BackStage Barbie: ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Skate Canada Mens Free Skate

1) Grant Hochstein (USA) **
Music: Adagio of Spartacus

I don't remember how old he is, but he looks young to me
Wow that was a tough fall on that second jump, i hope he didn't injure his leg
He has a nice expressive, lyrical quality on the ice
Other than that fall, his jumps seem to be clean and fully rotated
He jumps and spins to the right which only about 10% of skaters do; this makes jump identification difficult for me because everything is opposite
I would like for his split jumps to be higher if he is going to include them in his program
Pretty clean overall for this young skater
FS Score: 64.54 (technical) + 61.22 (presentation) - 1.00 (deduction) = 124.67
56.98 (SP) + 124.67 (FS) = 181.65

2) Kristoffer Berntsson (Sweden) **
Music: Michael Jackson Medley

The musical transitions are very awkward
All of his jumps seem to be a fight to land
All the crotch grabbing is awkward and distracting
I cannot tell if he meant to go in the direction of the judges table or if he hit the boards during his footwork
He seems to be losing focus and really falling apart
I don't think this program suits him very well as the rock motif is making him look thrashy and flaily
FS Score: 55.71 (technical) + 62.64 (presentation) = 118.35
57.59 (SP) + 118.35 (FS) = 175.84

3) Paolo Bacchini (Italy)
Music:

Nice big opening jump
That was a very wild second jump; under-rotated and hands down
This footwork seems to flail a lot, he looks out of breath and out of control
His jumps scare me; they look very wild
I think he needs to breathe and relax a little more out on the ice
He looks visibly very upset with his performance
FS Score: 49.60 (technical) + 59. 22 (presentation) - 1.00 (deduction) = 107.82
59.78 (SP) + 107.82 (FS) =167.60

4) Jeremy Ten (Canada)
Music: The Queen Symphony

That first jump was huge
I am trying to remember where I've heard this music before
He gets an incredible amount of height on his jumps height on his jumps which is amazing to watch
A tough fall mid-program
It appears a pant strap or shoelace broke, he approaches referee
Looks like he is picking up where he left off
Something like that would have to rattle a performer
A pretty good program for Jeremy in light of the skate/pant issue
FS Score: 67.66 (technical) + 64.50 (presentation) - 1.00 (deduction) = 131.16
60.71 (SP) + 131.16 (FS) = 191.86

5) Yasuharu Nanri (Japan)
Music: Carmen

Every year, without fail, there is somebody who performs Carmen
Second jump of opening combination looked under-rotated to me
Spins look a little slow to me
He looked very tired on the ice, everything seemed labored
He is either under-trained or perhaps is not feeling well
I always wish they had better microphones in the kiss and cry to hear skaters and coaches
FS Score: 69.56 (technical) + 58.40 (presentation) = 127.96
61.00 (SP) + (FS) = 188.96

6) Artur Gachinski (Russia)
Music: The Bolt by Shastokovich

Looks very shaky in his warm-up before taking center ice
Wow he really saved that first landing
Everything this kid does reminds me of Plushenko from the jumps to the expressions on the ice
FS Score: 73.91 (technical) + 63.60 (presentation) = 137.51
66.56 (SP) + 137.51 (FS) = 204.08

7) Javier Fernandez (Spain) **
Music: Pirates of the Caribbean

That was a huge quad to start with
Another huge jump
This is great music for a male figure skater
I don't know how he saved that 3rd jump, it was very tilted
I love to see men choose masculine pieces of music; Alexei Yagudin and Brian Joubert were always good at that
The footwork lacked speed for me, I get the idea behind "looking drunk" but it did not work
Popped a jump, but landed the second jump in the combination cleanly
So far it looks liek his jumping technique is fairly solid
Some of the later jumps were landed a little low to the ice, maybe weak legs
Looking very tired toward the end of the program
FS Score: 75.11 (technical) + 69.00 (presentation) = 144.11
66.74 (SP) + 144.11 (FS) = 210.85

8) Alban Preaubert (France) **
Music: Piano Trio

9) Patrick Chan (Canada) **
Music: Phantasia by Lloyd Webber

What an odd comparison, but Chan reminds me of Sasha Cohen in that when he is on, he is really beautiful, but when he is off, he crumbles
A beautiful quad followed by a hard fall on a triple axel
This is really a gorgeous program thanks to Lori Nichol
I, however, don't agree with skaters keeping programs for two seasons as it gives them an unfair advantage
Even with the fall, I expect very high scores as Chan always seems to be a judges' favorite
FS Score: 83.18 (technical) + 84.18 (presentation) - 1.00 (deduction) = 166.32
73.20 (SP) + 166.32 (FS) = 239.53

10) Adam Rippon (USA)
Music: Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninoff

11) Kevin Reynolds (Canada)
Music: Strauss

This kid is a jumper for sure
He also is pretty artistic so what can I say, the kid has potential!
Just popped open a jump, could definitely work on consistency but that will come
FS Score: 70.06 (technical) + 69.50 (presentation) - 1.00 (deduction) = 138.56
80.09 (SP) + 138.56 (FS) = 218.65

12) Nobunari Oda (Japan) **
Music: Piano Concerto no. 1 by Grieg

He is on my fantasy team so I'm nervous right now
He is looking very calm out there
His jumps are high and strong but he does not have the showmanship of his countryman Daisuke Takahashi
Nice solid spins, a little slow at times
I think this footwork is really lacking, as is his expression
FS Score: 81.87 (technical) + 74.28 (presentation) -1.00 (deduction) = 155.14
81.37 (SP) + 155.14 (FS) = 235.52

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