Dance
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.
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.
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