Last weekend was Skate America, the first senior Grand Prix event and somehow an event that made me regret the spectacular Olympics that was Vancouver 2010.
Why do I mention Vancouver 2010 now, do you ask? Well, Vancouver was an exceptional Olympics, figure skating curses were broken and a whole lot of talent competed. Some triumphed while others were left hungry and hungry enough to stay for another 4 years. However, once that next cycle was over, all of those talented, hungry skaters left, leaving a huge void that clearly showed last weekend.
I’ll tell it to you straight: I was bored during 98% of Skate America. So be warned, I’m not going to have a lot of nice things to say here. More
The skating season is upon us already! Time for predictions! This season is definitely going to be a huge surprise as a bunch of veterans have left and the newbies have come to play in hopes of being the next big thing in figure skating. Establishing a role as the new figure skating world leaders seems to be the theme at this year’s Skate America and the predictions for the bottom of the podium will definitely be difficult. With that, let’s begin!
Men
Tatsuki Machida and Dennis Ten look to be the stronger competitors at this competition so far. Machida has shown himself in the past season to be a serious contender for the top 5 in men’s skating and his consistency is helping him in that goal. Since last season, Machida has skated with a fire that allowed him to place 5th at the Olympics (and he was a serious contender for bronze) and 2nd at Worlds. If he skates well, he can take away the gold here. Ten, on the other hand has been known to be inconsistent, especially at the beginning of the season.
Home ice advantage goes to Jason Brown after a strong debut in the senior ranks with a LP that went viral last season. I am of the unpopular camp who didn’t find anything particularly remarkable about the Riverdance LP but he’s poised to be America’s next male skating sweetheart and we all know how popularity affects one’s skating career around here.
Predictions:
Gold: Tatsuki Machida
Silver: Jason BrownBronze: Dennis Ten
Ladies
Gold is the name of the game here and with a perfect last name, media darling status and with a nation that is obsessed with finding America’s Next Top Ice Princess, Gracie Gold should be looking to secure herself as the top American lady. With home ice advantage and a relatively weak competition, she should be able to take gold, if maybe purely by PCS. One lady who could knock her off the top spot is Elena Radionova, a talented young Russian lady with star quality and acting ability like no other. Elena’s jumps looked a little shaky and low in the Russian test skates and I seriously hope that puberty has not affected her skating ability.
As for the bronze medal, I would keep my eye out for the two other American ladies, Samantha Cesario and Mirai Nagasu. I’ve never found anything remarkable about Cesario, though other bloggers would beg to differ, but she has produced some pretty decent mid-rank results in past GP events. With a weak field, she could boost her rankings up a few places. Nagasu, on the other hand, has worked pretty hard in the past few years to stubbornly show that she is not irrelevant and there have been times where she has proven us just that. The pick for bronze will be a tough one and I may result to either just pure gut feelings or a coin toss.
Predictions:
Gold: Gracie Gold
Silver: Elena Radionova Bronze: Samantha Cesario
Pairs
The pairs competition will be a battle between a relatively new couple and an old one. Veterans Yuko Kavaguti & Alexander Smirnov who had faded into the background in pairs skating in general will likely have a showdown with Cheng Peng & Hao Zhang for the gold. The latter team have been together for only two seasons but in those 2 short years, they went from barely being able to touch each other to one of the most dazzling pairs teams on ice. If a year can allow them to improve leaps and bounds, I wonder what another year will do for this new team.
As for the bronze, Haven Denney & Brandon Frazier and Alexa Scimeca & Chris Knierim are teams I haven’t really heard of but their results in international competitions look rather similar. I might just leave the bronze prediction up to a coin toss here. Any thoughts to sway me towards one of two teams or another team altogether?
Predictions:
Gold: Cheng Peng & Hao Zhang
Silver: Yuko Kavaguti & Alexander Smirnov Bronze: Alexa Scimeca & Chris Knierim
Ice Dance
Madison Chock & Evan Bates will be looking to fill the void left by Davis & White as the top American ice dance team. The Shibutanis haven’t quite gotten the support from Marina Zueva since their debut in the senior ranks and I would not be surprised if this continued. Still, the Shib sibs should be good enough to get the silver while the bronze is again, a mystery to me. I believe Alexandra Stepanova & Ivan Bukin were Junior GPF champions so I’ll put them in for bronze though honestly, it could go any way at the moment.
Predictions:
Gold: Madison Chock & Evan Bates
Silver: Maia & Alex Shibutani Bronze: Alexandra Stepanova & Ivan Bukin
Well, I have no clue if any of these predictions are going to be any good. What are your thoughts and predictions? Let me know in the comments!
Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje have posted a lovely picture of themselves, probably at practice at the CoR and then I realized I haven’t put up my predictions yet. I knew I shouldn’t have been watching all those videos of a random puppet screaming obscenities at one of my favourite youtubers. What am I doing with my life? Anyways, here’s the picture I mentioned and the predictions will follow. Onwards!
This is going to be a tough call and it will really depend on who will be more consistent: Javier Fernandez or Tatsuki Machida? The funny thing is, Machida has done quite well in the GP series last season as well as this season but he hasn’t made it to the World Championships because he hasn’t done well at Nationals and there’s a stacked field of competitors in the men’s competition in Japan. I’m not quite a fan of his style but he’s proven that he can pull off good skates in the face of some tough competitors. Fernandez, on the other hand, has tons of personality and skill but seems to falter at crucial moments. He didn’t start his season out too well so it’ll be up in the air in terms of how well he’s going to do at the Cup of Russia.
The bronze medal is also going to be a tough call. Maxim Kovtun did win a silver at the Cup of China, albeit in a weak field of men’s competitors. I didn’t like his windmill arms but apparently the judges do and that could get him a bronze here.
Predictions:
Gold: Tatsuki Machida
Silver: Javier Fernandez
Bronze: Maxim Kovtun
Ladies
This roster is another tough call for a few reasons:
1. Carolina Kostner‘s rough start to her season resulting in a bronze medal finish at the Cup of China. In addition to that, she lost to two jumping beans, one of them a youngin’ who just started in the senior circuit.
2. Julia Lipnitskaia fits the description of young jumping bean who just started in the senior circuit.
I’ve been reluctant to put Lipnitskaia at the top of my predictions mostly due to my opinion that she won’t last long at the top of the senior circuit. She’s a tiny wisp of the thing with jumping prowess now but her jumps are pretty low, landed with a shaky edge and with little speed coming out of them. The argument here is that despite my opinion and even if she doesn’t get high PCS, she has the potential to score a high TES that can snag the gold away from Carolina if she falters.
So now, the question for these predictions will be: Will Carolina skate clean? Her jump content will be weaker compared to Lipnitskaia but she’s ten times the performer compared to the youngin’.
As for bronze, Kanako Murakami got off to a rough start at the Cup of China (4th place) but Kanako tends to get better as the season progresses. If she doesn’t skate well, home-ice and Papa Mishin may be able to squeak in a victory for Elizaveta Tuktamysheva. She’s still full of star quality but puberty hasn’t treated her well and she tends to make a lot of costly mistakes in her short program.
I’m surprised that Volosozhar & Trankov didn’t get chosen to skate here considering they are the most likely to win Olympic gold for Russia. Oh well, the victory at the Cup of Russia will likely go to their rivals then. I have no doubt that Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy will do well here.
As for the rest of the medals… Kirsten Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch are generally uninspiring performers but technically good enough to snag a medal. Ksenia Stolbova & Fedor Klimov won bronze at Skate America with a large point difference between themselves and Moore-Towers & Moscovitch. That should make my silver and bronze predictions a little easier. Though Vera Bazarova & Yuri Larionov might throw off my bronze predictions. Who knows?
Predictions:
Gold: Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy
Silver: Kirsten Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch
Bronze: Vera Bazarova & Yuri Larionov
Ice Dance
No dramatic building of the Team Canton rivalry here but this roster presents an interesting scenario. Katilyn Weaver & Andrew Poje and Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev both won silver medals at their first GP assignment. The difference however, is in the points. Kaitlyn & Andrew have been skating very well lately and have scored 10 points higher than Bobrova & Soloviev. One thing to consider, though, is the boost in points the latter team gets from home-ice advantage. This will definitely be an interesting match-up. What’s more interesting is that if Bobrova & Soloviev don’t win the gold here, we may see Ilinykh & Katsalapov take the top spot at Russian Nationals this year…
As for bronze, Madison Chock & Evan Bates, though skating to irritating or lame music, should be technically proficient enough to take the bronze.
Predictions:
Gold: Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje
Silver: Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev
Bronze: Madison Chock & Evan Bates
What are your predictions for the Cup of Russia? Let me know!
Ahhhh! I have 16 hours to make these predictions. Bloody time differences. Ok, lunch first.
Done.
Onwards to the predictions for the Cup of China 2013!
Men
First up, the men!
Ah, come on, really? Am I seriously supposed to make predictions based on this clusterf*** of a roster? So many of the frontrunners are so inconsistent. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
Ok. Problem solving skills. Go.
Some names that pop off right off the bat: Takahiko Kozuka, who had a really rough start at Skate America this year but still has the potential to grab a medal… I think. Denis Ten, last year’s World silver medalist who’s win was a complete surprise because he has the potential but his previous results have always put him in the second group of skaters at GP events. Then, there’s Florent Amodio… WHO GOT NEW COACHES! *opens up some champagne* YES. This kid has potential but those horrific programs with a gazillion pauses were weighing him down. This is great news. Han Yan also has home-ice advantage and a lot of potential. A good candidate to snatch a medal off a veteran’s hand if they don’t skate well.
So now that the initial list is done, I’m really not sure how to rank them. It could honestly go any way. Let’s just throw caution to the wind and randomly come up with a ranking.
Predictions:
Gold: Florent Amodio
Silver: Denis Ten
Bronze: Han Yan
Ladies
With a newfound consistency and beautiful performances, Carolina Kostner, will likely win the gold. Adelina Sotnikova‘s terrible programs (and hence, lower PCS) and Kanako Murakami‘s lower TES make them somewhat at the same level and these two will likely duke it out for silver and bronze. If any of them make a mistake, fresh-faced Zijun Li could also grab a medal and hopefully her Coppelia LP will be great since I’ve pegged that as a fantasy program for her in this post.
Barring some freak accident or injury, former World Champions, Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy, should be able to take the gold. They might face some strong competition from Qing Pang & Jian Tong, who took a year off last season but are likely still better than the rest of the competition. I’m almost tempted to say that I refuse to pick a bronze medal winner but I’ll just close my eyes and point to a name on the screen. It’s anybody’s game at this point. Anastasia Martiusheva & Alexei Rogonov. Ok, done!
Predictions:
Gold: Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy
Silver: Qing Pang & Jian Tong
Bronze: Anastasia Martiusheva & Alexei Rogonov
Ice Dance
The ice dance competition will likely be a three-way race between Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev, Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat and Madison Chock & Evan Bates. I’d give the edge to the first two teams though even when you narrow the gold medal choices down to two, it’ll be interesting to see who prevails. B/S has been beating P/B for a little while now but P/B have switched to Igor Shpilband, which might give them that extra boost they need to regain the top European spot. This will be a tough call.
Predictions:
Gold: Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev
Silver: Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat
Bronze: Madison Chock & Evan Bates
What are your predictions for the Cup of China this year? Let me know in the comments!
More pre-season skating videos have popped up and here are my two cents again! There weren’t that many A-list competitors at Finlandia, so I decided to combine this post with my thoughts on some of the Japan Open programs.
Finlandia Trophy
First of all, can I say, I am so thankful that the Yankee Polka is done. Honestly, the next skater(s) who do a cowboy program, I’m just going to walk away from my laptop before I break something. As for this SD, I like the songs but I wonder why Marina never gives Tessa and Scott an SD with music derived from one soundtrack or source like Meryl and Charlie. I find SDs that take their music from one source are a little more coherent and these two work well when they have characters. Overall, there were a few bobbles, especially with the twizzles but I’m not too worried since I know these two can do better than that. I’m not sure if I’m totally sold on the program (I don’t think I’ve been sold on a lot of Marina’s SDs to be honest) but I’m curious to see what will happen to it in the future. So far, it looks like the classic Tessa and Scott elegant dance sort of theme but I wonder if there’s a way to take this program up a notch and make it stand out a little more.
I like Tessa and Scott’s FD a lot better than the SD – it has a clean, elegant vibe that brings out what fans love best about these two: their chemistry, lines, elegance and romance. Luckily for them, Marina didn’t totally succumb to overly-cluttered lift-itis for this program as she did for a lot of her programs in the past two seasons. (I love that first lift especially, if only the camera angle could show it off better.) Overall, I’m glad that this could be their Last Program. It’s a good last hurrah for them as it has echoes of some of their greatest moments (Mahler, Umbrellas of Cherbourg) and it feels like it’s the story of Tessa and Scott in a program. A fitting goodbye if they decide to retire after this season. A few minor changes I wouldn’t mind seeing – changing the lines in that lift where Tessa flips onto Scott. The lines feel a little jarring but maybe that’s just me. Also, this is such a flowing program that it would be really nice if they could stop that momentary pause before going into their dance spins. Actually, it’s a little frustrating that at their level, they’re not transitioning into their dance spins like Meryl and Charlie, which is more difficult and adds to the flow of the program. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing this program again.
Madison Chock & Evan Bates took the silver at Finlandia but their SD was definitely not their best performance, with Evan falling on the twizzles. Also, it is just me or is the music as irritating as f$%&? I also felt that their midline step sequence was soooo slow. Come on, I expect more from a team that trains under Igor – even if it is the pre-season! As for anyone who thinks Meryl and Charlie’s FD was “pose-y,” I’ll reiterate again that I disagree and point to this program as an example of too much posing. At the beginning and in the middle. Let’s hope their FD is a lot better than this.
Chock and Bate’s FD. W.T.F. My brain is having such a hard time processing it that I’m not even typing properly. Let’s make a list to help me work through my confusion:
1. Were they trying to emulate Meryl and Charlie? I mean, I swear Meryl and Charlie have done those exact lifts or something really similar in the past.
2. Was there cheering in their music cuts? Addendum: Isn’t that kind of lame?
3. All those voices… so much going on in the music. The simple movements don’t match. Nor does their on-ice presence. Is Igor trying to shoot these two in the foot?
4. The first set of twizzles were spot on… the other two… not so much.
5. I just don’t understand the chaos that is the music. I just don’t.
One silver lining: that light but pretty transition into the dance spin. That’s something I’d like to see from Tessa and Scott.
This is a lovely program for Akiko – very warm and graceful. She’ll have to work on her jumps but overall, I think she’ll grow into this program quite well.
It makes me really sad to see Akiko messing up her jumps AND skating to the “Phantom of the Opera” after she skated to such a masterpiece like “O” as her LP last year. I really hope that Akiko can sprinkle her magic dust on this program later in the season because this is just painful to watch.
I was curious about Julia Lipnitskaia after learning that she won gold at Finlandia. I can see that she’s beaten Akiko with her jumps but to me, Lipnitskaia looks and feels like a mini and awkward version of Sasha Cohen. Without Sasha’s musicality. She’s still quite young so who knows if that will change in the future.
While watching Julia Lipnitskaia skate this long program to “Schindler’s List,” I couldn’t help but notice how 1. her jumps are a little low and 2. how she comes out of a lot of her jumps with such little speed. She’s 15 now but I’m not sure if those jumps will last. She also seems like another “checklist skater” where her program is a list of things she needs to do. Maybe musicality will come to her with age but this is a good start to her season, she beat Akiko Suzuki at Finlandia to win the gold.
Yuzuru reused his “Parisienne Walkways” SP for this season. I love this program but what makes me angry is that he messed up the 3A – his best jump and the best jump in that program because of that difficult entry. Get it together, Yuzuru!
I was surprised to see Yuzuru skate to Romeo and Juliet again. I prefer the other version better but what can we do, really? Yuzuru did land two quads, which is impressive but let’s hope he doesn’t completely tucker out during the second half of the program. Maybe then we could have a veritable rival for Chan.
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva had a rough SP with a popped jump and fall. This girl still has starpower in spades but I’m not sure if her newfound curves will allow her to skate in the top echelons of the sport anymore. On the bright side, she did win bronze in this competition.
Elizaveta’s LP wasn’t as disastrous and was less painful to watch. There were a few bobbles here and there but she reminded us here how she can sell a program so well. Malaguena is an overused piece of music but she made it her own. I’m happy that she’s proven that she’s better than that SP at Finlandia.
Japan Open
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Daisuke so sloppy and uninspiring. If it weren’t for that final step sequence, I would have totally forgotten why I liked this guy in the first place. It is the beginning of the season and mistakes are aplenty but I have the sad feeling that the his reign as the top Japanese man is decisively at its end with the only consolation that Prince Yuzuru is a worthy successor. Daisuke is as expressive as ever but his jumps seem to have failed him and his final spins were rather sloppy. Furthermore, I actually have more scruples with his program more than anything. I love the Beatles and all but a depressing accordion (or accordion-sounding) version of Beatles songs? And don’t get me started on the numerous pauses throughout the program. I hate pauses in ice dance programs but even that pales in comparison with the long, unnecessary, nonsensical, pose-y pauses in singles skating. I smell Morozov, even though the internet says Lori Nichol choreographed this.
This wasn’t a terrible skate other than the singled triple axel combination jump but why is it that I can’t seem to remember any distinctive aspect of this program? Takahiko Kozuka is talented but we’ve seen the same thing for so many years. In terms of his actual skating, it’s miles ahead of where Daisuke is right now. I think if we combined Daisuke’s flair for drama and emotion on ice with Takahiko’s current skating ability, we’d have a great skater who might be able to beat Yuzuru at Nationals (and a less tough decision as to who to send to the Olympics) but right now, the Japan’s figure skating union seems to have a very interesting conundrum on who to send to Sochi.
Some minor bobbles, but Javier Fernandez is off to a good start. Did I count 3 quads in that program? I think this program will grow on me as the season goes by but it’s quite a charming thing – very Kurt Browning-esque. What I am worried about it that Javier tends to peak early in the season and he tends to lose a little steam after the GP series. However, if his bronze at the last World Champions is any indication, I think he’s getting better at being prepared for some of the more important competitions at the end of the season.
I think this is the best I’ve seen Mao skate in a while. Her triple axel was two-footed and there were a few bobbles and a double rather than a triple-toe tacked on the back of a double axel but there was something in that performance that I haven’t seen in a while from Mao. Also, I can’t help but feel that Mao looks taller, longer and just lean this season. She doesn’t look like the wisp of a thing she was even back in Vancouver and I can’t help but wonder if she had her growth spurt a little later. In any case, this is actually quite a good program for Mao. It’s heavy but not too heavy like her “Bells of Moscow” LP from the last Olympic season and she’s matured to the point where she can be fierce and pretty. I like this new Mao and I hope that she grows stronger and stronger.
Ashley Wagner had the most solid skate of the Japan Open performances which will get her fans very excited. Somehow, though, I’m left feeling nothing. From the katakana text on the video, I believe she was skating to “Romeo and Juliet” but I don’t get that impression, even though she clearly stabs herself at the end and there’s a lot of angsty, angry music. Maybe it was the windmill arms during the first step sequence or that my brain is shouting at me, “She’s acting!” rather than “She’s living the character,” but that’s all a matter of opinion, I suppose. I think her fans will be happy that Ashley’s off to a great start while I will sit here for another five minutes to ponder upon how I felt about this performance. So far, I feel nothing, which confuses me a bit because, as I said, it’s a solid skate.
Watching Adelina Sotnikova skate made me want to pull out my hair. Actually, it would’ve been better if you watch this program on silent because Rondo Capricioso (at least, that’s what the Japanese text said what the music was called) is quite a pretty tune but the costume and the program just screamed tacky. I also didn’t even know what happened to that double axel in the middle of the program. What *kills* me is that Adelina could be so much better if she had better programs. Sigh. I’m not sure if I can digest that program again this season.
You could tell that Kanako wasn’t happy with that performance and I will tell you now, neither was I. Ok, she missed quite a few jumps – I’ll let that slip for now since it’s the beginning of the season and from what I’ve seen so far, there were a lot of uninspiring performances at the Japan Open. What bugged me even more than the missed jumps was the lack of expression. Last season, Kanako impressed me so much with this newfound maturity and musicality. Her “Prayer for Taylor” SP was gorgeous – great choreography, well-skated and with a calmness and quiet passion that went perfectly with the music. Her tango LP became a tough contender for my favourite LP of the season – and this is quite a statement seeing that her competition was Akiko Suzuki’s magnificent “O” program. I’m disappointed because I know that Kanako can do better than checking off a to-do list – which seems to be what she did here. This is “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” from Yentl. The song lyrics and melody and the plot of the film is simple enough – a daughter yearns for her dead father. I’m not too fond of the music cuts but the plaintive, sad melody shouldn’t be out of Kanako’s acting range.
So, in short, I expect Kanako to do better next time and I know she will too. I’m looking forward to seeing this program grow and develop though. I think this program has the potential to be heart-wrenching.
What are your thoughts on the figure skating pre-season?
As I was watching Madison Chock skate her Dr. Zhivago FS with Evan Bates, I had a nagging feeling that she looked like someone else. My mind wandered to Les Miz… and then, I got it. When her face was at certain angles, she looked like Lea Salonga who’s had quite the musical career.
Lea Salonga:
Madison Chock:
In case you were wondering about Lea Salonga’s musical career, here is one of the best renditions of “On My Own.” Ever.
Do you think they look alike? Or do you have any look-alikes you want to share? Let me know!
Oh you aio;sfjsdifjadsl;kjf;asjfs. WordPress or my computer or the gremlins deleted the stuff I wrote just now. $%#@. Here we go again. Attempt #2 at writing this.
Also, this will be post #300 for the Rinkside Cafe! Woo!
A new article on icenetwork.com has surfaced and it seems as if Igor has not defected back to the Russians… yet. In any case, he has moved to Novi Ice Arena in Novi, Michigan which isn’t supposed to be too far from Arctic Edge. With Marina too preoccupied with the top Canadians and Americans, I guess it doesn’t come as a surprise that a somewhat no-name team like Madison Chock & Evan Bates have left Arctic Edge with Igor who may be able to politick them somewhere. Nonetheless, this couple has long ways to go – they need to solidify their partnership and actually give it some chemistry. One of the biggest problems of Samuelson & Bates was that they felt like a brother and sister couple, which was detrimental to their programs despite Emily’s perfect toe points.
Either way, they’ll have to fight their way to the number 1 position – something that won’t happen until Meryl & Charlie retire – if they are to get any sort of backing from the USFSA. You saw how the judges sank the Shibuntanis so easily through their mistakes this season. Being the #2 Americans made those low scores even easier to dish out. In any case, I admit to having my reservations about this team. We’ll just have to see them in the new season
to see how they improve. Because, seriously icenetwork, finishing 5th in a GP event is not a compliment to your career since there are only 8 teams per competition which means they were in the bottom half of skaters.
I apologize for the delay in my blog post about Chocks/Bates’ FD. The busiest part of my week is over so now I have a bit of free time.
This new partnership isn’t an absolute mistake and it’ll take some time to solidify but it seems as if they’re on the right track. Unfortunately, though, their FD was pretty unmemorable (they are probably pretty low on Marina and Igor’s priority list at this point) and I had to rewatch it today because I had forgotten my thoughts on it and what happened in the dance when I watched it a few days ago.
The program itself isn’t bad, it’s certainly more interesting than the Shibutanis’ FD since it’s not a watered down version of Tessa and Scott’s program but these two really need to tell more of a story with it. Commitment, commitment, commitment. It’s the beginning of the season so I’m sure that’ll come as the season progresses. Madison is definitely the better performer of the pair as she’s more expressive but she should take a few lessons from Evan on how to hold herself and how to move her arms. Evan’s arms and lines with his arms were completely mesmerizing to me. I think the key word for this team is time even I’m not sure if the politics of the sport will let them go very very far.
The Finlandia trophy is more like a test run for skaters sans the cheesefest factor. This year, the ice dance competition is quite exciting since there are a few A and Asian F list competitors.
Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, Olympic Champions are the most obvious members of the A-list skaters competing at Finlandia. Their rumba SD is a sort of condensed version of their FD from the previous season. The program does look a little busy sometimes and empty at others but my major problem is… for a dance that’s supposed to be sensual and sexy, the rumba compulsory dance feels very G-rated. (Even more so when the Shibutanis do it.)
Still, this is a very solid performance and these two look a lot stronger now that Tessa’s had time to recuperate from her surgery. Knowing these two, they’ll improve gradually and steadily over the season. I want these two to skate this program with a little more attack (especially Scott) but one positive aspect of the performance: Tessa’s killing it. She’s usually been the more reserved performer of the two but here, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. Come on, Scott! I know you have it in you. Another positive thing: Tessa’s finally wearing something that not black, white or red, though I do prefer the gold number she wore at Worlds last season.
Score:68.74
The Shibutanis burst onto the senior scene last year, making a bang with their bronze at Worlds. They have a bit of a disadvantage with the rumba since it’s supposed to be a sensual dance. Their program isn’t that bad and it seems as if they are actually trying to break out of their “cute” image. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a bit of a tough season but I hope that they can take it in stride and use it as a learning experience. These two can’t be adorable for the rest of their lives and the challenge of doing a convincing rumba (or any other passionate dance) is one they need to surmount in order to be great ice dancers. For now, the siblings need to work on their hip action, bring a lot more energy and learn to shake it like it’s nobody’s business. On a more positive note: either Maia has grown and/or her extension has really, really improved. She looks like she’s ten feet tall when she stretches her limbs. She has really great posture which gives her the most gorgeous lines. (Take note please, Meryl.)
Score: 58.45
Among the Asian-F list is the new team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates. To be truthful, I never really paid attention to Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein. At all. I did, however, watch Evan and Emily’s programs a few times and I did see them live 2 years ago at Skate Canada. I’m more of an Emily Samuelson fan – I envied her gorgeous red hair and adored her toe points but I admit I’m curious about how her partner is doing after the supposed rough split.
For a new team, their chemistry is impressive. However, I really wish that these two (and well, everyone in the top three with the exception of Tessa) to put more commitment into the performance. Madison’s arm movements look a bit unpolished and junior-ish but overall, this team shows a little promise but I’m not too thrilled with them. I really don’t see them winning any World medals… unless a ton of people get injured… or drop out of a competition… after they’ve been partners for about 5 (or more) seasons.
Score: 53.91
I’m super excited about the FD. There’s already a video of Tessa and Scott’s FD practice. It looks like it’s going to be a routine that will just bring a smile on your face. I sincerely hope that this is the case.
Here’s another Tessa and Scott practice video:
Aunt Joyce has a few others and more in this blog post.
The Rinkside Cafe 