I've been traveling for work this week and I missed the ladies short due to a combination of late night free dance viewing, pre-dawn flights and a long day presenting in front of clients. Not sure if I'll stay awake for the ladies free tonight, but I'm sure I'll get excited at some point and be up until 2 a.m.!
In the mean time, I caught Stephen Colbert's report on the new Cold War on Ice and an interview with Scott Hamilton. Scott did a great job conversing with Colbert's character.
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/265286/february-24-2010/cold-war-update---olympic-edition
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Ladies Night
It's Ladies Night at the Olympics. Will the top three mirror the top at Worlds last year?
So many skaters to enjoy!
Tugba Karademir skates 7th
Mirai Nagasu is the first American skating 11th. Her coach said she's going for a triple-triple in the short. Cute program for a young, bubbly teenager to Pirates of the Caribbean.
Elene Gedevanishvili skates 16th for Georgia. If she's broadcast on NBC, I'm sure they'll be several mentions of the Georgian slider and the fatal mishap on the luge track. Elene's skating could leave a bright memory at the mention of the tiny Georgian nation.
Sarah Meier is right after skating 17th continuing the tradition of Swiss spinning mastery and elegance.
Kiira Korpi and Laura Lepisto of Finland skate 19th and 21st respectively. I love Finnish skaters.
Mao Asada will attempt the triple Axel skating 22nd.
Right after Mao, Yu-Na Kim will be out as a Bond girl. Will she cave under the weight of being the favorite or blow away the competition?
Akiko Suzuki of Japan has had a phenominal season, and she'll have a tough act to follow Kim however she skates.
The crowd will erupt with supportive applause and cheers as Joannie Rochette takes the ice to skate 26th. Sadly, her mother suffered a heart attack this weekend and past away. She came into these Games looking to capture the Canadian pride Elizabeth Manley earned in on the Calgary podium. She's the reigning world silver medalist, but has had an up and down season. I've heard she's looked focused in practice since getting the news of her mother. It's still tough to handle nerves in any competition, not to mention the emotions of suddenly losing someone.
After the emotions get charged, Julia Sebestyen of Hungary will skate in her fourth Olympics. She's a few years younger than I am, so I'm impressed that she's still at it.
Rachel Flatt, "The Rock" will skate 28th as the only skater who has beaten Yu-Na this year. She won the free skate at Skate American handily over Yu-Na.
Carolina Kostner, the European champion is 29th.
Miki Ando, the reigning world bronze medalist closes out the competition. She had a great Grand Prix season, but faltered at Japanese nationals. She can go either way tonight.
They have ice there?
I truly enjoy Tugba's skating and style. She has the most beautiful position in a catch-foot camel. Her backed is arched into a gorgeous bow and she hyperextends her leg to spin on an inside edge. Breathtaking. She doesn't do the same level of difficulty in her jumps, no triple-triple combos and I don't think she does a triple Lutz either. This usually keeps her down in the standings, but definitely keep an eye out for her!
Also check out Panasonic's One Winter, Five Dreams site to follow Tugba's Olympic experience. One of my favorite bloggers, Aaron at Axels, Loops and Spins is writing for that site too.
From Quads to Triple Axels
Why do I think there should be excitement about the triple Axel in the ladies event? Considering only six women have landed it in competition makes it a rare event. Seven women if you want to count pair skater Rena Inoue, but that was with extra oomph as part of a throw jump from her partner.
Mao Asada is the lady of the evening with the triple Axel. She has two planned for the long program, one in combination with a double toe that includes gracefully putting her arm over her head. Her triple Axel is light and fast. Most of ladies who have landed one have had their share of shaky landings, but Mao's looks controlled and graceful.
However, like the five ladies before her in the triple Axel club, Mao has had her struggles with the jump. While it garners points, it's risky like the quad. Miss it and a number of points are lost. Mao's persistence in keeping the Axel in her programs has created a ripple effect in her programs and with her other jumps. I always feel like Mao is stalking the triple Axel the first quarter of her program. She's also taken out her Lutz due to wrong edge calls. Her Salchow isn't always consistent either. She basically has four of the six jumps in her repetoire while her competitors will do all six.
Since the triple Axel is consistently performed in the mens event, the ISU seems to award the triple Axel appropriately with balanced risk unlike the quad. Mao's success will ride on her completing three triple Axels this Olympics which is unprecedented for a woman. One in the short and two in the free. She'll be on the podium if she can back up her Axels with her four remaining triples.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Miami Takes Two at the Neuchatel Trophy
Unfortunately, I was not able to watch the live feed this weekend and I haven't found any clips to report on the Neuchatel Trophy. Miami's senior and junior teams competed in Neuchatel, Switzerland over the weekend. Both teams finished second in their events. Read more at Miami's athletics site.
All three of Miami's teams will be competing at the US Synchronized Skating Nationals in Minneapolis the first weekend in March. If you're in the Cincinnati, Northern KY, Tri-State area I recommend going to see them at their Nationals Send-Off Exhibition March 1st.
All three of Miami's teams will be competing at the US Synchronized Skating Nationals in Minneapolis the first weekend in March. If you're in the Cincinnati, Northern KY, Tri-State area I recommend going to see them at their Nationals Send-Off Exhibition March 1st.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
North Americans 1-2-4
Meryl Davis and Charlie White completed their best Bollywood boogie of the year. They skated with such speed and precision. Excellent twizzles with Indian-inspired arm movements. They were ahead until Tessa and Scott skated to a 2 point lead.
Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto closed out the evening with their Moldavian themed dance. New costumes and lots of energy, but after Tessa and Scott the audience took a break. They didn't seem as into it unfortunately. Still, Tanith and Ben are in a close fourth place right behind the Russians, Domnina and Shabalin.
That makes three North American teams in the top five. I can not say that has ever happened in my 30 year existence. What amazing days we live in!
The Global Dance Party Is Under Way
Alright, NBC showed the originaly dance of American's Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates. They look thrilled to be skating at the Olympics. After 23 tangos Friday, here's a reminder of the theme for the original dance if you missed my earlier post:
Delobel & Schoenfelder will be representing France with a Can Can. From practice notes, it looks to be fun. I'm not sure how they'll end up on the podium, but this a team I'm rooting for. After skating together 18 years, they received their first ever world medal and it was gold! They put together the most lovely free skate to music from The Piano soundtrack and integrated sign language into their arm movements as well as the patterns on the ice. Last season, they started strong winning everything but then Isabelle injured her shoulder and got a bun in the oven during her recovery. They are my sentimental favorites for skating together for 20 years and skating four months after giving birth to a son. The NY Times has a great article on them and the pregnancy.
The Kerrs - The brother and sister team skate to Johnny Cash tonight. Too bad they didn't bring back their Scottish OD from the first time the ISU had the folk theme two seasons back. John looks great in a kilt!
Domnina & Shabalin - skate to an aboriginal theme, representing aboriginal people of the world. Rumor has it they have new outfits for this evening. They've been practicing in black all week and a blogger with IceNetwork said the dance actually looks like a great, modern dance in the black. We'll see what they're wearing tonight.
Davis & White - Bollywood comes to Vancouver as they take the ice. They've had huge scores and a bigger reception with this OD, be sure to watch.
The Zaretskys - the other brother and sister team of the evening skate to a traditional Jewish song. I heard the Israeli federation actually chose the music for them. This is a team that has done well over the season and they may make a move in the standings.
Virtue & Moir - I hope they checked the bolts on the roof and BC Place. I expect when this team takes the home ice, the roof will be near blowing off. They skate to a flamenco and have received high scores for the program all season. Risk factor - Tessa skates in this crazy long dress. It looks pretty and flamenco-y but there are times that it looks like it's getting caught between her legs or too much in Scott's face.
Belbin & Agosto - Tanith and Ben close out the evening with their Moldavian dance. I have not enjoyed this dance to much which is too bad as I really like Tanith and Ben. I want them to leave this Olympics with the best souvenir possible, an Olympic medal. I just don't think this program will help them unless one of the top three has a major booboo tonight.
I've got to travel for work this week so I've got to get up early Monday - Thursday. I can't stay up too late, so I'll be catching the blogs and watching the snippets of performances. I'm also missing my skating practice again. I'm going to have to work hard in March to take my Junior MITF test in April. I'm so inspired watching the skaters, there's choreography I'm dying to imitate. I'll have to wait until the weekend and weave through the crowd.
Any type of folk/country dance music or typical dance of the country can be used. For the chosen type, there are no restrictions onHere's what to look for tonight:
the number of musical selections. Although the dance may consist of different musical selections – fast and/or slow- there must be a
consistent theme based on a specific country or region.
The arrangement of the chosen music should give a genuine feel for folk/country dance. It should be very distant from the feeling of
the Grand Ballroom.
Same examples: Village, Square, Street, Barn dance, Hoedown, Mazurka, Polka, Tarantella, Hula, Hora, Csardas, Kalinka, Gapak,
Syrtaky, Scottish, Irish, Jig, Reel, Guajira, Cumbia, Jarabe, Fandango, Aborigines Dance, Chinese dances, Lesginka, Country
Waltz, Flamenco, etc.
Delobel & Schoenfelder will be representing France with a Can Can. From practice notes, it looks to be fun. I'm not sure how they'll end up on the podium, but this a team I'm rooting for. After skating together 18 years, they received their first ever world medal and it was gold! They put together the most lovely free skate to music from The Piano soundtrack and integrated sign language into their arm movements as well as the patterns on the ice. Last season, they started strong winning everything but then Isabelle injured her shoulder and got a bun in the oven during her recovery. They are my sentimental favorites for skating together for 20 years and skating four months after giving birth to a son. The NY Times has a great article on them and the pregnancy.
The Kerrs - The brother and sister team skate to Johnny Cash tonight. Too bad they didn't bring back their Scottish OD from the first time the ISU had the folk theme two seasons back. John looks great in a kilt!
Domnina & Shabalin - skate to an aboriginal theme, representing aboriginal people of the world. Rumor has it they have new outfits for this evening. They've been practicing in black all week and a blogger with IceNetwork said the dance actually looks like a great, modern dance in the black. We'll see what they're wearing tonight.
Davis & White - Bollywood comes to Vancouver as they take the ice. They've had huge scores and a bigger reception with this OD, be sure to watch.
The Zaretskys - the other brother and sister team of the evening skate to a traditional Jewish song. I heard the Israeli federation actually chose the music for them. This is a team that has done well over the season and they may make a move in the standings.
Virtue & Moir - I hope they checked the bolts on the roof and BC Place. I expect when this team takes the home ice, the roof will be near blowing off. They skate to a flamenco and have received high scores for the program all season. Risk factor - Tessa skates in this crazy long dress. It looks pretty and flamenco-y but there are times that it looks like it's getting caught between her legs or too much in Scott's face.
Belbin & Agosto - Tanith and Ben close out the evening with their Moldavian dance. I have not enjoyed this dance to much which is too bad as I really like Tanith and Ben. I want them to leave this Olympics with the best souvenir possible, an Olympic medal. I just don't think this program will help them unless one of the top three has a major booboo tonight.
I've got to travel for work this week so I've got to get up early Monday - Thursday. I can't stay up too late, so I'll be catching the blogs and watching the snippets of performances. I'm also missing my skating practice again. I'm going to have to work hard in March to take my Junior MITF test in April. I'm so inspired watching the skaters, there's choreography I'm dying to imitate. I'll have to wait until the weekend and weave through the crowd.
Rochette's Loss
Just heard the news that Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette's mother died yesterday shortly after arriving in Vancouver. Joannie is so strong physically, I pray she will find inner strength and have a tight support group of friends, family and skaters.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Dancing Around the World
The Original Dance
The second phase of the ice dance competition is an original dance. The ISU traditionally selects a rhythm for the season. The skaters then create their own dance to this set rhythm.
This season the ISU selected more of a theme of folk or country dance as opposed to a set rhythm of music style. This selection was intended for skaters to skate to music representing their country for the Olympics. Great idea, however, the ISU used folk music for the 2007-2008 season and most skaters used music from their country. Instead of rehashing the same music and creating a similar program, the teams have created some distinct dances for the season from around the world. This season has included some dance creations from regions that do not have a rich skating tradition such as Brasil, India and Australia.
The latter two have brought attention to the sport from those areas not as familiar with or competitive in ice dance.
Bollywood On Ice
Meryl Davis & Charlie White have won throughout the season with their Indian-themed dance. They also scored a viral hit with over 2,100,000 views of their OD on YouTube. One of their coaches, Marina Zoueva was inspired to create the program after coming across beautiful Indian scarves shopping in the spring. Davis & White loved the idea and went about consulting with an area Indian dancer and researching Indian dance moves. They modified original Indian clothes for their competitive outfits. Their research shows in this fun and authentic dance. It's like Bollywood on ice.
Aborigines Dances
While Davis & White have been praised for their Indian dance, Domnina & Shabalin of Russia have been questioned for choosing to portray an Aboriginal Dance. Their coach, Natalia Linichuk, has said the dance is not Australian and simply follows the ISU guidelines for "Aborigines Dances." However, Australian Aboriginal groups have decried the dance as offensive to the Aboriginal people of Australia.
Domnina & Shabalin have skated this program twice this season at Russian Nationals and Europeans. They skate in dark nude unitards with white designs similar to Australian Aboriginal art and eucalyptus leaves. (Is it the missing koala bear that makes this NOT Australian, Natalia?)
The controversy has ranged from their portrayal of a ceremonial dance to the dark tone of the nude in their outfits. Maxim was originally wearing dark makeup on this face at Russian Nationals as well. Others have remarked that the controversy stems from skating politics and trying to knock down Domnina & Shabalin before the Olympic event begins.
I think overall the program is not well skated, and they are clomping around the ice. They are both tall skaters and the tango theme last night really exhibited their strengths. They are crouched down in several moves in the program and it just doesn't fit them. In contrast to Davis & White, they weave Indian moves into pure skating and stroking on the ice. They glide in and out of every move and complete quick turns on their blades.
Either way, both dances have brought some attention to this event and it should be fascinating to compare these two dances. It's back to comparing apples to oranges, pears and bananas for the rest of the ice dancing event.
The second phase of the ice dance competition is an original dance. The ISU traditionally selects a rhythm for the season. The skaters then create their own dance to this set rhythm.
This season the ISU selected more of a theme of folk or country dance as opposed to a set rhythm of music style. This selection was intended for skaters to skate to music representing their country for the Olympics. Great idea, however, the ISU used folk music for the 2007-2008 season and most skaters used music from their country. Instead of rehashing the same music and creating a similar program, the teams have created some distinct dances for the season from around the world. This season has included some dance creations from regions that do not have a rich skating tradition such as Brasil, India and Australia.
The latter two have brought attention to the sport from those areas not as familiar with or competitive in ice dance.
Bollywood On Ice
Aborigines Dances
Domnina & Shabalin have skated this program twice this season at Russian Nationals and Europeans. They skate in dark nude unitards with white designs similar to Australian Aboriginal art and eucalyptus leaves. (Is it the missing koala bear that makes this NOT Australian, Natalia?)
The controversy has ranged from their portrayal of a ceremonial dance to the dark tone of the nude in their outfits. Maxim was originally wearing dark makeup on this face at Russian Nationals as well. Others have remarked that the controversy stems from skating politics and trying to knock down Domnina & Shabalin before the Olympic event begins.
I think overall the program is not well skated, and they are clomping around the ice. They are both tall skaters and the tango theme last night really exhibited their strengths. They are crouched down in several moves in the program and it just doesn't fit them. In contrast to Davis & White, they weave Indian moves into pure skating and stroking on the ice. They glide in and out of every move and complete quick turns on their blades.
Either way, both dances have brought some attention to this event and it should be fascinating to compare these two dances. It's back to comparing apples to oranges, pears and bananas for the rest of the ice dancing event.
Compulsory Dance Roundup
The teams that garnered the top 3 Tango Romantica scores season, set new scoring heights last night.
Belbin & Agosto are sitting in 4th with 40.83 points. While they are probably disappointed being in 4th, those are great scores for them. Too bad they don't award points for tassels. She had like four on her outfit. I think she's been rooming with Johnny too long... he only had one.
How about Delobel & Schoenfelder competing after a year away? Pretty nice. They looked a bit stiff, but good for them to come back after injuries and Isabelle giving birth just 3 months ago!
Complete results here.
- Domnina & Shabalin - 43.76
- Virtue & Moir - 42.74
- Davis & White - 41.47
Belbin & Agosto are sitting in 4th with 40.83 points. While they are probably disappointed being in 4th, those are great scores for them. Too bad they don't award points for tassels. She had like four on her outfit. I think she's been rooming with Johnny too long... he only had one.
How about Delobel & Schoenfelder competing after a year away? Pretty nice. They looked a bit stiff, but good for them to come back after injuries and Isabelle giving birth just 3 months ago!
Complete results here.
Friday, February 19, 2010
A North American Podium?
Ice Dancing, like pairs, has traditionally been dominated by Soviet/Russian skaters. Ice Dancing has only been an Olympic sport since 1976, but since then all but two of the gold medals have gone to Soviet or Russian teams.
This quadrennium, for the first time ever, North American teams have been competitive and stood on the podium at each worlds since Torino. Vancouver will be the first Olympic ice dance competition where North American ice dancers could sweep the podium.
This quadrennium, for the first time ever, North American teams have been competitive and stood on the podium at each worlds since Torino. Vancouver will be the first Olympic ice dance competition where North American ice dancers could sweep the podium.
US Teams
US Nationals - Belbin & Agosto 2nd, Davis & White 1st
Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto earned the silver in Torino and immediately followed that up with back to back bronze at the World Championships. They seemed primed to be the next great ice dancing champions, however the past four seasons have also been filled with mid-season program changes, mid-season injuries and a coaching change. They ended last season with a close 2nd place finish at Worlds.
Meryl Davis and Charlie White moved up from the junior ranks after the Olympic season in Belbin & Agosto's shadow. Over the past two years they've become equal competitors and Davis & White defeated them at the US Nationals this year. This team has had success on the fall Grand Prix circuit and have been undefeated this season. Yet they been shut out at Worlds the past few seasons.
Canadian Team
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir
Canada has one team that has been competitive internationally and also have medaled at Worlds, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. They actually train with Davis & White in the Detroit area. They are the culprits who have edged out Davis & White at Worlds.
One of the coaches that they share with Davis and White is Marina Zoueva who recently mused on how much Virtue and Moir remind her of the pair skating legends, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov. Zoueva choreographed for G & G and I'm beginning to find Virtue & Moir's programs to be a dance version of G & G's programs. They're original dance flamenco music is the same cut of G & G's '93-'94 short program. Ice dancing is supposed to be ballroom dancing on ice, but I find Virtue & Moir skate adagio more often than ballroom. Even doing mirror movements common in adagio dancing, they still have beautiful and appealing programs with fascinating dance lifts.
Miami U Competes at Neuchatel Trophy This Weekend
In the midst of the Olympics and a weekend full of ice dancing, synchronized skating glides on. This weekend botht he senior and junior teams from Miami University will be competing in Neuchatel, Switzerland for the Neuchatel Trophy.
According to icenetwork:
Go Miami RedHawks!
According to icenetwork:
The senior competition consists of seven teams from five countries: Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. In the junior division, there are seven teams from six nations: Canada, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.Looking at the competition website, it seems you can actually watch all 14 teams live online. The short programs have passed, but the freeskate is scheduled for tomorrow at 17.00 Swiss time. I think is about noon Eastern. Here's the link for the live feed: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/synchro-skating-events-switzerland
Go Miami RedHawks!
Tango Romantica
Triple Skates, Not Triple Jumps
The ice dancing event consists of three events. The first event is called the compulsory dance, where each team skates the same dance pattern to similar music. To the casual spectator, the compulsory dance can seem monotonous as each couple repeats the same dance. It's not broadcast often other than showing the top three placements aftterwards. If it's shown live, it's generally just to show the favorites. If anything is broadcast, the compulsory dance is a good event to watch because both the casual and fanatic spectator gets to compare apples to apples in this event. When everyone skates the same steps with the same required dance holds, you can distinguish who skates with more speed, who has better edge quality, and who can "dance" the dance the best. I also enjoy it as every summer I would work towards passing a dance test. Dance tests are nothing but compulsory dances, so I also enjoy watching this part of the event. It takes me back to those summers in Aspen and Lexington and skating all day.
Luck of the Draw
The ISU selects 2 - 3 CDs for each season. This year's compulsories are the Golden Waltz and Tango Romantica. One of those dances will be used as the CD during competition and it is generally announced a couple of weeks prior to each competition which CD has been drawn. For the Olympics, the dance is supposed to be selected one week prior to the first official practice at the Olympics. The compulsory dance drawn for the Olympics is the Tango Romantica.
While it's supposed to be the luck of the draw, there has been buzz all season long that the Tango Romantica would most likely be the CD. It's shorter than the Golden Waltz. Perhaps NBC and the other broadcasters will squeeze in a few more performances.
Tango Romantica
This dance was invented by Ludmilla Pakhomova, Alexander Gorshkov and Elena Tchaikovskaya and first performend in Moscow in 1974. The ISU guidelines say:
Man's Pattern
This was the CD at a few events this season:
Skater Advantages
The top three scoring teams over the season have been:
Domnina & Shabalin's CD at Europeans:
Take a gander at Virtue & Moir at Skate Canada:
Dark Horses in the CD
Belbin & Agosto have skated the Golden Waltz at all of their events this season. They train with Domnina & Shabalin and their CDs have dramatically improved since switching coaches two seasons ago. I expect they will earn a score in the 38-42 range as well.
Delobel & Schoenfelder have been out all season. They skated the Tango Romantica the last season it was used at the 2006 European Championships. Their edges were deep and expression smooth, but Olivier fell. Questionable how rusty they will be Friday.
Luck of the Draw
The ISU selects 2 - 3 CDs for each season. This year's compulsories are the Golden Waltz and Tango Romantica. One of those dances will be used as the CD during competition and it is generally announced a couple of weeks prior to each competition which CD has been drawn. For the Olympics, the dance is supposed to be selected one week prior to the first official practice at the Olympics. The compulsory dance drawn for the Olympics is the Tango Romantica. Tango Romantica
This dance was invented by Ludmilla Pakhomova, Alexander Gorshkov and Elena Tchaikovskaya and first performend in Moscow in 1974. The ISU guidelines say:
This is a romantic sinuous dance which expresses the soft, lyrical interpretive characteristics of the Tango. It must be skated with deep edges. Foot and body movements must be deliberate and convey a sense of dignity approaching arrogance. Very erect carriage, precise timing, and continuous flow must be maintained. The difficulty of the steps should not be revealed in awkward or stressed upper body positions. Finally, coordination of free leg movements is essential to avoid a tangled, confused effect.
Music - Tango 4/4Ladies Pattern
Temp - 28 measures of 4 beats per minute; 112 beats per minute
Pattern - Optional
Duration - The time required to skate 2 sequences is 1:43 min
Man's Pattern
This was the CD at a few events this season:
- Nebelhorn Trophy
- Rostelecom Cup
- NHK Trophy
- Skate Canada
- Europeans
Skater Advantages
The top three scoring teams over the season have been:
- Domnina & Shabalin 42.78 - Europeans
- Virtue & Moir 40.69 - Skate Canada
- Davis & White 38.09 - NHK Trophy
Domnina & Shabalin's CD at Europeans:
Take a gander at Virtue & Moir at Skate Canada:
Dark Horses in the CD
Belbin & Agosto have skated the Golden Waltz at all of their events this season. They train with Domnina & Shabalin and their CDs have dramatically improved since switching coaches two seasons ago. I expect they will earn a score in the 38-42 range as well.
Delobel & Schoenfelder have been out all season. They skated the Tango Romantica the last season it was used at the 2006 European Championships. Their edges were deep and expression smooth, but Olivier fell. Questionable how rusty they will be Friday.
Vancouver Men's Long - Spin Focus
I'm going to try to focus on the spins in this post as everyone else focuses on the jumps! I'm also only noting the skaters I see on the NBC broadcast.
Jeremy Abbott - Nice flying sit, good position in the sit change sit with a change to a forward inside edge, wobbled on the first camel rotation then back to the good, low and extended sit spin positions. Glad you focused and fought Jeremy! I'm proud of you. 149.56 free, 218.96 total.
Takahiko Kozuka - Flying change foot combo - way low in sit spin, cool upside down manuever; sit change sit with the foot tucked behind making a little ball position, nice; camel not as stretched as it could be but nice speed and extension in the sit spins, excellent blur scratch spin to finish. How often do you see a fast scratch spin these days? Thanks for that treat Takahiko! Like Sandra Bezic said on the broadcast he has a pure skating technique. I'm really looking forward to watching him over the seasons to come. 151.60 free, 231.19 total.
Denis Ten - Flying Camel Spin that started with good stretch and then almost immediately switched to inside and grabbed his blade. I wish he just held the initial extension, it was a good position. Change foot sit spin that featured resting his foot above the knee on both sides. Oooo, a Bielmann in his combo spin! Threw several positions in the combo spin, wish he picked two out of four and held longer and centered. 135.01 free, 211.25 total.
Huh, NBC showed Tony Dungy and Jerry Jones are in the seats watching. That's different. Wonder what they think of the event.
Florent Amodio - love this music from the Amelie soundtrack, superb speed, positions and centering in the combo spin; inside edge entry to back sit, then change sit and a nice tucked under position; super sweet tuck position in flying sit, displaying snowboard-like "big air" with that flying sit tuck position. Loved the straight-line footwork preceding it too. This is a performance I'll look up on YouTube to relax and enjoy skating. 134.95 free, 210.30 total.
Patrick Chan - Nice position on a centered and fast sit. Good transition to another edge by pulling in his leg and placing his foot on his knee. Classic sit change sit after the half way mark. Camel, sit spin with unique arm position as part of combo. The crowd cheers are the end! Another program I'll go back too, loved the knee action and glide in his footwork sequences. Good jump technique too. I'm going to enjoy watching him over the next four years, stay healthy Patrick! 160.30 free, 241.42 total.
Michal Brezina - Flying sit with a good air position like Florent's, little wobble on a revolution; sit change sit with a change to an inside edge on the back sit; running out of steam but nice inside edge into back camel for the combo that included more sit spins and camels. He seems to rock to back of his blade in his sit spins and then quickly corrects. I must squeeze in a bit about his jumps. He has a great position in the air, really nice, tight leg position. Good edge riding out of his jumps as well. This is first time I saw him skate on TV instead of a web feed. It was so enjoyable on a bigger screen. 137.93 free, 216.73 total.
Penultimate group done, big guys warming up! Great six minutes of skating - but they decide to go to commercial. Argh.
Realizing as I watch Evan at the boards with Frank Carroll that he is first and Evgeny is last... remembering Michelle and Tara skating order in Nagano. Don't hesitate Evan, go for it!
Evan Lysacek - good position for a tall skater in a sit spin, pulled his leg into a wrap; jump not as high as others in flying sit, but again he's tall it's hard to tuck that daddy-long leg underneath; extended camel could have been held longer, beautiful, fast and centered sit spins that he held for about 10 revolutions each into great extended catch-foot spin to end. I felt I could see him thinking and not performing the first half of the performance. He built energy at the end, good skate. 167.37 free, 257.67 total.
Nobunari Oda - like the lift in the death drop into the sit spin position, good to see a spin earlier in the skate; oh, shades of Tonya Harding with a broken skate lace. Well that's a nice spin after retying his skates, his sit spin position is reminiscent of a curled up cat. Good combo spin with the same curled-cat position as well as nice camel positions. So calm and focused with the skate lace snafu! 153.69 free, 238.54 total.
Stephane Lambiel - La Traviata music; flying camel with excellent arm position along with leg extension; oh this ending combo spin is bringing a big and well deserved cheer from the crowd, camel with hands clasped behind the back, sit spins with about 12 revolutions each and changing arm positions throughout. Love how he streches an arm in the air during his sit and it looks like he could balance a plate better than a restaurant waiter on that hand as the spin is so centered. Then the combo ends with a "headless" back scratch where he's tipped his head back and he's just a blur. Looked a bit tight throughout, but I'm glad he made his comeback. I've missed him! 162.09 free, 246.72 total.
Daisuke Takahashi - nice variety of positions in his sit spins, he works the changes in foot and edge by extending and pulling in while adding features to the spin; cute flying sit, but not the same height and tuck as others, good move to go from a low sit into an extended camel, that's difficult; back camel, back scratch with leg crossed behind into scratch. I enjoy his spins as he puts effort into unique positions instead of the same old same old. Similar to Lambiel but missing the speed. 156.98 free, 247.43 total
Johnny Weir - Spin stumble! He seemed to catch his toepick while on the inside edge in the sit, will be reflected in the GOE. Nice death drop into sit, love how he drapes his upper body with a beautivully arched back over his extended free leg in his sit spins. Running threes into a camel, the gorgeous sit position again, extended catch-foot spin. The audience roars! I've got tears in my eyes, thank you for that skate Johnny, that was wonderful. 156.77 free, 238.87 total.
Evgeny Plushenko - Death drop into sit, not as low as Johnny or Evan, back slouched over; fast sit spin combo, impressed; choreography looks so silly after the last few skaters; back camel, sit, funky upright spin, slooow camel, funky upright with contorted arms, scratch and it's done. 165.51 free, Lysacek wins! Frank Carroll coached a gold medalist! 256.36 total.
Oh Plushenko, so close! Only quad combo of the evening and an amazing comeback. I'm sure he's disappointed, but he should be proud of the comeback effort and still being able to land a quad combo under pressure.
Proud of you Evan!
Jeremy Abbott - Nice flying sit, good position in the sit change sit with a change to a forward inside edge, wobbled on the first camel rotation then back to the good, low and extended sit spin positions. Glad you focused and fought Jeremy! I'm proud of you. 149.56 free, 218.96 total.
Takahiko Kozuka - Flying change foot combo - way low in sit spin, cool upside down manuever; sit change sit with the foot tucked behind making a little ball position, nice; camel not as stretched as it could be but nice speed and extension in the sit spins, excellent blur scratch spin to finish. How often do you see a fast scratch spin these days? Thanks for that treat Takahiko! Like Sandra Bezic said on the broadcast he has a pure skating technique. I'm really looking forward to watching him over the seasons to come. 151.60 free, 231.19 total.
Denis Ten - Flying Camel Spin that started with good stretch and then almost immediately switched to inside and grabbed his blade. I wish he just held the initial extension, it was a good position. Change foot sit spin that featured resting his foot above the knee on both sides. Oooo, a Bielmann in his combo spin! Threw several positions in the combo spin, wish he picked two out of four and held longer and centered. 135.01 free, 211.25 total.
Huh, NBC showed Tony Dungy and Jerry Jones are in the seats watching. That's different. Wonder what they think of the event.
Florent Amodio - love this music from the Amelie soundtrack, superb speed, positions and centering in the combo spin; inside edge entry to back sit, then change sit and a nice tucked under position; super sweet tuck position in flying sit, displaying snowboard-like "big air" with that flying sit tuck position. Loved the straight-line footwork preceding it too. This is a performance I'll look up on YouTube to relax and enjoy skating. 134.95 free, 210.30 total.
Patrick Chan - Nice position on a centered and fast sit. Good transition to another edge by pulling in his leg and placing his foot on his knee. Classic sit change sit after the half way mark. Camel, sit spin with unique arm position as part of combo. The crowd cheers are the end! Another program I'll go back too, loved the knee action and glide in his footwork sequences. Good jump technique too. I'm going to enjoy watching him over the next four years, stay healthy Patrick! 160.30 free, 241.42 total.
Michal Brezina - Flying sit with a good air position like Florent's, little wobble on a revolution; sit change sit with a change to an inside edge on the back sit; running out of steam but nice inside edge into back camel for the combo that included more sit spins and camels. He seems to rock to back of his blade in his sit spins and then quickly corrects. I must squeeze in a bit about his jumps. He has a great position in the air, really nice, tight leg position. Good edge riding out of his jumps as well. This is first time I saw him skate on TV instead of a web feed. It was so enjoyable on a bigger screen. 137.93 free, 216.73 total.
Penultimate group done, big guys warming up! Great six minutes of skating - but they decide to go to commercial. Argh.
Realizing as I watch Evan at the boards with Frank Carroll that he is first and Evgeny is last... remembering Michelle and Tara skating order in Nagano. Don't hesitate Evan, go for it!
Evan Lysacek - good position for a tall skater in a sit spin, pulled his leg into a wrap; jump not as high as others in flying sit, but again he's tall it's hard to tuck that daddy-long leg underneath; extended camel could have been held longer, beautiful, fast and centered sit spins that he held for about 10 revolutions each into great extended catch-foot spin to end. I felt I could see him thinking and not performing the first half of the performance. He built energy at the end, good skate. 167.37 free, 257.67 total.
Nobunari Oda - like the lift in the death drop into the sit spin position, good to see a spin earlier in the skate; oh, shades of Tonya Harding with a broken skate lace. Well that's a nice spin after retying his skates, his sit spin position is reminiscent of a curled up cat. Good combo spin with the same curled-cat position as well as nice camel positions. So calm and focused with the skate lace snafu! 153.69 free, 238.54 total.
Stephane Lambiel - La Traviata music; flying camel with excellent arm position along with leg extension; oh this ending combo spin is bringing a big and well deserved cheer from the crowd, camel with hands clasped behind the back, sit spins with about 12 revolutions each and changing arm positions throughout. Love how he streches an arm in the air during his sit and it looks like he could balance a plate better than a restaurant waiter on that hand as the spin is so centered. Then the combo ends with a "headless" back scratch where he's tipped his head back and he's just a blur. Looked a bit tight throughout, but I'm glad he made his comeback. I've missed him! 162.09 free, 246.72 total.
Daisuke Takahashi - nice variety of positions in his sit spins, he works the changes in foot and edge by extending and pulling in while adding features to the spin; cute flying sit, but not the same height and tuck as others, good move to go from a low sit into an extended camel, that's difficult; back camel, back scratch with leg crossed behind into scratch. I enjoy his spins as he puts effort into unique positions instead of the same old same old. Similar to Lambiel but missing the speed. 156.98 free, 247.43 total
Johnny Weir - Spin stumble! He seemed to catch his toepick while on the inside edge in the sit, will be reflected in the GOE. Nice death drop into sit, love how he drapes his upper body with a beautivully arched back over his extended free leg in his sit spins. Running threes into a camel, the gorgeous sit position again, extended catch-foot spin. The audience roars! I've got tears in my eyes, thank you for that skate Johnny, that was wonderful. 156.77 free, 238.87 total.
Evgeny Plushenko - Death drop into sit, not as low as Johnny or Evan, back slouched over; fast sit spin combo, impressed; choreography looks so silly after the last few skaters; back camel, sit, funky upright spin, slooow camel, funky upright with contorted arms, scratch and it's done. 165.51 free, Lysacek wins! Frank Carroll coached a gold medalist! 256.36 total.
Oh Plushenko, so close! Only quad combo of the evening and an amazing comeback. I'm sure he's disappointed, but he should be proud of the comeback effort and still being able to land a quad combo under pressure.
Proud of you Evan!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
To Quad Or Not To Quad, Part 2
NBC hasn't broadcast the men's long yet, although from tweets it appears Jeremy Abbott is already skating as I type.
Also as I type the quad hype continues. Since Tuesday the media has created an epic storyline of Plushenko's athleticism vs. Evan Lysacek's artistry. Evan Lysacek as an artist? That's another debate. Plushy is still lambasting those without a quad while commentators like Paul Wylie are quick to point out the difference in Evgeny's and Evan's component scores.
I thought the most interesting voice in the dialogue is Tom Zakrajsek's on his blog. Zakrajsek is coaching in his first Olympics with Rachel Flatt and has a few skaters practicing and completing quads. He seems to share the thoughts that skating is moving backward with fewer people attempting quads,
However, it made me think the real tragedy in the quad debate is that few men seem to be seriously practicing the quad throughout the season. With so much risk to be penalized in the quad attempt and more opportunities to earn points on other components, I think we're seeing fewer quads due to a lack of focusing on them. It takes some pain to get a consistent quad and then it takes additional energy to complete one during the 4:30 min free skate.
Evan has faced injuries from training the quad and did not attempt one in competition until January. He said all season long he was building to put one in during the Olympics. However, as he laid out solid performances on the Grand Prix circuit, he didn't get the practice in of attempting a quad under pressure. I don't think he's mentally prepared for throwing down a quad much less physically prepared.
Evgeny, on the other hand, consistently practices quads and has put them in his programs in the few competitions he's entered this season. After three years away to come out with the quad took some serious blood and sweat that allows him to be mentally ready for the demands of completing a quadruple jump in competition. I expect to see it tonight and if he wins, I'm confident the rest of the field will take the time to practice a quad to get it competition ready and then start breaking them out next season.
Also as I type the quad hype continues. Since Tuesday the media has created an epic storyline of Plushenko's athleticism vs. Evan Lysacek's artistry. Evan Lysacek as an artist? That's another debate. Plushy is still lambasting those without a quad while commentators like Paul Wylie are quick to point out the difference in Evgeny's and Evan's component scores.
I thought the most interesting voice in the dialogue is Tom Zakrajsek's on his blog. Zakrajsek is coaching in his first Olympics with Rachel Flatt and has a few skaters practicing and completing quads. He seems to share the thoughts that skating is moving backward with fewer people attempting quads,
"Last I checked the Olympic motto was faster, higher, stronger....not risk-freeer, safer, lesser. When you add the suffix "er" to a word it means "more." If a man wins the Olympic figure skating title without a quad will our sport be advancing in the spirit of the Olympics?"Now, Zakrajsek is NOT slamming those who did not attempt a quad. He's a brilliant coach and is advancing the sport with his leadership and professionalism alone. He is merely expressing his opinion on the difficulty of completing a quad and how it could be rewarded in the judging.
However, it made me think the real tragedy in the quad debate is that few men seem to be seriously practicing the quad throughout the season. With so much risk to be penalized in the quad attempt and more opportunities to earn points on other components, I think we're seeing fewer quads due to a lack of focusing on them. It takes some pain to get a consistent quad and then it takes additional energy to complete one during the 4:30 min free skate.
Evan has faced injuries from training the quad and did not attempt one in competition until January. He said all season long he was building to put one in during the Olympics. However, as he laid out solid performances on the Grand Prix circuit, he didn't get the practice in of attempting a quad under pressure. I don't think he's mentally prepared for throwing down a quad much less physically prepared.
Evgeny, on the other hand, consistently practices quads and has put them in his programs in the few competitions he's entered this season. After three years away to come out with the quad took some serious blood and sweat that allows him to be mentally ready for the demands of completing a quadruple jump in competition. I expect to see it tonight and if he wins, I'm confident the rest of the field will take the time to practice a quad to get it competition ready and then start breaking them out next season.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Vancouver Men's Short
I'm so not going to be able to sleep tonight and tomorrow's my day to get up early and skate. What a night of skating. The hype for the men's event was worth it.
The broadcast started with fluff on Evgeny Plushenko interviewing him while driving through St. Petersburg with shots of old Lenin statues throughout. He said he bought a fast car just to have some risk in his life and now he wants to be like Dick Button y winning back to back gold. I would love to see Evgeny Plushenko live into his 80s as a commentator as well. Plushenko is a bit of a modern day Muhammad Ali with his smack-talk.
Plushenko looked a bit nervous and stiff tonight. He hit the quad-combo, triple Axel and triple Lutz. I've seen stronger landings from him before, but what cajones land those three jumps at the Olympics after being retired for 3 years! 90.85 points put him into the lead and he held on the rest of the night.
Daisuke Takahashi WOW! Triple flip + Triple toe, triple Axel, triple Lutz. Fantastic footwork to tango rhythms. 90.25
Stephane Lambiel has always had difficulty with triple Axels, so he only planned a double. He's generally solid with his quad, but he stepped out in the combination. The footwork and spins were classic Lambiel. Always impressed with how centered his spins are. 84.63
Nobunari Oda skated and I didn't find anything really memorable about it. I like his long better, this was very business-like and earned a solid 84.85. I did get a slight sense he was imitating Lysacek with big arm movements and leg extensions. Lysacek does those moves because he's tall and they didn't fit the compact Oda.
Brian Joubert came out with an opportunity as Lambiel missed the quad and Takahashi didn't do one. Oooh, he steps out! Swivels hips. Triple Axel easy! Triple Lutz... he's down. He went through the motions the rest of the skate. He picked up the energy a bit in the straight line sequence realizing he would need to earn some points... he earning all of 68 points. He put so much pressure on himself to do well at the Olympics, awful to watch his dream fade away.
Takahiko Kozuka makes it 3 for 3 for Japan. They make skating at the Olympics look easy. 79.59
Patrick Chan stepped to plate next to the roar of the Canadian crowd. He stepped out of his triple Axel but then executed a triple combo and triple Lutz. Sweet to see a circular footwork sequence go in the opposite (clockwise) direction, then a weird step on the straight line sequence where he nearly tripped. Finally, he ended the program after the music so it ran 2:51. One point time deduction and earns 81.12.
Johnny Weir skated to I Love You, I Hate You but the audience was all about the love. He earned much love from the crowd with triple Lutz + triple toe, triple Axel, triple flip. Playful program after the jumps were through. They played Lady Gaga's Poker Face while he sat in the Kiss'n'Cry, but then seemingly low scores popped up prompting boos from the crowd. He received a negative grade of execution on the flip so I'm guessing a wrong-edge takeoff was called there. 82.10
Watched the OT of the UK-Mississippi State game and missed Kevin van der Perren. I don't think I missed much other than his costume. Several tweets it would glow in the dark. 72.90
UK also took precedence over Tomas Verner. He doubled his planned quad and finished behind Joubert. 65.32
Evan Lysacek is back to the Edward Featherhands look and his program took off! Bad writing, I know, sorry. Textbook landings on his triple flip, triple Lutz + triple toe, triple Axel. Besides the jumps he commanded the ice with his deep edges and speed. Spins second best to Lambiel with speed and centering. So proud of him to be able to focus and perform while making it look natural. I thought it would be close between him and Plushenko and Lysacek might pull ahead. My mind tried to remember how many times Evan has been in the lead after the short in a major international competition, I think he does better as an underdog in the free. He'll be the best an underdog can be with 90.30 points right behind Plushenko's 90.85.
Jeremy Abbott skated next and I don't want to type about it. Crushing. Jeremy you're free sings and pigs can fly, Thursday's free skate is another day. 69.40
Good Night, try to go to bed!
The broadcast started with fluff on Evgeny Plushenko interviewing him while driving through St. Petersburg with shots of old Lenin statues throughout. He said he bought a fast car just to have some risk in his life and now he wants to be like Dick Button y winning back to back gold. I would love to see Evgeny Plushenko live into his 80s as a commentator as well. Plushenko is a bit of a modern day Muhammad Ali with his smack-talk.
Plushenko looked a bit nervous and stiff tonight. He hit the quad-combo, triple Axel and triple Lutz. I've seen stronger landings from him before, but what cajones land those three jumps at the Olympics after being retired for 3 years! 90.85 points put him into the lead and he held on the rest of the night.
Daisuke Takahashi WOW! Triple flip + Triple toe, triple Axel, triple Lutz. Fantastic footwork to tango rhythms. 90.25
Stephane Lambiel has always had difficulty with triple Axels, so he only planned a double. He's generally solid with his quad, but he stepped out in the combination. The footwork and spins were classic Lambiel. Always impressed with how centered his spins are. 84.63
Nobunari Oda skated and I didn't find anything really memorable about it. I like his long better, this was very business-like and earned a solid 84.85. I did get a slight sense he was imitating Lysacek with big arm movements and leg extensions. Lysacek does those moves because he's tall and they didn't fit the compact Oda.
Brian Joubert came out with an opportunity as Lambiel missed the quad and Takahashi didn't do one. Oooh, he steps out! Swivels hips. Triple Axel easy! Triple Lutz... he's down. He went through the motions the rest of the skate. He picked up the energy a bit in the straight line sequence realizing he would need to earn some points... he earning all of 68 points. He put so much pressure on himself to do well at the Olympics, awful to watch his dream fade away.
Takahiko Kozuka makes it 3 for 3 for Japan. They make skating at the Olympics look easy. 79.59
Patrick Chan stepped to plate next to the roar of the Canadian crowd. He stepped out of his triple Axel but then executed a triple combo and triple Lutz. Sweet to see a circular footwork sequence go in the opposite (clockwise) direction, then a weird step on the straight line sequence where he nearly tripped. Finally, he ended the program after the music so it ran 2:51. One point time deduction and earns 81.12.
Johnny Weir skated to I Love You, I Hate You but the audience was all about the love. He earned much love from the crowd with triple Lutz + triple toe, triple Axel, triple flip. Playful program after the jumps were through. They played Lady Gaga's Poker Face while he sat in the Kiss'n'Cry, but then seemingly low scores popped up prompting boos from the crowd. He received a negative grade of execution on the flip so I'm guessing a wrong-edge takeoff was called there. 82.10
Watched the OT of the UK-Mississippi State game and missed Kevin van der Perren. I don't think I missed much other than his costume. Several tweets it would glow in the dark. 72.90
UK also took precedence over Tomas Verner. He doubled his planned quad and finished behind Joubert. 65.32
Evan Lysacek is back to the Edward Featherhands look and his program took off! Bad writing, I know, sorry. Textbook landings on his triple flip, triple Lutz + triple toe, triple Axel. Besides the jumps he commanded the ice with his deep edges and speed. Spins second best to Lambiel with speed and centering. So proud of him to be able to focus and perform while making it look natural. I thought it would be close between him and Plushenko and Lysacek might pull ahead. My mind tried to remember how many times Evan has been in the lead after the short in a major international competition, I think he does better as an underdog in the free. He'll be the best an underdog can be with 90.30 points right behind Plushenko's 90.85.
Jeremy Abbott skated next and I don't want to type about it. Crushing. Jeremy you're free sings and pigs can fly, Thursday's free skate is another day. 69.40
Good Night, try to go to bed!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
To Quad Or Not To Quad
If Shakespeare was sweating under Broadway's lights or sipping coffee before a slam poetry reading today, I think he could find some inspiration in the stories of the men taking to ice tonight. Particularly as the ponder the worth of completing a quadruple jump as they take the Olympic ice.
The Quad
Baseball has the homerun. That amazing athletic feat of hitting a ball that took barely a second to travel from the pitcher's mound to the plate and to hit hit over 400 feet is hallowed by baseball fans. The difference between a hit and homerun a combination of the pitch, and the speed and strength of the batter in his swing.
Figure skating has the quad, any jump done completed with 4 revolutions in the air before landing on one foot. It takes speed and strength and the precision of setting up the jump and landing on a narrow steel blade.
A decade ago the quad was the future of the sport with top skaters conducting jump seminars in their skating programs. Elvis Stojko, Ilia Kulik, Alexei Urmanov, Michael Weiss, Timothy Goebel & Alexei Yagudin pushed the sport from quad toes to quad combinations, multiple quads in a freeskate, and a quad for the short just to be in contention. These skaters represented the best of North America and Europe. Everyone was training a quad.
As the quads increased, the age old skating debate of artistry vs athleticism heated up. Then came the IJS awarding points for completing a quad successfully, and the deductions for underrotating or falling on a quad. The base value of a quad toe is 9.8 points, but a fall counts as zero plus one point deduction. That debate of whether the quad is worth it is reaching a boiling point on the eve of the men's short.
Brian Joubert and Evgeny Plushenko have made statements of the quad being everything in men's skating. Brian Joubert maintains a quad should be worth more and worth the risk of performing one in competition. He says,
For all of his talk of quads as king, it would seem that his skating has suffered. After the Torino Games, he was on top the world the following season. He was the first skater to land three quads in a free skate that 2006-2007 and he capped it off with win at the world championships. Since then, he's experienced some illness and injuries. He seems to be able to easily overcome those, but not overcome the weight of the expectations he's put on himself to complete all of his jumps.
His North American competitors have seemed to play some head games with him on the quad topic. Patrick Chan of Canada in particular has reminded reporters while mentioning Joubert that his countyman Jeff Buttle won a world title without a quad. In fact, no one since Joubert has won worlds with a quad. While Joubert lands one, he falls on a triple making the pursuit of quad perfection questionable.
Most of the North American men will not attempt a quad this week in competition. Nancy Amour tweeted that Johnny Weir busted out the quad in practice (nice head games Johnny!) and Jeremy Abbott completed one in his win at US Nats but is more focused on adding a second triple Axel in the free. Evan Lysacek won his world title last year without one and thinks the rest of his skating is strong enough that he doesn't need it.
The North American skaters have used transitions, solid triples, spins and footwork to their advantage under IJS. They read the rules and the great points from the quad, but did the math and saw more points are to be had with other elements. While the Europeans have focused on quads, the transitions between jumps have suffered.
Still, Evan was planning on adding the jump to his free skate until last week. He has chimed in with Joubert on occasion that a quad keeps up the challenge and pushes boundaries in men's skating. Recently, he said he feared he had reinjured his foot. X-rays proved he does not have the stress fracture that bothered him last spring, but he doesn't want to risk it with a quad in his free skate.
With so many top competitors not planning to do quads or willing to take their quad out, why all the fuss?
The Quad 2010
Brian Joubert's pining for the old days of 15 top skaters doing quads is coming back to haunt him. Evgeny Plushenko and Stephane Lambiel have come out of retirement and beat him at Europeans. Both have solid quads, and Plushenko will probably do a quad-combo in the short and multiple quads in the long. Stephane Lambiel does more quads than triple Axels in his free skate.
Patrick Chan isn't scared, he said this week of Plushenko's skating,
Of course Daisuke Takahashi and Jeremy Abbott can do transitions and quads, proving you can have both and there's no need for debate!
What do you think, to quad or not to quad?
The Quad
Baseball has the homerun. That amazing athletic feat of hitting a ball that took barely a second to travel from the pitcher's mound to the plate and to hit hit over 400 feet is hallowed by baseball fans. The difference between a hit and homerun a combination of the pitch, and the speed and strength of the batter in his swing.
Figure skating has the quad, any jump done completed with 4 revolutions in the air before landing on one foot. It takes speed and strength and the precision of setting up the jump and landing on a narrow steel blade.
A decade ago the quad was the future of the sport with top skaters conducting jump seminars in their skating programs. Elvis Stojko, Ilia Kulik, Alexei Urmanov, Michael Weiss, Timothy Goebel & Alexei Yagudin pushed the sport from quad toes to quad combinations, multiple quads in a freeskate, and a quad for the short just to be in contention. These skaters represented the best of North America and Europe. Everyone was training a quad.
As the quads increased, the age old skating debate of artistry vs athleticism heated up. Then came the IJS awarding points for completing a quad successfully, and the deductions for underrotating or falling on a quad. The base value of a quad toe is 9.8 points, but a fall counts as zero plus one point deduction. That debate of whether the quad is worth it is reaching a boiling point on the eve of the men's short.
Brian Joubert and Evgeny Plushenko have made statements of the quad being everything in men's skating. Brian Joubert maintains a quad should be worth more and worth the risk of performing one in competition. He says,
There is pressure when you try a quad and there is pressure after it, because it is more difficult to do the next jump.He has also lamented the lack of quads in skating these days and insists it is the future of the sport.
His North American competitors have seemed to play some head games with him on the quad topic. Patrick Chan of Canada in particular has reminded reporters while mentioning Joubert that his countyman Jeff Buttle won a world title without a quad. In fact, no one since Joubert has won worlds with a quad. While Joubert lands one, he falls on a triple making the pursuit of quad perfection questionable.
The North American skaters have used transitions, solid triples, spins and footwork to their advantage under IJS. They read the rules and the great points from the quad, but did the math and saw more points are to be had with other elements. While the Europeans have focused on quads, the transitions between jumps have suffered.
Still, Evan was planning on adding the jump to his free skate until last week. He has chimed in with Joubert on occasion that a quad keeps up the challenge and pushes boundaries in men's skating. Recently, he said he feared he had reinjured his foot. X-rays proved he does not have the stress fracture that bothered him last spring, but he doesn't want to risk it with a quad in his free skate.
With so many top competitors not planning to do quads or willing to take their quad out, why all the fuss?
The Quad 2010
Patrick Chan isn't scared, he said this week of Plushenko's skating,
He has the confidence that he doesn't need to do the transitions because he can do what I think is a magnificent quad. But he's old!The pendulum still swings in the debate of artistry vs. athleticism. Perhaps a better question is what is more athletic? Skating with complex and fast transitions that take deep knee bends to maintain the speed for four minutes or accelerating down the ice into a quad Salchow-triple toe-double loop combo during a four minute program?
Of course Daisuke Takahashi and Jeremy Abbott can do transitions and quads, proving you can have both and there's no need for debate!
What do you think, to quad or not to quad?
The Streak is Broken
With Shen & Zhao's win last night, the Soviet/Russian gold streak has ended. I think the Russian dominance in pairs is probably one of the greatest sports dynastys ever. Forty years on top came to an end last night without even a thank you bronze. The highest placing Russian team came in 4th.
Shen & Zhao were brilliant even with some small mistakes. They shone with the brilliance of 18 years of skating together. That's enough sweat equity to cash out into gold.
Shen & Zhao were brilliant even with some small mistakes. They shone with the brilliance of 18 years of skating together. That's enough sweat equity to cash out into gold.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Spring Cup in Milano
Congratulations the US teams that competed in Milan, Italy over the weekend.
Western Michigan University Syncho - 6th in the senior event
Team Braemar Synchro - 2nd in the junior event (Good warm up for the junior world championship!)
Full results: http://www.springcup.it/10/springcup2010.htm
Western Michigan University Syncho - 6th in the senior event
Team Braemar Synchro - 2nd in the junior event (Good warm up for the junior world championship!)
Full results: http://www.springcup.it/10/springcup2010.htm
Pairs Short
Skatehearts
My hubby decided we should go skating on Valentine's Day. What a nice hubby, I'm glad he thought of that while NASCAR had pothole issues in Daytona. ;) I got some extra Junior MITF practice in - as much as one can when weaving in between public ice skaters.
Afterwards, I made my sweetheart dinner and then snuggled into the couch to watch the short program in the pairs event. NBC continued their Valentine's Day sugary coverage of the relationship between the US teams. Denney & Barrett had a nice debut although their side-by-side toe loops were downgraded to doubles after Barrett landed a triple and Denney landed a double. Evora & Ladwig had a gorgeous skate to music from Love, Actually. If only all US pairs skaters could give performances like that all the time.
Most of the medal contenders skated in the final groups and I was dozing off by then. However, I only really needed to see Shen & Zhao skate at the beginning. No one came close to the couple all evening long. As Phil Hersh put it, the event was over in 2 minutes and 40 seconds, the time of their skate. It will be a successful comeback for them if they capture gold tonight.Sweet Triple Twist with Shen & Zhao
Hope to stay up tonight for the free and the medals!
Other blogs and items:
- Kelli over at State of the Skate noted all of the performances, music and outfits on NBC last night. She stayed awake! Thanks Kelli!
- Bill Plaschke laments the lack of champion US pairs in the Los Angeles Times
Since skating debuted in the 1908 Summer Olympics, American women have won seven gold medals, American men have won six golds, and the two of them skating together have won squat. We're 0 for 102 years, going winless in 22 pairs competitions and nine ice dancing events.Yeah, we're bad, but we really enjoy watching others who are great!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Skating Pairs on Valentine's Day
The pairs' short program kicks off this evening. This event has been dominated by Russia & the former Soviet Union. Since Torino, there has not been a dominating Russian team. The World Championship podium has included a Russian pair here and there, but the winners have come from China and Germany.
European Championship Pairs Podium
AP
Kavaguti & Smirnoff skated into the European Championship and left with a golden ticket to Vancouver. They represent the artistic, circus-artist side of Russian skating which generally stems from training in St. Petersburg. Mukhortova & Trankov represent the more powerful, athletic Moscow school of skating. This team has had its ups and downs in their relationship, let's hope they can come together competing on a Valentines's Day.
Chinese Outlook:
China has been the most serious threat to Russia's pairs dominance since the turn of the century. They have never claimed gold, but Shen & Zhao have taken the bronze in the past two Olympics. They retired in 2007, but came back for one more try. They also have two other pairs to watch: Pang & Tong and the Zhangs.
German Outlook:
Savchenko & Szolkowy are the two time defending world champions. They've had a wacky season. After a poor showing at Trophee Eric Bompard they changed their free skate to music from Out of Africa which was well received the rest of the season. They bobbled at Europeans however.
Honorable Mentions:
Canada has the home crowd advantage and Dube & Davison have a sweet freeskate to The Way We Were. It will send memories of Sale & Pelletier's Love Story through the crowd. They've medaled at worlds and you can never count out a team with home field advantage.
The US is sending two pairs, Denney & Barrett and Evora & Ladwig. NBC has been trumping the relationship between the two competitive teams, Jeremy Barrett is dating Amanda Evora. I'm sure it's hard to compete on the Olympics against your significant other of Valentine's Day.
Great Posts on Pairs:
Aaron's thoughts: Axels, Loops, and Spins - Pairs Preview
Kelli's thoughts: State of the Skate - Every Four Year Fan's Guide
Susan's thoughts: Lifeskate - Predictions and Start Order
NBC Olympics: Shen/Zhao Search For Pairs Gold
Opening Ceremonies and A New Skating Goal
Didn't spot Elene Gedevanishvilli with the Georgian delegation. Since her event is last, she may not have made it to Vancouver yet. I'm so glad they walked despite the tragic turn on the luge track Friday and I hope they come together to find some meaning in these Games.
While the Dutch walked through, the commentators tauted the Dutch love of speedskating. Either Matt or Bob mentioned the Dutch have a winter race on the canals between a few cities. The Dutch essentially have an ice marathon. I would love to do an ice marathon!
I hate running with a passion, it's not so good on my knees and I find it boring. I'll jog or run on a treadmill for 10 minutes max as a warm-up, but I've just never been able to really go for a run as part of a healthy routine. I've also never understood marathon runners. All that training just to run for miles. I do admire the part about runners training for a marathon in Hawaii. Setting a healthy goal and getting rewarded with a vacation trip has always sounded fun, it just involves running great distances.
I googled ice skating marathon and marathons on ice. Unfortunately, several doomsday global-warming sites pop up. The big race through 11 Dutch towns hasn't been held since 1997. Darn! However, there are some in Finland and Canada now. They are also not annually scheduled, they need to make sure the ice is thick enough before those events are scheduled. This really throws a wrench in the training plan I was developing in my head. Now I may need to know Finnish and ending sentences with, "eh?"
Someday....
Thursday, February 11, 2010
"Twas the Night Before the Olympics
This is better than Christmas Eve, because I don't have to do any last minute wrapping, cooking, or packing yet I still get a great gift. I get two weeks of figure skating and other ice sports on TV, blogs, newspapers, sports shows, coworkers and people on the street discussing the events. It's a skating nerd's dream for two weeks.
May all the skaters have a most excellent experience in Vancouver both on and off the ice. Let the Games begin!
Evgeny Plushenko Practicing
AP
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
French Cup 2010
I posted a snippet on the Senior Synchro Sectionals yesterday and pondered why California Gold didn't compete. The reason: The competed at the French Cup in Rouen, France.
California Gold placed 10th in a competitive field that included the reigning world champs: Nexxice of Canada and the also strong Finnish teams: Marigold Ice Unity & Team Unique.
The Starlights made their international senior debut here as well. They placed just ahead of California Gold in 9th.
California Gold placed 10th in a competitive field that included the reigning world champs: Nexxice of Canada and the also strong Finnish teams: Marigold Ice Unity & Team Unique.
The Starlights made their international senior debut here as well. They placed just ahead of California Gold in 9th.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Weather Be Damned!
Seeing tweets from skaters (@TanithJLB, @Ben_Agosto) that they are getting worried that the snowstorm expected for the East Coast may hamper their travel plans to Vancouver. Some think the worst-case scenario will lead to missing the Opening Ceremonies.
There's also tweets from journalists like Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) and Phil Hersh (@olyphil) that they beat the storms and have landed in a spring-like setting. It's been so warm the Vancouver organizers are having to haul in snow for the alpine events. At least the rinks are indoors. Although the humidity poses its own challenges for maintaining the ice.
There's also tweets from journalists like Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) and Phil Hersh (@olyphil) that they beat the storms and have landed in a spring-like setting. It's been so warm the Vancouver organizers are having to haul in snow for the alpine events. At least the rinks are indoors. Although the humidity poses its own challenges for maintaining the ice.
Senior Synchro Sectionals 2010
The sectional qualifying events took place the last weekend of January in Lowell, Massachusetts and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Five senior teams competed across the nation, three at the Midwestern Championship and one each at the Eastern and Pacific Championships.
Last year a few teams had byes to Nationals and did not have to skate at a sectional event due to either the previous year's placement at Nationals or competing in an international event. This year, only a few teams had byes, but it still seemed to be a small roster of competitors for this fast growing sport. I suspect the economy is limiting skater's budgets which results in teams cutting back on their competitions and travel. Small fields and small audiences! In the Icenetwork archive it looked like about five people where in the stands and the crowd was thin in Cedar Rapids too.
Eastern Sectional:
1. Haydenettes
Wow! The free skate to West Side Story was a clinic in synchro. My husband peered over my shoulder while I watched the archive. I told him he was witnessing the UK basketball of US synchro as they've won 18 championships. He shrugged and said if they were really the UK of synchro the audience would be packed. I'll have to think of another sports dynasty that wins consistently, yet quietly. Such a shame there were so few to witness them. Come on people! They medaled at Cup of Berlin this year! How many American synchro teams medaled internationally this year?
Midwestern Sectional:
1. Miami Redhawks
Their free skate just sings. It's come together so well since I saw it at their exhibition in the fall. They skate with the mark of Sara Kawahara now, and look like they are having fun with the music.
2. Western Michigan University
Last year's winners put out a solid skate. It's just hard to beat a varisty squad when you're a club.
3. Evolution
I always root for them; their coach always recognizes the Louisville coaches at events and says, "LOUIE-ville, LOUIE-ville!" in his French accent. They also had their practices after the Masters RiverStars at Nationals last year and always cheered our run throughs. They've had a rough season this year with music issues at Porter. (Their music either skipped or stopped, even on the back up CD.) They have popular music with Slumdog Millionaire but the Bollywood-vibe was lacking in this outing and there technical errors.
Pacific Sectional:
1. Ice'Kateers
I think this team moved up from Juniors last year and they had a good debut at senior sectionals. I wonder what happened to California Gold? Another team MIA, but glad to see the Ice'Kateers represent synchro on the west side!
Good Luck to all the teams in Minneapolis!
Last year a few teams had byes to Nationals and did not have to skate at a sectional event due to either the previous year's placement at Nationals or competing in an international event. This year, only a few teams had byes, but it still seemed to be a small roster of competitors for this fast growing sport. I suspect the economy is limiting skater's budgets which results in teams cutting back on their competitions and travel. Small fields and small audiences! In the Icenetwork archive it looked like about five people where in the stands and the crowd was thin in Cedar Rapids too.
Haydenettes
Haydenettes FB page
Eastern Sectional:
1. Haydenettes
Wow! The free skate to West Side Story was a clinic in synchro. My husband peered over my shoulder while I watched the archive. I told him he was witnessing the UK basketball of US synchro as they've won 18 championships. He shrugged and said if they were really the UK of synchro the audience would be packed. I'll have to think of another sports dynasty that wins consistently, yet quietly. Such a shame there were so few to witness them. Come on people! They medaled at Cup of Berlin this year! How many American synchro teams medaled internationally this year?
Midwestern Sectional:
1. Miami Redhawks
Their free skate just sings. It's come together so well since I saw it at their exhibition in the fall. They skate with the mark of Sara Kawahara now, and look like they are having fun with the music.
2. Western Michigan University
Last year's winners put out a solid skate. It's just hard to beat a varisty squad when you're a club.
3. Evolution
I always root for them; their coach always recognizes the Louisville coaches at events and says, "LOUIE-ville, LOUIE-ville!" in his French accent. They also had their practices after the Masters RiverStars at Nationals last year and always cheered our run throughs. They've had a rough season this year with music issues at Porter. (Their music either skipped or stopped, even on the back up CD.) They have popular music with Slumdog Millionaire but the Bollywood-vibe was lacking in this outing and there technical errors.
Pacific Sectional:
1. Ice'Kateers
I think this team moved up from Juniors last year and they had a good debut at senior sectionals. I wonder what happened to California Gold? Another team MIA, but glad to see the Ice'Kateers represent synchro on the west side!
Good Luck to all the teams in Minneapolis!
Friday, February 5, 2010
One week out
Enjoying all the tweets over the past few days about skaters last practices on home ice and packing for Vancouver. The Opening Ceremonies are a week from today!
Evan Stays Up Late
Evan chatted with Jay Leno last night on his 10:00 show. I learned that Evan has quite the routine prior to competition which includes using the same urinal. Oh Evan, you didn't have to share that tidbit. A simple putting on your skates the same way would have been great.
Jay noted that he likes Evan's skating attire, that it reminds him of Gene Kelly. He likes that Evan looks like a regular guy who can dance and skate. What a great compliment! I hope Evan keeps that in mind with his next consultation with Vera Wang. I don't think Gene Kelly wore feathers much.
Jay noted that he likes Evan's skating attire, that it reminds him of Gene Kelly. He likes that Evan looks like a regular guy who can dance and skate. What a great compliment! I hope Evan keeps that in mind with his next consultation with Vera Wang. I don't think Gene Kelly wore feathers much.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Lost
Stayed up to watch the premeire of Lost and then got up for a 5:50 a.m. session. I'll need a Starbucks run this afternoon. Maybe it's the anticipation of a caffeine jolt, but I'm thinking about some "lost" skaters this season, that seem to be trapped on their own mysterious island from a dangerous mix of hubris and bad decisions while debating their destiny.
Brian Joubert - Brian has plodded through the season. The spins and footwork are improved which garners more points, but he doesn't look like he's having fun on the ice. As Scott Hamilton commented during the Grand Prix, "He's a meat and potatoes skater, not a lot of parsley on that plate." Brian looks like he's completely weary of the little bit of parsley about him. Brian does have his own style but I also don't think he's used it to his advantage and insteads tries to add some dried, crushed parsley instead of producing a juicy steak covered in a marinade that's got a kick. I've got an exhibition program to Coldplay from a couple of seasons back below. The choreography is similar to the in between jumps moves in his programs, but he seems free to move and enjoy skating. If only he could find this mix during competitions.
Mao Asada
Mao Asada - She can do a triple Axel-double toe combo with one arm over her head. Amazing! However, if she misses that her programs are dead and she lands way far away from the podium. Especially since the triples she goes on to attempt include a triple flip and triple loop. She can fly across the ice with grace, but she's been coming out with these heavy programs that don't use her lightness on the ice to her advantage. This year her long is to Rachmaninoff's "Bells of Moscow." I find the music and the choreography interesting, (a blogger called the music the "Bells of Death") but it's painful to watch Mao laboring through to the music if she misses the initial triple Axel jump passes. It's becomes "Bells of Mao's Dying Olympic Dreams." She's coached by Tatiana Tarasova who helped Alexei Yagudin become a legend. It seems Mao and Tarasova are attempting to recreate a Yagudin highlight reel with her programs. Mao needs to find her own style and inner muse. Jumps are easier when you're happy on the ice and skating for you.
Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto - I lamented earlier on this blog that they're great skaters but, similar to Mao, haven't shown their style this year or created a memorable program for the ages. They also seem to be attempting to channel some former Soviet or Russian champions instead of being Belbin & Agosto, the most decorated American ice dancing team ever. I did get past the gaudy gear they wore at Nationals and saw a beautiful free dance hidden amongst the nude lycra. However, I don't want to go back to it to review sections and nothing stands out but how horrible their costumes looked.
Tanith & Ben: Great Position, Bad Outfits
Jonathan Ferrey, Getty Images
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