Some things simply cannot be rushed… and then there are two key portions of the ISU figure skating season, which apparently cannot be slowed down, spread out, or anything in between.
Portion 1 is that breathless eight-week span between October and December known as the Grand Prix Series. It’s become a given through the years.
Portion 2 is trickier, as it has to volley around every 4 years to make room for the Olympics... and the other three years the various events in different corners of the world seem to trip over each other anyway. Last week, for example, saw the U.S. Nationals running simultaneously with the European Championships. NEXT week will already bring us the Four Continents Championship, with skating getting underway Wednesday.
Then a three week gap… before Junior Worlds cranks into gear.
Then a FOUR week gap before (Senior) Worlds.
So you see, there’s barely any time for me to dilly-dally between events! In fact there’s no time yet to even discuss Euros in any depth… I was hoping to in the coming week, but that’s before I realized 4CC’s were knocking at the door. So Euros talk will come later…probably in a couple of weeks. When we hit a lull before Junior Worlds.
Why not talk about it now? Because I’ve still got a steno pad page full of little notes I took throughout last week’s U.S. Nationals and haven’t shared with the class, that’s why.
So in no particular order, here are some final observations and my own sort of “awards”:
+ Most Embarrassed Spectator at “the Q”: should definitely be the lady (I think it was a lady; don’t mean to stereotype) who somehow managed to drop a ball of yarn over the barrier and onto the ice at the very start of William Brewster’s SP. If Seinfeld had ever done an episode involving Kramer attending U.S. Nationals, this is precisely the sort of thing that would have happened to him. Only difference would be that he’d likely toss himself out onto the ice too, like a kitten.
+ Most Embarrassing Mispronunciation by an Ice Network Announcer: Mark Mancuso, who needs to read this article the next time he even thinks about saying a certain French composer’s name Day-BUH-see. Honte à vous!
+ First Quad Toe Landed Successfully at the Event: by my accounts, that honor goes to Shaun Rogers, who landed a beauty in the SP but ended up down in 12th by the time all was said and done. And once again we are reminded that, contrary to lingering belief, simply having a quad does not guarantee a skater much of anything.
+ Best Article Related to TV coverage of the Event: This one in the Seattle Times, likening NBC’s work to an episode of Lost for all it’s time-traveling efforts during the men’s event. Me, I’d followed on Ice Network and wasn’t thrown by it at all… and being in TV production myself, I know NBC had certain choices to make once they had to deal with one of their marquee skaters (Weir) being in the penultimate flight. Still, I can really see how it could have been confusing for someone just tuning in by chance. You know, the viewers that skating badly needs to keep…
By the way, this one from the New York Daily News is worth reading as well, but if you’re a huge fan of Scott Hamilton as a commentator, you should probably skip it.
+ Best Article About the Event in General: Any, and I do mean any, of Phillip Hersh’s posts at his Globetrotting blog will do. I don’t always agree with what he has to say, but happen to be in full agreement with him regarding the Weir and Czisny “controversies”. My favorite little quote of his was in regard to bronze medalist Caroline Zhang, who “skates so slowly she risks being arrested for loitering.” Yikes! But my, do I love an accurate zing…
+ And finally, Best Quote From a Post-Event Press Conference: of course it comes from Weir, who tried to defend comparisons made between a Sick Johnny Weir and a Sick Michael Jordan by saying "It may sound like an excuse but you also have to imagine that Michael Jordan also has an entire team of people around him…I'm a single, sparkly boy standing in the middle of the ice by myself. I see no comparison between Michael Jordan and myself in that respect.''
With those words, friends, my younger brother and all the others that annually proclaim figure skating to be anything BUT sport took one soul-crushing step forward. Merci beaucoup, Sparkly Boy.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
U.S. Pairs & Dance: Here's to "The Rest"
Poor Pairs and Dance disciplines. In the U.S., anyway, TV coverage treats them like second-class citizens even when one such discipline (Dance) has generated an Olympic medalist in recent memory. Not that I expected them to show up in the Saturday night broadcast when the ladies are the ones Nielsen ratings have been made of for decades in this country, mind you...
But they’re like “The rest” on the Gilligan’s Island theme song. Know what I’m talking about? In the early seasons of that 60s sitcom—if you don’t know what I’m talking about, here, we’ll make it the Clip of the Day ; and you’re welcome—the song included Gilligan, the Skipper too… (consider those two the ladies this year, at least in terms of NBC programming)
The millionaire and his wife… (that would be the men with the late afternoon Sunday slot)
The movie star (eh, I guess the closest we’ve got is Sasha Cohen; she’s not here this year, who knows about next year yet, let’s move on…)
AND THE REST…
Yes, in later seasons “the rest” got props as who they really were—The Professor and Mary-Ann—but it took a while. In U.S. skating terms, you’d think world and Olympic medals might make the difference and bridge the time gap, except… whoops… that couple didn’t skate this year due to injury.
Coincidence?? Yeah, it probably is. I’m not sure NBC would have put a spotlight on the dance event even if Tanith and Ben had 2 world golds to their name, skated to all hip-hop, and wore costumes comprised of thongs and band-aids. It’s just not as interesting as, you know, THE RIVALRY.
Not that I’m complaining; the men’s event was a humdinger as I outlined in the last post. It just makes me wonder what might happen if ALL the variations on Team USA were considered marquee material.
But I digress. Perhaps I’m hypocritical in my own coverage here, as they’re getting mashed into one piece when I devoted individual pieces to the singles skaters… but NBC packaged them almost as if they were highlights material, so that’s what I’m working with—for now. When time allows I’m going to loiter at IceNetwork a good long time and see what shimmers among the lesser-knowns.
For now, though, here are my Top Five Notes from the Pairs & Dance Events:
+ Just because they didn’t skate on the Senior GP Circuit doesn’t mean they’re unworthy. The most obvious example is Caydee Denney/Jeremy Barrett, who nearly upset McLaughlin/Brubaker for the pairs’ title, but rookie seniors Madison & Keiffer Hubbell showed real potential for making the dance podium too—particularly when veterans Navarro/Bommentre fared so poorly on the OD.
+ Just because they DID skate on the circuit doesn’t mean they can’t get tripped up on the same element two competitions in a row. You might think I’m talking about John Baldwin’s SBS triple toe loop—and I certainly could be—but what’s really on my mind is that one spin in Samuelson/Bates’ free dance that currently serves the dubious honor of grinding an otherwise fine performance to a halt. I feel for them, because it’s not like a jump that is over in about 3 seconds—rather, it’s about 20- 30 seconds of Oh-God-can-we-please-get-through-this-without faltering. Can’t be fun. Methinks the monkey that was reportedly on Alissa Czisny’s back until Saturday night has now found it’s way to these two.
+ Just because a brother and sister team is ice dancing doesn’t mean it has to be the oh-so-marvelous Kerrs. Again I point to the Hubbells, a really enjoyable pair that I hope can nab a couple of GP assignments next season. (Special shout-out to the Kerrs, by the way, for grabbing bronze at Euros last week! I’ll be revisiting that event in upcoming posts.)
+ Just because a team doesn’t do their best doesn’t mean they shouldn’t win. As with Czisny, there seems to be some debate as to whether or not Mc/Bru should have won over Denney/Barrett. I thought this one was even clearer cut than the Czisny/Flatt debate… but maybe not. My thought is that Mc/Bru is now strong enough to take on other, clearly less experienced young guns and win, short of their total implosion. And there was no implosion that I could see. I look forward to seeing how both pairs do in their inaugural senior Worlds.
+ Just because you and your partner are literally twice as old as the majority of your competitors doesn’t mean you should hang it up. Oh, wait, yeah it does. (Sorry Inoue/Baldwin… if you’d missed the 2006 Olympic team I might get it, but you’ve had your turn. And earned a place in history to boot! Please, please move on, before you deny a perfectly deserving team a spot because they happened to slip when you happened to stand up.
But they’re like “The rest” on the Gilligan’s Island theme song. Know what I’m talking about? In the early seasons of that 60s sitcom—if you don’t know what I’m talking about, here, we’ll make it the Clip of the Day ; and you’re welcome—the song included Gilligan, the Skipper too… (consider those two the ladies this year, at least in terms of NBC programming)
The millionaire and his wife… (that would be the men with the late afternoon Sunday slot)
The movie star (eh, I guess the closest we’ve got is Sasha Cohen; she’s not here this year, who knows about next year yet, let’s move on…)
AND THE REST…
Yes, in later seasons “the rest” got props as who they really were—The Professor and Mary-Ann—but it took a while. In U.S. skating terms, you’d think world and Olympic medals might make the difference and bridge the time gap, except… whoops… that couple didn’t skate this year due to injury.
Coincidence?? Yeah, it probably is. I’m not sure NBC would have put a spotlight on the dance event even if Tanith and Ben had 2 world golds to their name, skated to all hip-hop, and wore costumes comprised of thongs and band-aids. It’s just not as interesting as, you know, THE RIVALRY.
Not that I’m complaining; the men’s event was a humdinger as I outlined in the last post. It just makes me wonder what might happen if ALL the variations on Team USA were considered marquee material.
But I digress. Perhaps I’m hypocritical in my own coverage here, as they’re getting mashed into one piece when I devoted individual pieces to the singles skaters… but NBC packaged them almost as if they were highlights material, so that’s what I’m working with—for now. When time allows I’m going to loiter at IceNetwork a good long time and see what shimmers among the lesser-knowns.
For now, though, here are my Top Five Notes from the Pairs & Dance Events:
+ Just because they didn’t skate on the Senior GP Circuit doesn’t mean they’re unworthy. The most obvious example is Caydee Denney/Jeremy Barrett, who nearly upset McLaughlin/Brubaker for the pairs’ title, but rookie seniors Madison & Keiffer Hubbell showed real potential for making the dance podium too—particularly when veterans Navarro/Bommentre fared so poorly on the OD.
+ Just because they DID skate on the circuit doesn’t mean they can’t get tripped up on the same element two competitions in a row. You might think I’m talking about John Baldwin’s SBS triple toe loop—and I certainly could be—but what’s really on my mind is that one spin in Samuelson/Bates’ free dance that currently serves the dubious honor of grinding an otherwise fine performance to a halt. I feel for them, because it’s not like a jump that is over in about 3 seconds—rather, it’s about 20- 30 seconds of Oh-God-can-we-please-get-through-this-without faltering. Can’t be fun. Methinks the monkey that was reportedly on Alissa Czisny’s back until Saturday night has now found it’s way to these two.
+ Just because a brother and sister team is ice dancing doesn’t mean it has to be the oh-so-marvelous Kerrs. Again I point to the Hubbells, a really enjoyable pair that I hope can nab a couple of GP assignments next season. (Special shout-out to the Kerrs, by the way, for grabbing bronze at Euros last week! I’ll be revisiting that event in upcoming posts.)
+ Just because a team doesn’t do their best doesn’t mean they shouldn’t win. As with Czisny, there seems to be some debate as to whether or not Mc/Bru should have won over Denney/Barrett. I thought this one was even clearer cut than the Czisny/Flatt debate… but maybe not. My thought is that Mc/Bru is now strong enough to take on other, clearly less experienced young guns and win, short of their total implosion. And there was no implosion that I could see. I look forward to seeing how both pairs do in their inaugural senior Worlds.
+ Just because you and your partner are literally twice as old as the majority of your competitors doesn’t mean you should hang it up. Oh, wait, yeah it does. (Sorry Inoue/Baldwin… if you’d missed the 2006 Olympic team I might get it, but you’ve had your turn. And earned a place in history to boot! Please, please move on, before you deny a perfectly deserving team a spot because they happened to slip when you happened to stand up.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
JeremEEEE Indeed! Off-the-Cuff Nats Notes For the Men
Same thing, different event: here’s my blow-by-blow of the televised version of the Men’s Final from Sunday afternoon…
+ Started with, surprise surprise, talk of “the rivalry” between Weir and Lysacek… though the “last time they were here” video flashback thing from 2000 was cute—was that really THAT long ago?
+ And it’s all because Johnny’s skating first on the broadcast. I’m as sorry as anyone else he’s down in 7th (and I’m not just saying that ‘cause I picked him to win), but I find it pretty ironic that the guy who just got quoted all over the wires about this now being a “math” competition ended up blowing it with a simple popped axel. Happened in the old system, happens here.
+ And… watching Weir’s Free Skate… it happens yet AGAIN. Goodness, what a rough year. What a rough skate.
+ Next we see short programs in review. I appreciate their need to do this, but I would’ve preferred to see the rest of the penultimate flight, particularly Adam Rippon (who would end up in 7th when it was all over) and Tommy Steenberg (who moved up to 10th).
+ Interesting discussion here about Weir being named to the team… I really didn’t think he had a chance after that skate, but he’s lobbying, and Scott and Sandra are right behind him. I guess they have a point, but…hmmm.
+ Curran Oi, who was featured here on the blog back on October 3rd, is up first. Triple Axel is a wash, but he made a nice debut. Still, he managed to finish behind Weir.
+ Brandon Mroz is up next. Really nice work, probably more impressive than he was on the GP circuit this season… and wow, a lovely quad to boot! Nifty.
+ The Broadmoor shuffle continues with Ryan Bradley. Will his mambo extravaganza live to see another day—either at Worlds, 4CC’s, or both? I’ll say this much—I can’t believe he landed that quad without a hand touchdown. The rest was kind of expected, though I don’t think I’ve seen him pop a salchow before. Mroz is still in the lead by quite a bit.
+ Lysacek’s turn. When I first saw the tux I thought Hey, same costume, what gives? Then I saw: blue velvet, no bat wings now. I guess it’s better. I still don’t see the need for a bow tie, but what do I know. Falls HARD on that quad—yikes! Pitches forward on the salchow… flip out on 2nd triple axel…the footwork doesn’t flow like it did earlier in the season; it even looked like he was just throwing turns in at the end to fill the music (even though I know that isn’t the case).
Whoa… he’s behind Mroz. Will Evan ever wear the monkey suit again—for any reason—after this season? Note to Tanith Belbin: if you two ever tie the knot, get ready for a casual affair on the shores of Hawaii…
+ Pennington… will he be able to put two back-to-back? Early on, after a huge splat on the first axel, I’m thinking NO. Too bad; this would’ve been a cool story. Wonder how far he’ll slide down the ladder… I’m guessing he’ll go behind Weir (who is 4th at the moment)…he does, and worse, he’s all the way in 7th. Sigh.
+ OK, will he do it? Here comes JeremEEE… ooh, so much concentration here. He looks intense as hell. Awesome lutz. Not so awesome flip, but he saved it. LOVELY triple axel. Salchow happened so effortlessly I almost missed it. Another close save on that 2nd axel combo. Good thing he didn’t need that to be a triple-triple. Popped loop, thought he might try to put that in again later; no, instead he tossed that triple toe on the end of the double axel. So—as with Czisny last night, a somewhat flawed performance but still, arguably the most complete program of the day.
Mroz or Abbott..? Bigger question: will Abbott swear in the K & C?? (He seems to be replacing his curses with “I LOVE KUNG FOOOO”…)
And the answers are Abbott and no, not that I could hear! So NBC will continue to love him as well… as long as they can wipe his autograph off that camera lens…
P.S. I read on Ice Network later tonight that, in fact, Weir has not been named to the Worlds team but has received First Alternate privileges over Bradley. Somewhat surprising, maybe, but I have to say I think it’s fair. Abbott’s clearly on a roll, Lysacek is solid if not one to medal this year in L.A., and even young Mr. Mroz got a little Senior GP action under his belt this year. Weir is the reigning World bronze medalist, but by his own admission, he’s been sick a lot and is under-trained at the moment. Maybe USFS is trying to do him a favor by keeping him home, getting well, rather than continued sickness and stress leading to possible injury that could put the kibosh on a repeat visit to the Olympics next year. Or, maybe not. I think it’s a decent compromise in any case. What do YOU think?
+ Started with, surprise surprise, talk of “the rivalry” between Weir and Lysacek… though the “last time they were here” video flashback thing from 2000 was cute—was that really THAT long ago?
+ And it’s all because Johnny’s skating first on the broadcast. I’m as sorry as anyone else he’s down in 7th (and I’m not just saying that ‘cause I picked him to win), but I find it pretty ironic that the guy who just got quoted all over the wires about this now being a “math” competition ended up blowing it with a simple popped axel. Happened in the old system, happens here.
+ And… watching Weir’s Free Skate… it happens yet AGAIN. Goodness, what a rough year. What a rough skate.
+ Next we see short programs in review. I appreciate their need to do this, but I would’ve preferred to see the rest of the penultimate flight, particularly Adam Rippon (who would end up in 7th when it was all over) and Tommy Steenberg (who moved up to 10th).
+ Interesting discussion here about Weir being named to the team… I really didn’t think he had a chance after that skate, but he’s lobbying, and Scott and Sandra are right behind him. I guess they have a point, but…hmmm.
+ Curran Oi, who was featured here on the blog back on October 3rd, is up first. Triple Axel is a wash, but he made a nice debut. Still, he managed to finish behind Weir.
+ Brandon Mroz is up next. Really nice work, probably more impressive than he was on the GP circuit this season… and wow, a lovely quad to boot! Nifty.
+ The Broadmoor shuffle continues with Ryan Bradley. Will his mambo extravaganza live to see another day—either at Worlds, 4CC’s, or both? I’ll say this much—I can’t believe he landed that quad without a hand touchdown. The rest was kind of expected, though I don’t think I’ve seen him pop a salchow before. Mroz is still in the lead by quite a bit.
+ Lysacek’s turn. When I first saw the tux I thought Hey, same costume, what gives? Then I saw: blue velvet, no bat wings now. I guess it’s better. I still don’t see the need for a bow tie, but what do I know. Falls HARD on that quad—yikes! Pitches forward on the salchow… flip out on 2nd triple axel…the footwork doesn’t flow like it did earlier in the season; it even looked like he was just throwing turns in at the end to fill the music (even though I know that isn’t the case).
Whoa… he’s behind Mroz. Will Evan ever wear the monkey suit again—for any reason—after this season? Note to Tanith Belbin: if you two ever tie the knot, get ready for a casual affair on the shores of Hawaii…
+ Pennington… will he be able to put two back-to-back? Early on, after a huge splat on the first axel, I’m thinking NO. Too bad; this would’ve been a cool story. Wonder how far he’ll slide down the ladder… I’m guessing he’ll go behind Weir (who is 4th at the moment)…he does, and worse, he’s all the way in 7th. Sigh.
+ OK, will he do it? Here comes JeremEEE… ooh, so much concentration here. He looks intense as hell. Awesome lutz. Not so awesome flip, but he saved it. LOVELY triple axel. Salchow happened so effortlessly I almost missed it. Another close save on that 2nd axel combo. Good thing he didn’t need that to be a triple-triple. Popped loop, thought he might try to put that in again later; no, instead he tossed that triple toe on the end of the double axel. So—as with Czisny last night, a somewhat flawed performance but still, arguably the most complete program of the day.
Mroz or Abbott..? Bigger question: will Abbott swear in the K & C?? (He seems to be replacing his curses with “I LOVE KUNG FOOOO”…)
And the answers are Abbott and no, not that I could hear! So NBC will continue to love him as well… as long as they can wipe his autograph off that camera lens…
P.S. I read on Ice Network later tonight that, in fact, Weir has not been named to the Worlds team but has received First Alternate privileges over Bradley. Somewhat surprising, maybe, but I have to say I think it’s fair. Abbott’s clearly on a roll, Lysacek is solid if not one to medal this year in L.A., and even young Mr. Mroz got a little Senior GP action under his belt this year. Weir is the reigning World bronze medalist, but by his own admission, he’s been sick a lot and is under-trained at the moment. Maybe USFS is trying to do him a favor by keeping him home, getting well, rather than continued sickness and stress leading to possible injury that could put the kibosh on a repeat visit to the Olympics next year. Or, maybe not. I think it’s a decent compromise in any case. What do YOU think?
Saturday, January 24, 2009
U.S. Nationals Notes off-the-cuff
Here is a composite of the notes I took while as I watched the Ladies’ Event tonight (general notes about all the senior disciplines will come next week):
+ Whoa! Elaine Zayak in the house! I’d read that she was coaching someone this year, but still didn’t expect to see her out there by the boards.
+ Bebe Liang skates first… rats, I was hoping she’d give a knockout performance since the pressure would seem to be off her. Bezic makes a comment about kids not being able to focus when they’re fretting about losing points… first ding on scoring system of the night.
+ Alexe Gilles, the tall one… as they mentioned in the first several seconds, and I mentioned several months back in an October 10 post. “She doesn’t skate like a tall person”, says Scott. Her all-Latin number is praised by Bezic as “a brave move”… do they say the same about Bradley for the men? Just curious.
Also can’t help but notice Alexe is sporting some serious gold eyeshadow. The kind that makes one say “it must hurt to wear that”!
+ Dorothy Hamill in the house too!
+ Here is Wagner…ah, cool, she did well except for that lutz.
+ Wait, I was elsewhere for a minute; what happened? Who is this? OK, Laney Diggs…
+ I was wondering who had done so well in the group before this that they were ahead of Gilles… and it turned out to be Angela Maxwell, who was also featured here a few months back (on 9/30). Good for her; too bad she wasn’t televised.
+ Wagner is in front for the moment by 12 points. She should move up well with that.
+ Ms. Diggs did well; level of difficulty not really there, but did well.
+ Musademba now…Bezic says: “with the new rules, you don’t really have a chance to take a rest…” and the dings are up to 2.
+ Is the buzzword this year “learning experience”? Seems like it.
+ Forte seems to be the story they’re glomming onto this year, so let’s see how she does: whoa, good call guys! It was clean. Nice work, Ms. Zayak.
+ “She had some downgrades & some issues w/the scoring” (Scott on Forte)… huh? She’s way down in 6th. Big bummer. Raise your hand if you want to know the “issues with the scoring”…
+ Also, raise your hand if you cringed when you saw that Alissa is skating last.
+ Hacker’s up. Oh, weird… so she’s headed to Princeton but will no longer compete? In an Olympic season? Wow, that’s tough. Maybe that’s because she has “no lutz , no flip”…
+ Wow, pretty amazing skate from Nagasu. I wouldn’t have guessed she could pull that off.
+ Rizo’s up. Wow, another one without a lutz or a flip? This seems unusual. Without them she won’t be able to beat Wagner either. Could Wagner actually make the podium after all?
+ Flatt’s turn! So solid, such a great skate, and yet I suspect the crowd is a little tepid with their applause. Holding back for Alissa?
+ Zhang. Is that a new costume? Is that last year’s program? I can’t remember if she’s been using this all season.
I see a tough decision coming between Zhang & Flatt… looks like the crowd has chosen Zhang… though the judges did not.
+ “Somewhat democratic, but very unforgiving and very punishing,” says Scott on scoring… Ding #3.
+ OK, Alissa, here we go. Let’s see how many times I can say good girl… 1,2,3,4…5… damn!...double-double… crap… come on…well…
+ A good quote from Scott just after her skate:: “She’s thinking about the wrong stuff.”
Indeed, but wow, she still won!
SHOULD she have? I’m hearing that question already, mostly from those who thought Flatt had it in the bag and, rightly so, noted that Czisny only landed three triples to Flatt’s seven. But, lest we forget, Czisny had a 5 point lead going into tonight… yes, Flatt beat her in the LP tonight, but in looking at the scores in a little more detail, just about all the points Czisny was behind Flatt in the tech score she was above with the presentation mark… resulting in a fairly even break that resulted in Czisny leading by approximately the same margin as she did with the SP. If you can follow all that.
One thing tonight’s results showed was that a high-quality program all around can still get the job done, both with the judges and the crowds. Flatt was spot-on, but so far she hasn’t found quite the right vehicle to “wow” the judges.
OK, gotta get to bed. No Clip of the Day, but it will return soon.
+ Whoa! Elaine Zayak in the house! I’d read that she was coaching someone this year, but still didn’t expect to see her out there by the boards.
+ Bebe Liang skates first… rats, I was hoping she’d give a knockout performance since the pressure would seem to be off her. Bezic makes a comment about kids not being able to focus when they’re fretting about losing points… first ding on scoring system of the night.
+ Alexe Gilles, the tall one… as they mentioned in the first several seconds, and I mentioned several months back in an October 10 post. “She doesn’t skate like a tall person”, says Scott. Her all-Latin number is praised by Bezic as “a brave move”… do they say the same about Bradley for the men? Just curious.
Also can’t help but notice Alexe is sporting some serious gold eyeshadow. The kind that makes one say “it must hurt to wear that”!
+ Dorothy Hamill in the house too!
+ Here is Wagner…ah, cool, she did well except for that lutz.
+ Wait, I was elsewhere for a minute; what happened? Who is this? OK, Laney Diggs…
+ I was wondering who had done so well in the group before this that they were ahead of Gilles… and it turned out to be Angela Maxwell, who was also featured here a few months back (on 9/30). Good for her; too bad she wasn’t televised.
+ Wagner is in front for the moment by 12 points. She should move up well with that.
+ Ms. Diggs did well; level of difficulty not really there, but did well.
+ Musademba now…Bezic says: “with the new rules, you don’t really have a chance to take a rest…” and the dings are up to 2.
+ Is the buzzword this year “learning experience”? Seems like it.
+ Forte seems to be the story they’re glomming onto this year, so let’s see how she does: whoa, good call guys! It was clean. Nice work, Ms. Zayak.
+ “She had some downgrades & some issues w/the scoring” (Scott on Forte)… huh? She’s way down in 6th. Big bummer. Raise your hand if you want to know the “issues with the scoring”…
+ Also, raise your hand if you cringed when you saw that Alissa is skating last.
+ Hacker’s up. Oh, weird… so she’s headed to Princeton but will no longer compete? In an Olympic season? Wow, that’s tough. Maybe that’s because she has “no lutz , no flip”…
+ Wow, pretty amazing skate from Nagasu. I wouldn’t have guessed she could pull that off.
+ Rizo’s up. Wow, another one without a lutz or a flip? This seems unusual. Without them she won’t be able to beat Wagner either. Could Wagner actually make the podium after all?
+ Flatt’s turn! So solid, such a great skate, and yet I suspect the crowd is a little tepid with their applause. Holding back for Alissa?
+ Zhang. Is that a new costume? Is that last year’s program? I can’t remember if she’s been using this all season.
I see a tough decision coming between Zhang & Flatt… looks like the crowd has chosen Zhang… though the judges did not.
+ “Somewhat democratic, but very unforgiving and very punishing,” says Scott on scoring… Ding #3.
+ OK, Alissa, here we go. Let’s see how many times I can say good girl… 1,2,3,4…5… damn!...double-double… crap… come on…well…
+ A good quote from Scott just after her skate:: “She’s thinking about the wrong stuff.”
Indeed, but wow, she still won!
SHOULD she have? I’m hearing that question already, mostly from those who thought Flatt had it in the bag and, rightly so, noted that Czisny only landed three triples to Flatt’s seven. But, lest we forget, Czisny had a 5 point lead going into tonight… yes, Flatt beat her in the LP tonight, but in looking at the scores in a little more detail, just about all the points Czisny was behind Flatt in the tech score she was above with the presentation mark… resulting in a fairly even break that resulted in Czisny leading by approximately the same margin as she did with the SP. If you can follow all that.
One thing tonight’s results showed was that a high-quality program all around can still get the job done, both with the judges and the crowds. Flatt was spot-on, but so far she hasn’t found quite the right vehicle to “wow” the judges.
OK, gotta get to bed. No Clip of the Day, but it will return soon.
Friday, January 23, 2009
So Much Skating, So Little Time to Talk About It—But Here Goes…
I have a shiny new stainless steel kitchen timer that I use with my kids to time out session on the computer, on video games, on the amount of time they have to be nice to each other before mom comes out of the office…
Anyway, they’re not here and that means I can use it to time MYSELF as I attempt a quick summary of the week thus far. Hopefully you have as little time to read as I have to write, and it will all balance out perfectly. Let’s see what I can do:
+ Last night Alissa Czisny took a convincing lead in the U.S. Nationals SP, once again proving that if I predict it one way here, it will often turn up the complete opposite way there. But let’s pretend Alissa is reading this (as I would love her to make the podium or maybe… no, don’t jinx her, shut up…): Alissa, you can do this. You are one of the most graceful and elegant in the sport right now, and there is no rule that says your nerves have to take over and ruin your fun this weekend. Seize the moment! Don’t listen to silly bloggers like me! YOU…CAN…DO…THIS.
+ But Rachel Flatt (who sits in second after the SP) is very capable as well, so consider it hopes set high for two. (And that has nothing to do with the fact that I picked her to win… nothing at all…)
+ Ashley Wagner, sitting down there in 12th (yes, 12th)… throw yourself into that Spartacus routine, girl. I’m afraid you might not get a chance to show it again this year if you don’t. (Not that I think she still has a strong chance of medaling, but there are still 4 Continents assignments to consider…)
+ Earlier in the day yesterday, pairs skaters Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett made that beloved leap from “who?” to “Oh, THEM!” when they topped the leader board after the SP. I just happened to catch their routine as I was leaving the computer for a while, and they kept me fully engaged for the whole program, throw triple flip and all—not an easy thing to do if I don’t recognize a name. While it remains to be seen if they’ll be able to stay strong enough for a medal—only half a freaking point separates the top three—I think they may have already done the toughest part of their job in simply breaking through. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of my pick for bronze (Tiffany Vise & Derek Trent), who are some 10 points away from the top spots right now.
+ As for the overseas action: Joubert came through for the men’s win at Euros, but none of my other picks made the podium (Preaubert settled for 5th, while Verner tumbled all the way to 6th with what must’ve been a free skate similar to last year’s Worlds…oy.)
+ In dance, Dom/Shab have now withdrawn from the whole thing (there goes another prediction), leaving #1 Khoklova/Novitski, #2 Faeilla/Scali, and the #3 Kerrs (YAY!) to duke it out with the top French teams (who are 4th and 5th after the OD). I don’t know what’s going on at the rink where D/S and USA’s Belbin/Agosto co-train… I just know that it won’t be skating that goes on for now.
+ And the buzzer rings just as I’m about to tell what little I know about the Euro Ladies… Laura Lepisto leads after the SP, with Susanna Poykio less than a point behind her and Carolina Koster down in 3rd (!). Those do happen to be my podium picks, but there needs to be some shuffling happening in the Free Skate…
That’ll have to be it for now.
For the Clip of the Day I’ve got Yannick Ponsero’s FS from Euros… he didn’t medal (was in 9th after the SP), but came might close after this performance that pulled even better scores than Joubert’s FS. Speaking of which, Joubert better keep our eyes on Ponsero… if he ever works out the kinks to where he can turn in two great skates, back-to-back, at the right time, he might do a whole lot more than just beat him at French Nationals (as he did last month).
Anyway, they’re not here and that means I can use it to time MYSELF as I attempt a quick summary of the week thus far. Hopefully you have as little time to read as I have to write, and it will all balance out perfectly. Let’s see what I can do:
+ Last night Alissa Czisny took a convincing lead in the U.S. Nationals SP, once again proving that if I predict it one way here, it will often turn up the complete opposite way there. But let’s pretend Alissa is reading this (as I would love her to make the podium or maybe… no, don’t jinx her, shut up…): Alissa, you can do this. You are one of the most graceful and elegant in the sport right now, and there is no rule that says your nerves have to take over and ruin your fun this weekend. Seize the moment! Don’t listen to silly bloggers like me! YOU…CAN…DO…THIS.
+ But Rachel Flatt (who sits in second after the SP) is very capable as well, so consider it hopes set high for two. (And that has nothing to do with the fact that I picked her to win… nothing at all…)
+ Ashley Wagner, sitting down there in 12th (yes, 12th)… throw yourself into that Spartacus routine, girl. I’m afraid you might not get a chance to show it again this year if you don’t. (Not that I think she still has a strong chance of medaling, but there are still 4 Continents assignments to consider…)
+ Earlier in the day yesterday, pairs skaters Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett made that beloved leap from “who?” to “Oh, THEM!” when they topped the leader board after the SP. I just happened to catch their routine as I was leaving the computer for a while, and they kept me fully engaged for the whole program, throw triple flip and all—not an easy thing to do if I don’t recognize a name. While it remains to be seen if they’ll be able to stay strong enough for a medal—only half a freaking point separates the top three—I think they may have already done the toughest part of their job in simply breaking through. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of my pick for bronze (Tiffany Vise & Derek Trent), who are some 10 points away from the top spots right now.
+ As for the overseas action: Joubert came through for the men’s win at Euros, but none of my other picks made the podium (Preaubert settled for 5th, while Verner tumbled all the way to 6th with what must’ve been a free skate similar to last year’s Worlds…oy.)
+ In dance, Dom/Shab have now withdrawn from the whole thing (there goes another prediction), leaving #1 Khoklova/Novitski, #2 Faeilla/Scali, and the #3 Kerrs (YAY!) to duke it out with the top French teams (who are 4th and 5th after the OD). I don’t know what’s going on at the rink where D/S and USA’s Belbin/Agosto co-train… I just know that it won’t be skating that goes on for now.
+ And the buzzer rings just as I’m about to tell what little I know about the Euro Ladies… Laura Lepisto leads after the SP, with Susanna Poykio less than a point behind her and Carolina Koster down in 3rd (!). Those do happen to be my podium picks, but there needs to be some shuffling happening in the Free Skate…
That’ll have to be it for now.
For the Clip of the Day I’ve got Yannick Ponsero’s FS from Euros… he didn’t medal (was in 9th after the SP), but came might close after this performance that pulled even better scores than Joubert’s FS. Speaking of which, Joubert better keep our eyes on Ponsero… if he ever works out the kinks to where he can turn in two great skates, back-to-back, at the right time, he might do a whole lot more than just beat him at French Nationals (as he did last month).
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Top Ladies and Gentlemen of U.S. Nationals (Or So I'm Guessing)...
Have you been keeping tabs on the goings-on over at the European Championships? Here are the snippets I’ve read:
+ Domnina/Shabalin took one of those “shocking” falls during compulsories and were fifth going into the OD, while Khoklova/Novitski sit in first. You know, the ones I predicted for… third. Rough start!
+ Meanwhile, Savchenko/Szolkowy had a “rare” (if not “shocking”) fall on the SBS triple-toe loops in the pairs’ short program, allowing Mukhortova/Trankov to claim the lead. You know, the ones I predicted for… nothing. Ouch!
+ But then I heard today that my men’s prediction for 1st place, Brian Joubert, nailed his SP and is leading Tomas Verner by 5 points.
Whew! Maybe it won’t be a complete strikeout after all… we’ll have to see how Carolina & Co. fare first.
Anyway, I’ve got some U.S. singles predictions to make…
For LADIES:
Gold- Rachael Flatt
Silver- Ashley Wagner
Bronze- Caroline Zhang
What a tough choice for bronze! To be honest I’d really prefer to see Alissa Czisny up in 3rd (or anywhere on the podium)… when she’s “on”, she’s sublime. I’m just not convinced she’ll knock it out of the park this year. Maybe a base hit instead. (Hang on, the baseball analogies are bound to multiply.) So Zhang, who scored in the same general range at GP events this year as Czisny—and had the better time of the two at last year’s Nationals—gets the bronze prediction.
Basically, I moved last year’s champ Mirai Nagasu—who had a sub-par GP season and currently has ankle trouble—off the podium and moved last year’s silver/bronze/pewter up a space. Possibly not the best way to predict an outcome, but as it turns out it’s how I see Flatt and Wagner in their best-case scenarios… Wagner comes across as the more exciting and powerful performer this season of the two, but she also seems the one more likely to blow a jump.
Oh, and there are plenty of potential “spoilers” in the wings too—Katrina Hacker, Bebe Liang, Becky Bereswill, Alexe Gilles and Angela Maxwell all come to mind. Should be fun! Bring your popcorn.
And then be sure to save some popcorn for the MEN:
Gold- Johnny Weir
Silver- Jeremy Abbott
Bronze- Evan Lysacek
Here’s my theory, useless as it might be: Weir can be one tough cookie of a competitor. Not only is he gunning to get back the National title he lost to Lysacek in ’06, but he just lost the GP Final to JeremEEE. He knows what he’s up against from both of these guys, and I’m thinking he’ll deliver as perhaps he hasn’t fully done for a while (not even when he won World bronze). Just a feeling I have. And if it’s close between he and Abbott, I think the judges will lean towards Weir a little more on the performance components (please, no more TIES!!!).
As for Lysacek—first, a moment of silence because I heard his Gershwin costume from earlier in the season has been laid to rest (whew).
That atrocity notwithstanding, Lysacek seemed to get noticed for all the wrong reasons at Skate America and Skate Canada (namely, under-rotated jumps and questionable technique). While I’ve no doubt he’s been working on this like a crazy man since we last saw him compete, I can’t help but think the judges are going to have their sharpest eagle eyes on his feet, and are not going to give him the benefit of the doubt if said doubt rears its ugly head. (Or is it ugly feet?)
So… yes, I think a slip down to third place is very possible.
Spoilers for the men abound as well… Stephen Carriere is a very strong podium candidate, as is Adam Rippon (the latter of which just started training under Brian Orser). Brandon Mroz could have a shot; so could fresh faces like Curran Oi or maybe even Eliot Halverson. And certain veterans can’t be counted out either: what if Parker Pennington or Scott Smith pulled a surprise breakout performance? And if Skate Canada is any indication, Ryan Bradley remains as capable of stopping the show as ever.
Cleveland rocks—especially when it’s being rattled by triple axels and death drops! Let the marquee events begin!
As I started looking for Clip of the Day options, I learned that the Germans had come back in the free skate today to claim victory at Europeans. But since Mukhortova/Trankov finished with bronze—something I was rooting against, frankly—and since they won it on the strength of their SP, I’m giving it Clip of the Day honors. By the way, Kawaguchi/Smirnov took silver.
+ Domnina/Shabalin took one of those “shocking” falls during compulsories and were fifth going into the OD, while Khoklova/Novitski sit in first. You know, the ones I predicted for… third. Rough start!
+ Meanwhile, Savchenko/Szolkowy had a “rare” (if not “shocking”) fall on the SBS triple-toe loops in the pairs’ short program, allowing Mukhortova/Trankov to claim the lead. You know, the ones I predicted for… nothing. Ouch!
+ But then I heard today that my men’s prediction for 1st place, Brian Joubert, nailed his SP and is leading Tomas Verner by 5 points.
Whew! Maybe it won’t be a complete strikeout after all… we’ll have to see how Carolina & Co. fare first.
Anyway, I’ve got some U.S. singles predictions to make…
For LADIES:
Gold- Rachael Flatt
Silver- Ashley Wagner
Bronze- Caroline Zhang
What a tough choice for bronze! To be honest I’d really prefer to see Alissa Czisny up in 3rd (or anywhere on the podium)… when she’s “on”, she’s sublime. I’m just not convinced she’ll knock it out of the park this year. Maybe a base hit instead. (Hang on, the baseball analogies are bound to multiply.) So Zhang, who scored in the same general range at GP events this year as Czisny—and had the better time of the two at last year’s Nationals—gets the bronze prediction.
Basically, I moved last year’s champ Mirai Nagasu—who had a sub-par GP season and currently has ankle trouble—off the podium and moved last year’s silver/bronze/pewter up a space. Possibly not the best way to predict an outcome, but as it turns out it’s how I see Flatt and Wagner in their best-case scenarios… Wagner comes across as the more exciting and powerful performer this season of the two, but she also seems the one more likely to blow a jump.
Oh, and there are plenty of potential “spoilers” in the wings too—Katrina Hacker, Bebe Liang, Becky Bereswill, Alexe Gilles and Angela Maxwell all come to mind. Should be fun! Bring your popcorn.
And then be sure to save some popcorn for the MEN:
Gold- Johnny Weir
Silver- Jeremy Abbott
Bronze- Evan Lysacek
Here’s my theory, useless as it might be: Weir can be one tough cookie of a competitor. Not only is he gunning to get back the National title he lost to Lysacek in ’06, but he just lost the GP Final to JeremEEE. He knows what he’s up against from both of these guys, and I’m thinking he’ll deliver as perhaps he hasn’t fully done for a while (not even when he won World bronze). Just a feeling I have. And if it’s close between he and Abbott, I think the judges will lean towards Weir a little more on the performance components (please, no more TIES!!!).
As for Lysacek—first, a moment of silence because I heard his Gershwin costume from earlier in the season has been laid to rest (whew).
That atrocity notwithstanding, Lysacek seemed to get noticed for all the wrong reasons at Skate America and Skate Canada (namely, under-rotated jumps and questionable technique). While I’ve no doubt he’s been working on this like a crazy man since we last saw him compete, I can’t help but think the judges are going to have their sharpest eagle eyes on his feet, and are not going to give him the benefit of the doubt if said doubt rears its ugly head. (Or is it ugly feet?)
So… yes, I think a slip down to third place is very possible.
Spoilers for the men abound as well… Stephen Carriere is a very strong podium candidate, as is Adam Rippon (the latter of which just started training under Brian Orser). Brandon Mroz could have a shot; so could fresh faces like Curran Oi or maybe even Eliot Halverson. And certain veterans can’t be counted out either: what if Parker Pennington or Scott Smith pulled a surprise breakout performance? And if Skate Canada is any indication, Ryan Bradley remains as capable of stopping the show as ever.
Cleveland rocks—especially when it’s being rattled by triple axels and death drops! Let the marquee events begin!
As I started looking for Clip of the Day options, I learned that the Germans had come back in the free skate today to claim victory at Europeans. But since Mukhortova/Trankov finished with bronze—something I was rooting against, frankly—and since they won it on the strength of their SP, I’m giving it Clip of the Day honors. By the way, Kawaguchi/Smirnov took silver.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Back In The U.S.A.: Nationals Predictions for Senior Dance & Pairs
From the they’re-dropping-like-flies file: Emily Hughes has withdrawn from U.S. Nationals too… another injury. And so, the 2007 Silver medalist joins 2007 Gold medalist Kimmie Meissner on the bench… let’s hope 2007 Bronze medalist Alissa Czisny doesn’t make it a trifecta.
Since U.S. Nationals got off the ground with Novice/Junior action today, I’m going to get a move-on with the first part of my Nats predictions.
For DANCE:
Gold- Davis/White
Silver- Samuelson/Bates
Bronze- Summersett/Gilles
Wow—wouldn’t it be astounding if, after the past couple weeks of buildup, Davis & White somehow fumbled their clear shot at gold? But I don’t anticipate such a surprise—we have two truly remarkable senior dance teams (in D/W and the injured Belbin/Agosto), but we don’t have three. At least, not yet.
Samuelson & Bates had a pair of decent showings in the GP this season, which is why I see them in second. Putting Summersett & Gilles over Navarro & Bommentre might be seen as unusual, but the two had compatible scores at their most recent events—I’m putting S/G ahead primarily because the N/B free dance seems a little dated this year. Like they’re “dancing” in 1999 instead of 2009.
For PAIRS:
Gold- McLaughlin/Brubaker
Silver- Inoue/Baldwin
Bronze- Vise/Trent
I was very big on McBru early in the season, so I can only hope they’re ready and rarin’ to go for gold this week. Inoue & Baldwin showed they can still turn in a respectable performance just last month, when they made the podium at NHK, but between ever-inconsistent side-by-side triple toes, an even less consistent throw triple axel, and no chance of matching McBru’s speed and power, I think it would take a complete meltdown from the younger team to put I/B back on top. As for bronze—it’s not that I’m forgetting former champs Castile & Okolski, it’s just that I haven’t seen them in so long and don’t know what to expect. They could easily be on the podium, but I find myself crossing my fingers for Vise & Trent, a pair that seems to have a lot more going for them than the throw quadruple salchow they quietly made history with in 2007.
The V/T free skates from this season’s GP can’t be found on You Tube, but their 2007 skate with the quad can be found on this Clip of the Day. Tune back in soon for the last batch of predictions!
Since U.S. Nationals got off the ground with Novice/Junior action today, I’m going to get a move-on with the first part of my Nats predictions.
For DANCE:
Gold- Davis/White
Silver- Samuelson/Bates
Bronze- Summersett/Gilles
Wow—wouldn’t it be astounding if, after the past couple weeks of buildup, Davis & White somehow fumbled their clear shot at gold? But I don’t anticipate such a surprise—we have two truly remarkable senior dance teams (in D/W and the injured Belbin/Agosto), but we don’t have three. At least, not yet.
Samuelson & Bates had a pair of decent showings in the GP this season, which is why I see them in second. Putting Summersett & Gilles over Navarro & Bommentre might be seen as unusual, but the two had compatible scores at their most recent events—I’m putting S/G ahead primarily because the N/B free dance seems a little dated this year. Like they’re “dancing” in 1999 instead of 2009.
For PAIRS:
Gold- McLaughlin/Brubaker
Silver- Inoue/Baldwin
Bronze- Vise/Trent
I was very big on McBru early in the season, so I can only hope they’re ready and rarin’ to go for gold this week. Inoue & Baldwin showed they can still turn in a respectable performance just last month, when they made the podium at NHK, but between ever-inconsistent side-by-side triple toes, an even less consistent throw triple axel, and no chance of matching McBru’s speed and power, I think it would take a complete meltdown from the younger team to put I/B back on top. As for bronze—it’s not that I’m forgetting former champs Castile & Okolski, it’s just that I haven’t seen them in so long and don’t know what to expect. They could easily be on the podium, but I find myself crossing my fingers for Vise & Trent, a pair that seems to have a lot more going for them than the throw quadruple salchow they quietly made history with in 2007.
The V/T free skates from this season’s GP can’t be found on You Tube, but their 2007 skate with the quad can be found on this Clip of the Day. Tune back in soon for the last batch of predictions!
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