2011 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Cup of China Mens Free Skate LIVE BLOG

1) Richard Dornbush (USA)
     Music: A Fistful of Dollars, The Lone Ranger

• Nice Quad toe, just a hand down
• Solid triple lutz
• 3a-3t combination, stumble out of the 2nd jump
• He's a good spinner as well
• He really does have the whole package and he'll continue to grow and improve as he matures
• Nice big triple axel there
• I really do love this program
• So far so good on the technique
• He really goes after this footwork, I love the choreography of the whole piece
• It's a very American program, how will it hold up in International competition?
• Good set Ricky!

FS Score: 76.78 (TES) + 65.56 (PCS) = 142.34
Total Score: 62.93 (SP) + 142.34 (FS) = 205.27

2) Kevin Reynolds (CAN)
     Music: Chrono Trigger

• A struggle on the jumps, two falls thus far
• Jumps are his strength, he's in for a tough ride if he can't land them
• That was a tough program for him
• After the falls on the jumps he couldn't get himself back into it
• The audience was really wowed by his final headless scratch spin

FS Score: 79.30 (TES) + 62.80 (PCS) - 2.00 (DED) = 140.10
Total Score: 64.31 (SP) + 140.10 (FS) = 204.41

3) Jialiang Wu (CHN)
     Music: Tango

• I'd love a costume deduction
• Huge 3 axel combo, shaky in the air but he found his feet
• Stumble and fall on 2nd 3A attempt
• I wouldn't call this a program, it's really just a string of jumps
• I thought the music stopped there for a minute
• 2A-2-2 sequence, the landings are getting really messy at this point
• A designer needs to come in and re-costume the entire Chinese team
• He kind of looks like Hao Zhang

FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 65.06 (SP) + (FS) =

4) Nan Song (CHN)
     Music: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

• A really good jumper this guy
• Huge Quad toe combo and solo Quad toe
• Plus he attempts to actually put together and perform a program unlike the other Chinese men
• He really is quite a charming skater to watch
• He'll need more speed and better choreography if he ever hopes to contend for medals
• It's good to see the Quad is alive and well in China
• The upside down butt spin is big in China, I wish it would die

FS Score: 86.46 (TES) + 67.58 (PCS) = 154.03
Total Score: 72.72 (SP) + 154.03 (FS) = 226.75

5) Nobunari Oda (JPN)
     Music: Les Parapluies de Cherbourg

• To Quad or not to Quad?
• His attention to artistry and interpretation has improved greatly
• Huge 3a-2-2 with the softest knees of anyone out there
• 3lz-3t
• I love the footwork out of that triple loop
• Huge stumble, not sure if it was quite a fall or not
• He needed to perfect to win without the Quad, now he needs to hope for mistakes from the rest of the field
• Great triple axel, lands so low in the knees I just die for it
• He lands so low, he practically get's eaten up by the fog
• I appreciate that he is now paying attention to things other than just the jumps
• Fast steps into a very abrupt ending

FS Score: 74.30 (TES) + 76.16 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 149.46
Total Score: 77.65 (SP) + 149.46 (FS) = 227.11

6) Jeremy Abbott (USA)
     Music: Exogenesis

• Went for a Quad toe and sat it down, it looked rotated to me
• Nice glide out of the triple axel
• I'm dying over his toe point on the low sit spin
• Wonderful use of the upper body and overall carriage
• Triple lutz into footwork
• This is wonderful choreography, not a moment is wasted
• Doubled the 2nd triple axel attempt
• 3lutz-2-2 combo
• He is carrying really nice speed and overall flow across the ice
• He seems to be in great shape, doesn't look tired at all here in the final section
• This is a really well paced, smartly composed program
• Yuka will be pleased!

FS Score: 69.67 (TES) + 80.50 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 149.17
Total Score: 79.32 (SP) + 149.17 (FS) = 228.49

7) Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN)
     Music: Romeo & Juliet

• Huge Quad there
• Huge triple axel
• He is skating like a bat out of hell, he needs to calm down or he'll run out of gas
• This kid is amazing, he has the whole package and he may be the one to challenge Chan once he can learn to reign in his power
• Very hard fall there, nearly a face plant and a hard time getting up, lead to another hard fall that he struggles to get up from
• Two major splats and he'll still score quite well on the strength of the rest of the program
• I think he is the only man doing a Bielmann nowadays

FS Score: 72.80 (TES) + 75.36 (PCS) - 2.00 (DED) = 145.16
Total Score: 81.37 (SP) + 145.16 (FS) = 226.53

8) Artur Gachinski (RUS)
     Music: Interview with a Vampire, Bram Stoker's Dracula

• Eats it on his opening Quad
• Wild triple axel, stumble out
• At this point he's given away the 2 point lead he had in the short on the fall and the steps out
• This step sequence is so slow, he's practically walking out there
• Opened up another jump
• He is just like Plushenko, cat-like in that he can save many jumps that are really ugly and contorted in the air and still find his feet
• He looks really tired whereas Jeremy maintained his energy level throughout 
• That was a very messy program, if Jeremy doesn't win this is a problem

FS Score: 69.04 (TES) + 72.86 (PCS) - 1.00 (DED) = 140.90
Total Score: 81.64 (SP) + 140.90 (FS) = 222.54