So, are you pro-skate noise (as NHK seemed to be this year) or anti-skate noise? Informal poll… please feel free to comment!
There seem to be two schools of thought on this. Some think having mics near the ice increases the athletic aspect of figure skating, reminding the audience that they are working out there as we hear every toepick, every scratchy landing, every deep edge. Others think it detracts from the grace and elegance of the sport, and have about as much interest in hearing the grunts of an elite tennis player going for a difficult shot. (And others probably couldn’t care less either way, so I suppose that’s a third school of thought.)
Me, I wish they’d dialed it down just a little bit this weekend… but otherwise I thought it was an interesting change of pace. (Won’t I feel silly if I’m the only one out here that noticed it!) And if you listened to the skate noise hard enough, it told you all you needed to know about this weekend’s NHK Trophy (roll the observations…)
The sure steps of A CZECH IN NAGANO: With so much crashing and burning by the top men, the silver (or bronze) lining sometimes comes in the form of a newer talent breaking through—in this case, all the way to the medals. Nice to meet you, Michal Brezina.
The carefree glides of A RUSSIAN IN CHICAGO: OK, she’s sold me. Alena Leonova’s breakout work near the end of last season was no fluke. I said she was a dark horse for a medal this time; does the fact that she succeeded mean she’s just a “regular, lighter horse” now? She already seems to be the best all-around Russian singles lady since Slutskaya… even if she’s got a long way to go in order to win Slutskaya-caliber hardware.
The painful thud of YUKO KAVAGUTI—So she dislocated her freaking shoulder with that wicked fall on the throw quad salchow. Ai-yi-yi. Shades of Zhang/Zhang back in Torino when they had to stop and regroup… do y’all really have to keep trying this maneuver?
The hush of LAURA LEPISTO—I really like her interpretation and expressiveness; but without some decent jumps to back it up it feels like style w/no substance.
THE SLIPPERY SLOPE that is staying at or near the top: with the notable exception of Yu-Na Kim, the leader after the ladies’ SP in each of the Grand Prix events this season had ended up taking quite a tumble (often literally) with their free-skate efforts: Julia Sebestyen had a first place SP but a 7th place FS at Rostelecom Cup… Mirai Nagasu led after her SP at Cup of China, only to have the sixth-best FS. Given this, I guess Ashley Wagner did well to stay on the podium! But I would have liked to see how a clean skate on her part would’ve stood up to Ando…probably the difference between bronze and silver.
For the Clip of the Day I’ve got Jeremy Abbott’s splendid SP… certainly NOT the Free Skate…but we’ll talk more about him next time, as there’s plenty more to say about this event.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Dice-K at NHK (and Some Less Catchy Predictions)
Totally selfish of me, but I must admit I’ll be pleased next week when the GP moves into North America for its last two stops. The IceNetwork live streaming times are so early for much of NHK Trophy, my best bet to catch some events as they happen is to stay up late!
More on streaming & airdates later. Here are the predictions:
For DANCE:
Gold: Davis/White (USA)
Silver: Kerr/Kerr (GBR)
Bronze: Crone/Poirier (CAN)
No wild and crazy guesses here; D/W have already proven their ability to win this year; even if they are way off their game (as happened once last year in the GP with them), I don’t think they can be overtaken by The Kerrs. C/P were 20 points behind The Kerrs if you compare their earlier GP efforts this season.
For MEN:
Gold: Daisuke Takahashi (JPN)
Silver: Jeremy Abbott (USA)
Bronze: Brian Joubert (FRA)
This is much, much harder to call. I should add that if these three do indeed turn up on the podium, 4th and 5th places better be Takahiko Kozuka and Adam Rippon in some fashion. It hurts me not to predict them higher, but Dice-K’s got quad consistency—and I’m guessing he’ll be on fire in his first post-surgery major competition on home soil. Though I’m very much over Joubert at this point, he supposedly always does sub-par at TEB because of the pressure—if that’s true, maybe he can hold it together enough here for bronze. But not enough for JeremEEE to slip past him for silver.
For PAIRS:
Gold: Pang/Tong (CHN)
Silver: Kavaguti/Smirnov (RUS)
Bronze: Inoue/Baldwin (USA)
WHAT?! I/B for a medal?? Is the rest of the field comprised of junior-level skaters or something? Well… let’s just say I haven’t heard of many of them. If any break through well enough to medal, it’ll be significant for sure. (Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett, I’m looking at you…)
For LADIES:
Gold: Miki Ando (JPN)
Silver: Yukuri Nakano (JPN)
Bronze: Ashley Wagner (USA)
What do I see when I look at the entrants here? A field with at least three dark horses… Laura Lepisto (FIN), Alena Leonova (RUS), and Sarah Meier (SWI). But among those three, only Leonova is on her second GP event, and while I think she’s an interesting up-and-comer, I don’t know if she can reach the podium unless Wagner has a bad day. And even then, Lepisto may be able to do what Meier did last week. (Or Meier, if she’s injury-free. Has anyone heard?)
I’m going with Ando for the top, but if the home country pressure gets to her, Nakano may have her day in the sun instead.
As for the Magic 8-Ball predictions: let’s go back to the MEN and see what we get…
Gold: Abbott
Silver: Kozuka
Bronze: Joubert
Here are those live streaming times for IceNetwork:
Friday, Nov. 6
12:30 a.m.: Compulsory dance
1:45 a.m.: Pairs short program
3:10 a.m.: Men's short program
5:05 a.m.: Ladies short program
10:45 p.m.: Original dance
Saturday, Nov. 7
12:15 a.m.: Pairs free skate
1:55 a.m.: Men's free skate
4:50 a.m.: Ladies free skate
11:00 p.m.: Free dance
And the times to watch if you have Universal Sports:
Friday, Nov. 6
5pm to 7pm
8pm to 10pm
11pm to 1am
Saturday, Nov. 7
2pm to 4pm
5pm to 7pm (Men and Pairs Free)
Sunday, Nov. 8
5pm to 7pm (Ladies and Men Free)
NBC will also be offering coverage from 2pm to 4pm Sunday.
The Clip of the Day is Wagner’s FS from this event last year… “Electrifying program, but technically, not enough in there to compete with the two Japanese girls that we’ve seen so far,” says the UK Commentator at the end. What will this year bring us? Stay tuned…
More on streaming & airdates later. Here are the predictions:
For DANCE:
Gold: Davis/White (USA)
Silver: Kerr/Kerr (GBR)
Bronze: Crone/Poirier (CAN)
No wild and crazy guesses here; D/W have already proven their ability to win this year; even if they are way off their game (as happened once last year in the GP with them), I don’t think they can be overtaken by The Kerrs. C/P were 20 points behind The Kerrs if you compare their earlier GP efforts this season.
For MEN:
Gold: Daisuke Takahashi (JPN)
Silver: Jeremy Abbott (USA)
Bronze: Brian Joubert (FRA)
This is much, much harder to call. I should add that if these three do indeed turn up on the podium, 4th and 5th places better be Takahiko Kozuka and Adam Rippon in some fashion. It hurts me not to predict them higher, but Dice-K’s got quad consistency—and I’m guessing he’ll be on fire in his first post-surgery major competition on home soil. Though I’m very much over Joubert at this point, he supposedly always does sub-par at TEB because of the pressure—if that’s true, maybe he can hold it together enough here for bronze. But not enough for JeremEEE to slip past him for silver.
For PAIRS:
Gold: Pang/Tong (CHN)
Silver: Kavaguti/Smirnov (RUS)
Bronze: Inoue/Baldwin (USA)
WHAT?! I/B for a medal?? Is the rest of the field comprised of junior-level skaters or something? Well… let’s just say I haven’t heard of many of them. If any break through well enough to medal, it’ll be significant for sure. (Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett, I’m looking at you…)
For LADIES:
Gold: Miki Ando (JPN)
Silver: Yukuri Nakano (JPN)
Bronze: Ashley Wagner (USA)
What do I see when I look at the entrants here? A field with at least three dark horses… Laura Lepisto (FIN), Alena Leonova (RUS), and Sarah Meier (SWI). But among those three, only Leonova is on her second GP event, and while I think she’s an interesting up-and-comer, I don’t know if she can reach the podium unless Wagner has a bad day. And even then, Lepisto may be able to do what Meier did last week. (Or Meier, if she’s injury-free. Has anyone heard?)
I’m going with Ando for the top, but if the home country pressure gets to her, Nakano may have her day in the sun instead.
As for the Magic 8-Ball predictions: let’s go back to the MEN and see what we get…
Gold: Abbott
Silver: Kozuka
Bronze: Joubert
Does the 8-Ball have JeremEEEE fever a little early? "Without a doubt"--!
Here are those live streaming times for IceNetwork:
Friday, Nov. 6
12:30 a.m.: Compulsory dance
1:45 a.m.: Pairs short program
3:10 a.m.: Men's short program
5:05 a.m.: Ladies short program
10:45 p.m.: Original dance
Saturday, Nov. 7
12:15 a.m.: Pairs free skate
1:55 a.m.: Men's free skate
4:50 a.m.: Ladies free skate
11:00 p.m.: Free dance
And the times to watch if you have Universal Sports:
Friday, Nov. 6
5pm to 7pm
8pm to 10pm
11pm to 1am
Saturday, Nov. 7
2pm to 4pm
5pm to 7pm (Men and Pairs Free)
Sunday, Nov. 8
5pm to 7pm (Ladies and Men Free)
NBC will also be offering coverage from 2pm to 4pm Sunday.
The Clip of the Day is Wagner’s FS from this event last year… “Electrifying program, but technically, not enough in there to compete with the two Japanese girls that we’ve seen so far,” says the UK Commentator at the end. What will this year bring us? Stay tuned…
Monday, November 2, 2009
Cup or China: The Tricks, the Treats, and the Just Plain Spooky
No dial tone.
Since Saturday morning, when I came down to see which free skate was on Ice Network… no dial tone. Which means no Internet, no posting, and of course… no Cup of China. At least, not on the computer. SPOOKY.
All I can say is… Universal Sports to the rescue! With the exception of a local high school football game that apparently gets to pre-empt dang near anything, I managed to catch wall-to-wall finals with the exception of the first 15 minutes of whatever they showed for dance. So now that I’ve got my phone line back, I’m able to make the following “Trick or Treat” observations, with a few "SPOOKYs" thrown in for good measure (it’s not to late for Halloween references, is it??):
1) TREAT: I’m rather stunned by this, but somehow I managed to be 9-for-12 this week, correctly guessing the pairs, dance, and men’s results. (Call this spooky too...?)
2) TRICK: And with the ladies, I was 2-for-3 but had the order all messed up (as I suspect most of us predictors did on that one)! Underestimated Suzuki… overestimated Rochette.
3) TRICK: As for Korpi in second—wow. Not that I can readily name who I’d give it to instead, but she hardly seemed to have silver-medal caliber performances.
4) TREAT: Fumie Suguri’s SP dress looks like it’s lifted straight off a cell from Disney’s Snow White. I half-expected her music to be a mash-up of High-Ho and Someday My Prince Will Come. (But seriously, I thought it was lovely on her. Can’t say I’m as crazy about Rachael Flatt’s pink SP dress, though… or the way either of them skated. Sell, sell, sell that Sing Sing Sing, Flatt!)
5) SPOOKY: While we’re talking costumes, did anyone else see the Ukranian couple in the OD? He was sporting a fake mustache that made the fake one worn by Peter on a later episode of The Brady Bunch look real. Criminy!
6) TREAT: Not as many stupid camera shots of stuffed animals on the ice this year.
7) SPOOKY: That blasted overhead camera. While I applaud the attempt to do something different… unless they happened to go to it during a certain type of spin, or an interesting pairs step sequence, it just seemed bizarre and distracting.
8) TREAT: Frank Carroll, AKA The Busiest Coach at Cup of China. With Lysacek, Kostner, Liang and Nagasu all at the same event, he needed a Carroll Clone to keep up. Did you see him sitting with Nagasu after the SP, then as soon as the score was posted, said “OK, bye, I’ve go see Carolina”-! No wonder he’s so thin. When does he have time to eat?
9) TRICK: Lysacek’s shoulder thingies on both costumes. What is that, feathers? Fringe? Tassles? a Parrot? Get ‘em off. Yuck.
10) TREAT: Lysacek’s programs in general. I’m not madly in love with either one of them, but I think they suit him well and will serve him well this season.
11) TRICK: Misfit programs. Exhibit A: Zhang & Zhang doing Sing Sing Sing in the SP. Exhibit B: Suguri doing Spartacus in the FS. The former isn’t lighthearted enough; the latter, not powerful enough.
12) TREAT: Shen & Zhao. Just because.
13) TRICK: That thing in Belbin & Agosto’s FD where does a 360 (or close to it) on her way up to a stunning lift. This time I mean “trick” in a good way. That was pretty cool.
14) TREAT: Their whole FD. They’re taking something fresh and making it their own without going over the top, much as Virtue & Moir are doing with the Mahler piece.
For the Clip of the Day here’s Akiko Suzuki’s exhibition piece from over the weekend. I hope this event wasn’t a fluke—really liking what I see here…
Since Saturday morning, when I came down to see which free skate was on Ice Network… no dial tone. Which means no Internet, no posting, and of course… no Cup of China. At least, not on the computer. SPOOKY.
All I can say is… Universal Sports to the rescue! With the exception of a local high school football game that apparently gets to pre-empt dang near anything, I managed to catch wall-to-wall finals with the exception of the first 15 minutes of whatever they showed for dance. So now that I’ve got my phone line back, I’m able to make the following “Trick or Treat” observations, with a few "SPOOKYs" thrown in for good measure (it’s not to late for Halloween references, is it??):
1) TREAT: I’m rather stunned by this, but somehow I managed to be 9-for-12 this week, correctly guessing the pairs, dance, and men’s results. (Call this spooky too...?)
2) TRICK: And with the ladies, I was 2-for-3 but had the order all messed up (as I suspect most of us predictors did on that one)! Underestimated Suzuki… overestimated Rochette.
3) TRICK: As for Korpi in second—wow. Not that I can readily name who I’d give it to instead, but she hardly seemed to have silver-medal caliber performances.
4) TREAT: Fumie Suguri’s SP dress looks like it’s lifted straight off a cell from Disney’s Snow White. I half-expected her music to be a mash-up of High-Ho and Someday My Prince Will Come. (But seriously, I thought it was lovely on her. Can’t say I’m as crazy about Rachael Flatt’s pink SP dress, though… or the way either of them skated. Sell, sell, sell that Sing Sing Sing, Flatt!)
5) SPOOKY: While we’re talking costumes, did anyone else see the Ukranian couple in the OD? He was sporting a fake mustache that made the fake one worn by Peter on a later episode of The Brady Bunch look real. Criminy!
6) TREAT: Not as many stupid camera shots of stuffed animals on the ice this year.
7) SPOOKY: That blasted overhead camera. While I applaud the attempt to do something different… unless they happened to go to it during a certain type of spin, or an interesting pairs step sequence, it just seemed bizarre and distracting.
8) TREAT: Frank Carroll, AKA The Busiest Coach at Cup of China. With Lysacek, Kostner, Liang and Nagasu all at the same event, he needed a Carroll Clone to keep up. Did you see him sitting with Nagasu after the SP, then as soon as the score was posted, said “OK, bye, I’ve go see Carolina”-! No wonder he’s so thin. When does he have time to eat?
9) TRICK: Lysacek’s shoulder thingies on both costumes. What is that, feathers? Fringe? Tassles? a Parrot? Get ‘em off. Yuck.
10) TREAT: Lysacek’s programs in general. I’m not madly in love with either one of them, but I think they suit him well and will serve him well this season.
11) TRICK: Misfit programs. Exhibit A: Zhang & Zhang doing Sing Sing Sing in the SP. Exhibit B: Suguri doing Spartacus in the FS. The former isn’t lighthearted enough; the latter, not powerful enough.
12) TREAT: Shen & Zhao. Just because.
13) TRICK: That thing in Belbin & Agosto’s FD where does a 360 (or close to it) on her way up to a stunning lift. This time I mean “trick” in a good way. That was pretty cool.
14) TREAT: Their whole FD. They’re taking something fresh and making it their own without going over the top, much as Virtue & Moir are doing with the Mahler piece.
For the Clip of the Day here’s Akiko Suzuki’s exhibition piece from over the weekend. I hope this event wasn’t a fluke—really liking what I see here…
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Calling it For Cup or China
Before I get started—a big shout-out to International Figure Skating and Audrey Snowden for mentioning this here blog on page 61 of the new issue! Woo hoo! Guess I’d better renew that subscription soon…
So anyway, on to Cup of China business:
For DANCE:
Gold: Belbin/Agosto (USA)
Silver: Khoklova/Novitski (RUS)
Bronze: Faiella/Scali (ITA)
Should be no contest for gold, though silver and bronze are anything but a lock. I must admit I have not seen any of these new dances yet…
For MEN:
Gold: Nobunari Oda (JPN)
Silver: Evan Lysacek (USA)
Bronze: Sergei Voronov (RUS)
On the other hand, I HAVE seen Oda’s program of course, and suspect it will be hard to beat in this field… unless Lysacek trumps him with a quad. As for Voronov… I’m guessing big time, as there’s a whole fleet of dark horses here… including Yannick Ponsero, Samuel Contesti and Denis Ten (a young talent from Kazakhstan who garnered a mess of attention at Worlds this year). I’m going with Voronov mostly because I’ve seen what he’s got this season. While I prefer Ponsero, his inconsistencies are killing him again this year thus far. Let me go on record to say I’d love to be wrong here!
For PAIRS:
Gold: Shen/Zhao (CHN)
Silver: Zhang/Zhang (CHN)
Bronze: Volosozhar/Morozov (UKR)
S/Z are now 30 and 36, respectively. Can they still get the job done? Well, consider this: Inoue and Baldwin of the US are now 33 and 36 respectively, and just landed the best throw triple axel of their career a couple of weeks back. I think there could be plenty left in the tank for the two-time Olympic bronze medalists, but I’m sure it must be Zhang/Zhang’s dream to defeat them, especially now, especially in their homeland. My personal fave for bronze would be Canada’s Duhamel/Buntin, but I think the Ukranians would have to have a pretty off day for that to happen.
For LADIES:
Gold: Joannie Rochette (CAN)
Silver: Rachael Flatt (USA)
Bronze: Akiko Suzuki (JPN)
OK, here’s the reasoning: Carolina Kostner doesn’t seem to be back on her game yet (though admittedly she could prove me wrong this weekend)… Fumie Suguri just seems to be hanging in till Japan’s Olympic trials… and Kiira Korpi doesn’t have the technical difficulty. Suzuki, for her part, left a powerful, positive impression on me the one time I saw her last season (NHK, where she finished in 2nd right behind Asada). So I’m giving her the nod, though again it’s a tough call because she doesn’t seem to have done much since then. In any case, beware: she’s reportedly skating to West Side Story. P.S. Nagasu could sneak in there for bronze too.
Oh, and Magic 8-Ball didn’t do so well in its sophomore outing… what will it predict for the LADIES this time…
Gold: Suguri
Silver: Rochette
Bronze: Suzuki
Hmmm… anyway, here’s where to watch (all times Eastern):
On ICE NETWORK…
Friday
2:30AM Compulsory Dance
3:55 Ladies’ SP
5:45 Men’s SP
7:45 Pairs’ SP
9:15 Original Dance
Saturday
2:00 a.m.: Ladies free
4:10 a.m.: Mens free
6:25 a.m.: Pairs free
8:05 a.m.: Free dance
On UNIVERSAL SPORTS…
Friday:
5pm - 7pm Men and Pairs short programs
9pm - 11pm Ladies short program and Original Dance
Saturday:
5pm - 6pm Ladies free skate
6pm - 7pm Mens free skate
10pm - 11pm Pairs free skate
11pm - 12am Free Dance
For the ClipoftheDay I bring you Jeremy Abbott’s FS from this event last year… I believe he was well on his way to JeremEEEE-dom with this performance
So anyway, on to Cup of China business:
For DANCE:
Gold: Belbin/Agosto (USA)
Silver: Khoklova/Novitski (RUS)
Bronze: Faiella/Scali (ITA)
Should be no contest for gold, though silver and bronze are anything but a lock. I must admit I have not seen any of these new dances yet…
For MEN:
Gold: Nobunari Oda (JPN)
Silver: Evan Lysacek (USA)
Bronze: Sergei Voronov (RUS)
On the other hand, I HAVE seen Oda’s program of course, and suspect it will be hard to beat in this field… unless Lysacek trumps him with a quad. As for Voronov… I’m guessing big time, as there’s a whole fleet of dark horses here… including Yannick Ponsero, Samuel Contesti and Denis Ten (a young talent from Kazakhstan who garnered a mess of attention at Worlds this year). I’m going with Voronov mostly because I’ve seen what he’s got this season. While I prefer Ponsero, his inconsistencies are killing him again this year thus far. Let me go on record to say I’d love to be wrong here!
For PAIRS:
Gold: Shen/Zhao (CHN)
Silver: Zhang/Zhang (CHN)
Bronze: Volosozhar/Morozov (UKR)
S/Z are now 30 and 36, respectively. Can they still get the job done? Well, consider this: Inoue and Baldwin of the US are now 33 and 36 respectively, and just landed the best throw triple axel of their career a couple of weeks back. I think there could be plenty left in the tank for the two-time Olympic bronze medalists, but I’m sure it must be Zhang/Zhang’s dream to defeat them, especially now, especially in their homeland. My personal fave for bronze would be Canada’s Duhamel/Buntin, but I think the Ukranians would have to have a pretty off day for that to happen.
For LADIES:
Gold: Joannie Rochette (CAN)
Silver: Rachael Flatt (USA)
Bronze: Akiko Suzuki (JPN)
OK, here’s the reasoning: Carolina Kostner doesn’t seem to be back on her game yet (though admittedly she could prove me wrong this weekend)… Fumie Suguri just seems to be hanging in till Japan’s Olympic trials… and Kiira Korpi doesn’t have the technical difficulty. Suzuki, for her part, left a powerful, positive impression on me the one time I saw her last season (NHK, where she finished in 2nd right behind Asada). So I’m giving her the nod, though again it’s a tough call because she doesn’t seem to have done much since then. In any case, beware: she’s reportedly skating to West Side Story. P.S. Nagasu could sneak in there for bronze too.
Oh, and Magic 8-Ball didn’t do so well in its sophomore outing… what will it predict for the LADIES this time…
Gold: Suguri
Silver: Rochette
Bronze: Suzuki
Hmmm… anyway, here’s where to watch (all times Eastern):
On ICE NETWORK…
Friday
2:30AM Compulsory Dance
3:55 Ladies’ SP
5:45 Men’s SP
7:45 Pairs’ SP
9:15 Original Dance
Saturday
2:00 a.m.: Ladies free
4:10 a.m.: Mens free
6:25 a.m.: Pairs free
8:05 a.m.: Free dance
On UNIVERSAL SPORTS…
Friday:
5pm - 7pm Men and Pairs short programs
9pm - 11pm Ladies short program and Original Dance
Saturday:
5pm - 6pm Ladies free skate
6pm - 7pm Mens free skate
10pm - 11pm Pairs free skate
11pm - 12am Free Dance
For the ClipoftheDay I bring you Jeremy Abbott’s FS from this event last year… I believe he was well on his way to JeremEEEE-dom with this performance
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Fishing for Glory at Moscow’s Rostelecom Cup
Keep It, or Toss It Back? That is the question this time around after this weekend’s second stop on the GP express:
KEEP…Takahiko Kozuka’s blazing new SP to Hendrix. Who knew?
TOSS BACK…whoever produced the graphics on the World Feed…. It’s JIMI Hendrix, not JIMMY. (Oh, and in case anyone uses a Fab Four medley this season… it’s BEATLES, not BEETLES. Just a tip.)
KEEP…Ashley Wagner’s new FS costume (and program)…completely makes up for the Sheena look she suffered through all last season.
TOSS BACK…everything having to do with Mao Asada’s competitive skating right now… the music, the costumes, the all-or-nothing triple axels she can’t seem to land right now anyway. Since she’s unlikely to qualify for the GP Final (finishing a stunning 5th this weekend), I guess she’ll have plenty of time to regroup. I’m bummed for her. Hope things work out better the next time we see her.
KEEP… Pang and Tong using “Impossible Dream”…hmmm, wonder if it’s the first thing that sprang to mind when they heard Shen and Zhao were returning this season? (By the way, P/T, all the senior men hoping to have a shot at Olympic gold want to use it too. They said so right after watching chapter 1 of Plushenko’s comeback.)
TOSS BACK… Plushy’s finger in the air, non-ending pose, and all the other affectations that he seemed to have on display this weekend in the name of success. I know it’s not supposed to be bragging if you can really deliver what you promise…but does the same go for arrogance? Sorry—I’m just tired of him already.
KEEP…any skater that successfully tuned out that giant poster of shirtless Johnny Weir…Lord, please let us never EVER see that again. Nuff said.
TOSS BACK… Weir’s whole deal. The program looks and sounds a lot like last year, and I don’t see any other growth. In fact, I saw regression. What’s become of the guy who seemed to improve so much after leaving Priscilla Hill? He’s as MIA as his triple axel.
KEEP…Davis and White’s dominance and gold medal. Well-deserved!
TOSS BACK… don’t hate me, but… the “Phantom” FD. I know it’s here to stay, but I enjoyed “Samson & Delilah” more last season. There, I said it.
KEEP… McLaughlin and Brubaker’s new programs. Enjoyed them both!
TOSS BACK…McLaughlin’s splatfest. Come on, girl… that bronze medal was a gift.
For the record, I was 6-for-12 on the guesses again… which means I’m still batting .500 for the season. Rather shocking, but I’m sure my fellow bloggers are doing even better!
I’ve got Kozuka’s SP as the Clip of the Day.
KEEP…Takahiko Kozuka’s blazing new SP to Hendrix. Who knew?
TOSS BACK…whoever produced the graphics on the World Feed…. It’s JIMI Hendrix, not JIMMY. (Oh, and in case anyone uses a Fab Four medley this season… it’s BEATLES, not BEETLES. Just a tip.)
KEEP…Ashley Wagner’s new FS costume (and program)…completely makes up for the Sheena look she suffered through all last season.
TOSS BACK…everything having to do with Mao Asada’s competitive skating right now… the music, the costumes, the all-or-nothing triple axels she can’t seem to land right now anyway. Since she’s unlikely to qualify for the GP Final (finishing a stunning 5th this weekend), I guess she’ll have plenty of time to regroup. I’m bummed for her. Hope things work out better the next time we see her.
KEEP… Pang and Tong using “Impossible Dream”…hmmm, wonder if it’s the first thing that sprang to mind when they heard Shen and Zhao were returning this season? (By the way, P/T, all the senior men hoping to have a shot at Olympic gold want to use it too. They said so right after watching chapter 1 of Plushenko’s comeback.)
TOSS BACK… Plushy’s finger in the air, non-ending pose, and all the other affectations that he seemed to have on display this weekend in the name of success. I know it’s not supposed to be bragging if you can really deliver what you promise…but does the same go for arrogance? Sorry—I’m just tired of him already.
KEEP…any skater that successfully tuned out that giant poster of shirtless Johnny Weir…Lord, please let us never EVER see that again. Nuff said.
TOSS BACK… Weir’s whole deal. The program looks and sounds a lot like last year, and I don’t see any other growth. In fact, I saw regression. What’s become of the guy who seemed to improve so much after leaving Priscilla Hill? He’s as MIA as his triple axel.
KEEP…Davis and White’s dominance and gold medal. Well-deserved!
TOSS BACK… don’t hate me, but… the “Phantom” FD. I know it’s here to stay, but I enjoyed “Samson & Delilah” more last season. There, I said it.
KEEP… McLaughlin and Brubaker’s new programs. Enjoyed them both!
TOSS BACK…McLaughlin’s splatfest. Come on, girl… that bronze medal was a gift.
For the record, I was 6-for-12 on the guesses again… which means I’m still batting .500 for the season. Rather shocking, but I’m sure my fellow bloggers are doing even better!
I’ve got Kozuka’s SP as the Clip of the Day.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Role of Cup of Russia Will Now be Played by... the Rostelecom Cup
Sure, Patrick Chan is sitting this one out. True, Dombalin are opting to rest a certain arthritic knee rather than compete. And no, Meissner won’t be there either. Why should we let these things stop the fun? Here come the Rostelecom predictions:
For DANCE:
Gold: Davis/White (USA)
Silver: Crone/Poirer (FRA)
Bronze: Cappellini/Lanotte (ITA)
Davis/White should win this one easily. As for silver/bronze, it’s really a coin toss. I haven’t see either team lately; just know they were pretty evenly matched last year. (Russian’s Domnina/Shabalin was scheduled to compete here but have withdrawn—incidentally, they’ve now withdrawn from NHK as well. Shabalin’s troublesome knee is apparently to blame for both.)
For MEN:
Gold: Evgeni Plushenko (RUS)
Silver: Takahiko Kozuka (JPN)
Bronze: Johnny Weir (USA)
I’d like to say that I look forward to seeing the likes of Weir or Kozuka upset His Evgeniness, but word on the street is that Plushy is back in fighting form. Brandon Mroz (current U.S. silver medalist) could prove a spoiler for that bronze. We all know he’s beaten Weir before…
For PAIRS:
Gold: Pang/Tong (CHN)
Silver: Kavaguti/Smirnov (RUS)
Bronze: McLaughlin/Brubaker (USA)
I tend to instinctively lean towards the Chinese pairs these days over the Russians, but if K/S can pull a throw quad salchow out of their collective hats, this may be a lot closer than I’m bargaining for. McBru, for their part, seemed at the best early in the season last year. If that holds true, look for them to make the podium as well.
For LADIES:
Gold: Mao Asada (JPN)
Silver: Miki Ando (JPN)
Bronze: Ashley Wagner (USA)
Yep, I’m picking Wagner over Czisny. Though Nationals was hardly proof of it, I think Wagner’s the more consistent skater. And while both ladies have been downgraded numerous times with regard to their jumps, Czisny has the most recent ones (with several just happening at Nebelhorn Trophy a few weeks ago). Was it tentativeness, or technique? Perhaps her placement at Rostelecom will provide the answer.
As for Asada… while I’m admittedly not fond of her current FS, she’ll again have three opportunities to rack up a fierce amount of points with her triple axels. If she hits only ONE of them cleanly (as was the case last week), it could make all the difference between first and Miki Ando. Not necessarily the fairest way to go, but them’s the rules as y’all know.
Oh, and since my Magic 8-Ball did a better job with the prediction of the Men’s event than I did last week (as I feared would be the case), let’s see how it does at predicting the outcome of the Pairs this week:
Gold: Pang/Tong (CHN)
Silver: McLaughlin/Brubaker (USA)
Bronze: Martiusheva/Rogonov (RUS)
Hmm. 8-Ball seems to be putting its Monopoly money on an unknown Russian team rather than KavSmir. Such high stakes for a little black-and-white sphere.
Here’s where to watch: (all times Eastern)
On ICE NETWORK…
Friday
5:30AM Compulsory Dance
7:45 Men’s SP
9:35 Pairs’ SP
11:00 Ladies’ SP
12:50 Original Dance
Saturday
6:45AM Men's FS
9:00 Pairs' FS
10:40 Free Dance
12:40 Ladies' FS
On UNIVERSAL SPORTS…
Friday: 7-9 PM Saturday: 5-7 PM Sunday: 5-7 PM
And on NBC …
Sunday,12-2 PM
For the Clip of the Day we have Rachel Flatt’s SP from last year’s Cup of Russia We’ll have to wait one more week to see her GP debut for the season, though…
For DANCE:
Gold: Davis/White (USA)
Silver: Crone/Poirer (FRA)
Bronze: Cappellini/Lanotte (ITA)
Davis/White should win this one easily. As for silver/bronze, it’s really a coin toss. I haven’t see either team lately; just know they were pretty evenly matched last year. (Russian’s Domnina/Shabalin was scheduled to compete here but have withdrawn—incidentally, they’ve now withdrawn from NHK as well. Shabalin’s troublesome knee is apparently to blame for both.)
For MEN:
Gold: Evgeni Plushenko (RUS)
Silver: Takahiko Kozuka (JPN)
Bronze: Johnny Weir (USA)
I’d like to say that I look forward to seeing the likes of Weir or Kozuka upset His Evgeniness, but word on the street is that Plushy is back in fighting form. Brandon Mroz (current U.S. silver medalist) could prove a spoiler for that bronze. We all know he’s beaten Weir before…
For PAIRS:
Gold: Pang/Tong (CHN)
Silver: Kavaguti/Smirnov (RUS)
Bronze: McLaughlin/Brubaker (USA)
I tend to instinctively lean towards the Chinese pairs these days over the Russians, but if K/S can pull a throw quad salchow out of their collective hats, this may be a lot closer than I’m bargaining for. McBru, for their part, seemed at the best early in the season last year. If that holds true, look for them to make the podium as well.
For LADIES:
Gold: Mao Asada (JPN)
Silver: Miki Ando (JPN)
Bronze: Ashley Wagner (USA)
Yep, I’m picking Wagner over Czisny. Though Nationals was hardly proof of it, I think Wagner’s the more consistent skater. And while both ladies have been downgraded numerous times with regard to their jumps, Czisny has the most recent ones (with several just happening at Nebelhorn Trophy a few weeks ago). Was it tentativeness, or technique? Perhaps her placement at Rostelecom will provide the answer.
As for Asada… while I’m admittedly not fond of her current FS, she’ll again have three opportunities to rack up a fierce amount of points with her triple axels. If she hits only ONE of them cleanly (as was the case last week), it could make all the difference between first and Miki Ando. Not necessarily the fairest way to go, but them’s the rules as y’all know.
Oh, and since my Magic 8-Ball did a better job with the prediction of the Men’s event than I did last week (as I feared would be the case), let’s see how it does at predicting the outcome of the Pairs this week:
Gold: Pang/Tong (CHN)
Silver: McLaughlin/Brubaker (USA)
Bronze: Martiusheva/Rogonov (RUS)
Hmm. 8-Ball seems to be putting its Monopoly money on an unknown Russian team rather than KavSmir. Such high stakes for a little black-and-white sphere.
Here’s where to watch: (all times Eastern)
On ICE NETWORK…
Friday
5:30AM Compulsory Dance
7:45 Men’s SP
9:35 Pairs’ SP
11:00 Ladies’ SP
12:50 Original Dance
Saturday
6:45AM Men's FS
9:00 Pairs' FS
10:40 Free Dance
12:40 Ladies' FS
On UNIVERSAL SPORTS…
Friday: 7-9 PM Saturday: 5-7 PM Sunday: 5-7 PM
And on NBC …
Sunday,12-2 PM
For the Clip of the Day we have Rachel Flatt’s SP from last year’s Cup of Russia We’ll have to wait one more week to see her GP debut for the season, though…
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Five More TEB Mini-Observations and a Link You Might Like
A few more quick notables to put out there regarding last week’s GP opener, and then on to Evgeny’s World… oops, I mean Rostelecom Cup.
The One We Didn’t See Coming: out of absolutely nowhere, Inoue and Baldwin not only created a lovely throw triple axel, but created perhaps the best one they’ve ever done in competition. Too bad it wasn’t enough for a medal, but, um, some successful SBS triple toes might help next time… (Yeah, Baldwin, I’m looking at you.)
The Music (Make it Stop!): I’m sorry, but after only one listen I’m ready to retire Mao Asada’s FS choice (Bells of Moscow). From what I’ve read they went “heavy” with the music intentionally. All I can say is I hope there’s no occasion where Asada’s program is followed immediately by Joubert’s new FS (to Ancient Lands)…viewers would feel so bogged down by the end of the latter, they wouldn’t be able to stand up straight to leave the room.
The Costume: Yukari Nakano’s costume was one of the most colorful, interesting takes I’ve seen for Firebird in quite some time. It’s right here as the Clip of the Day if you haven’t seen it yet.
The Character: If anyone’s ever been suited to do a Chaplin number, it’s Nobunari Oda. So charming! Such deep knees! Such confident edges! Such a hard decision as to which Japanese man is my favorite!
The Look Ma No Hands: As amazing as that Virtue/Moir balancing act was, did you see the way she exited that maneuver? Beyond belief…
Finally, on a slightly related note—IceNetwork.com gave us this nice piece about David Pelletier’s chance run-in during TEB with Marie-Reine Le Gougne (the one who admitted to being pressured to place Sale/Pelletier second in 2002’s Winter Olympics).
Rostelecom predictions coming Thursday--!
The One We Didn’t See Coming: out of absolutely nowhere, Inoue and Baldwin not only created a lovely throw triple axel, but created perhaps the best one they’ve ever done in competition. Too bad it wasn’t enough for a medal, but, um, some successful SBS triple toes might help next time… (Yeah, Baldwin, I’m looking at you.)
The Music (Make it Stop!): I’m sorry, but after only one listen I’m ready to retire Mao Asada’s FS choice (Bells of Moscow). From what I’ve read they went “heavy” with the music intentionally. All I can say is I hope there’s no occasion where Asada’s program is followed immediately by Joubert’s new FS (to Ancient Lands)…viewers would feel so bogged down by the end of the latter, they wouldn’t be able to stand up straight to leave the room.
The Costume: Yukari Nakano’s costume was one of the most colorful, interesting takes I’ve seen for Firebird in quite some time. It’s right here as the Clip of the Day if you haven’t seen it yet.
The Character: If anyone’s ever been suited to do a Chaplin number, it’s Nobunari Oda. So charming! Such deep knees! Such confident edges! Such a hard decision as to which Japanese man is my favorite!
The Look Ma No Hands: As amazing as that Virtue/Moir balancing act was, did you see the way she exited that maneuver? Beyond belief…
Finally, on a slightly related note—IceNetwork.com gave us this nice piece about David Pelletier’s chance run-in during TEB with Marie-Reine Le Gougne (the one who admitted to being pressured to place Sale/Pelletier second in 2002’s Winter Olympics).
Rostelecom predictions coming Thursday--!
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