Halfway through the Grand Prix Series

What do 30-something, throughly modern, figure skaters do when they are not skating? Watch international figure skating competitions through a live feed at coffeeshops before going to work.
I just wrapped up viewing the compulsory dance event at the Trophee Bombard in Paris, France whilst enjoying a grande mocha with mint and whip at Java Brewing Company.

Trophee Bombard is kinda the halfway point through the Grand Prix Series - six international competitions for top competitors that takes place over the fall. Skaters earn points for their placements and the top 6 point earners in each discipline then face off in a final and can earn a lot of money. This series and substantial purse winnings sprouting from the post-whack days of figure skating when there were sponsors pouring money into figure skating federations and events. I think the winning amounts have dropped over the past few years and it's no longer on TV. It used to be on ESPN Monday nights while ABC had "Monday Night Football." ABC/ESPN/Disney used to have a fantastic opportunity for ratings IMO by broadcasting sporting events on two channels - one catering to men and the other to women. Now, I can get complete coverage of the event and see skaters I never would have for a meager $30.00 on icenetwork.com.

Much to the chagrin of my man, I've been watching the live feed when I have time on the weekends and then scrolling through the archives. My thoughts so far on the skaters from Skate America, Skate Canada & Cup of China:

Ladies:
It's all about Asian skaters - the battle for the world championship will be between Yuna Kim of Korea and a Japaneses skater. Miki Ando is skating well and seems to be in better shape this season. She's probably keeping in shape from looking over her shoulder at Yukari Nakano. The Chinese skaters are also seeming to come on the scene. While not medal contenders this season, they are making a statement.

Canada's Joannie Rochette rocked Skate Canada in her win there. Her long program is the first program I've seen from her that I would want to watch again.

The Americans have some catching up, I'm hoping Kimmie Meissner gets her confidence back, and I'm looking forward to the future of Mirai Nagasu after she adjusts for her growth spurt. Caroline Zhang has grown but her jumping technique wasn't solid to begin with so I think she'll have problems. Alissa Czisny is looking great this season, she'll be a big threat at Nationals if she puts two programs together.

Men:
Patrick Chan of Canada is delightful, he looks like he was born on skates he has such flow and spirit on the ice. Such a skater's skater with clean edges, solid spins and great positions - If I could ever skate the way he skates on a bad day. I don't think he quite deserved to win Skate Canada if you had judged him simply looking at a sheet outlining the elements in a program in comparison to his competitors. He didn't complete a triple axel in the long - he never fell on anything either - just completely skipped over a jump and put a hand down. Still, his skating is so enjoyable and inspiring you forget he had a single error at the end. Oh yes, he's only 17!

I must say the US Nationals could be interesting just based on what has transpired in these past competitions. Ryan Bradley soared at Skate Canada - a quad in the short and a quad in the long. His spins have improved and he sells his programs, he's such a performer. He could have won Skate Canada. Jeremy Abbott dominated Cup of China with two excellent skates in the short and long. Johnny Weir was Johnny Weir at Skate America, he's trying quads but he's not doing anything new in his programs - no skating as birds this year or inspiring Blades of Glory characters. I'm really not liking Evan Lysacek's skating this year after his two competitons. He went to the grand dame of Russian skating Tatiana Tarasova for choreography in the off-season and if doesn't become him. Over the past few seasons I think he made a point to be the non-Weir both on and off the ice. Now I think Johnny attempting quads, tying him at Nationals and getting to the World's podium got in his head and he's swinging the pendulum towards "I'm still macho and I'm not going to portray a bird, but I'm going to do what Johnny does." He'd do better if he kept crafting his own style. Anyways, it amounts to four men vying for the top spot at Nationals as opposed to two this year.

Dance:
Americans Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto switched coaches in the off-season. They went back to basics and it shows in their confidence in the compulsories. They did well at Skate America and Cup of China. I'm not too thrilled with their choice of music in their free dance: "Tosca". Music from that opera has been used by a top competitor every season for at least the past years. If you're trying to reinvent yourself and improve by going back to the drawing board and starting afresh - why use a theme that has been done every season? Oh well. They look great and have a great lift in the free. Interestingly, they switched coaches and moved across the country this spring after failing to medal at Worlds when it was their's to win last year. A month after that move, the top Russian couple also decided to relocate and make a coaching change. This would be like two teams in the regional championships in the NCAA tourney who just barely missed the Final Four hiring Roy Williams of North Carolina to coach them. Roy Williams would still coach North Carolina plus the new teams. Interesting, huh? So, the Russians debuted at Cup of China and beat Belbin & Agosto - barely. They won by a hundreth of point. I detested their free skate, I'm not into skaters dressed a nearly naked Roman slaves and flinging their arms to a "Spartacus" ballet. They should have been dinged a hundreth of a point for those costumes.

I did like all of the performances of Meryl Davis and Charlie White at Skate Canada. I would watch those again. They may give Belbin and Agosto some problems at Nationals.

I've also enjoyed the French team of Delobel & Schoenfelder - at least their compulsory and original dance at Skate America. I wasn't too impressed with their long to Pink Floyd - it never seemed to pick up energy like a winning free skate should, it was more of a relaxing exhibition piece.

The brother and sister team of John and Sinead Kerr of Great Britain ROCK! Love their skating and the live feed of Skate America is the first time I've really got to see all aspects of them. I'm lookinf forward to seeing them again and I'll be pulling for them at Europeans.

Pairs:
I haven't watched any so I have no comments! Watching Katya Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov skate together on TV at the Calgary Olympics when I was nine made me beg my parents to give me skating lessons and check out skating books from the library. I should watch pairs more, but the past years of pair skating have just not enthused me. I would like to see the German pair and I hear the American couple McLaughin & Brubaker are a sight to see. Maybe by the end of the Grand Prix I will have sat down to watch some.