2012 US Figure Skating Championships: Junior Free Dance (Final Group) LIVE Commentary

Will we see some body checking from the top two teams like we did in the short dance?
Will the Parsons sibs be technically proficient again and win the TES mark?
Can Bonacorsi/Mager make up the 1-point difference and win the Gold?
Making the top 3 is crucial, because they will most likely comprise the World team.

9) Lauri Bonacorsi & Travis Mager

   Music: Close to You

•  Spot on 3-twizzle set with really interesting arms
• They've grown a lot this season, particularly in the performance quality
• Nice deep edging and great extension
• Lauri's posture is better in this dance than in the short
• Feed froze for about 30 seconds
• This music is very high drama, very early 2000s ice dance
• They are a very well matched team, they relate to one another well
• Nice speed in the curve lift
• Very wild on that rotational lift, he almost lost her, that was almost disastrous
• Good save, solid finish
• Very mature program, they're ready to move up to senior

 41.07 (TES) + 39.27 (PCS) = 80.34

 53.39 (SD) + 80.34 (FD) = 133.73

10) Rachel Parsons & Michael Parsons

   Music: To Glory, Enigmatic Soul

•  Great upside down lift
• I just love Michael's posture and extension
• I'd love to see her relax her upper body a little more 
• Nice set of twizzles, lacked a little bit of speed
• I'd love to see them make top 3 and get to go to Jr. Worlds
• Nice toe point on the dance spin
• A little slow on the spin
• Really nice positions in the curve lift
• They seem to be running out of speed, but they're picking it up here in this musical change
• They have some really acrobatic lifts
• That final one-arm lift was very cool
• Very strong finish, good program overall for them
• Some of the lift exits need work, but a ton of potential
• They'll be a team to watch next year at this level

 36.22 (TES) + 36.24 (PCS) = 72.46

 50.80 (SD) + 72.46 (FD) = 123.26

11) Alexandra Aldridge & Daniel Eaton

   Music: Lord of the Dance

•  I'm obsessed with this piece
• This music is beautiful
• Great show of strength in that upside down lift
• Perfect unison on those twizzles
• They look so polished this season, like a completely different team from last season
• They have the attitude of this piece down pat
• Fantastic costuming
• I love how they relate to one another
• They look like they get so much joy from skating
• I love the Lord of the Dance part, it's absolutely rapturous
• Fantastic, I wouldn't change a thing about that

 42.93 (TES) + 44.75 (PCS) = 87.68

 54.42 (SD) + 87.68 (FD) = 142.10

12) Madeline Heritage & Nathaniel Fast

   Music: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Medley

• Nice Tanith Belbin lift 
• Oh no what happened there, some kind of misstep or slip, they lost their footing and rhythm
• I am obsessed with her costume
• They have a very mature look about them
• Very nice flexibility on that spinning lift
• This piece should make me want to get up and dance, but it's not doing much for me really
• It seemed like a little bit of a struggle in places
• I love their look so much, a well matched team

  (TES) +  (PCS) = 69.35

 48.82 (SD) + 69.35 (FD) = 118.17

13) Lorraine McNamara & Quinn Carpenter

   Music:

• They are such a lovely team, they are younger than a lot of novice teams
• A little bit rough on the exits from some of the lifts
• This music sounds a little bit muddled to me
• Nice speed on the rotational lift, but the positions were a little muddled together
• A bit of a unison issue
• This team is going to be one to watch next year
• I wish they would have stuck with the lyrical elegance, I could do without the techno beat, but that's not their fault
• Very strong Jr. debut from them, they are definitely going places! 

 41.21 (TES) + 35.78 (PCS) = 76.99

 49.11 (SD) + 76.99 (FD) = 126.10

2012 US Figure Skating Championships: Junior Short Dance LIVE Commentary

1) Cassandra Jeandell & Damian Dodge
   Music: Let's Get Loud/Sway

• Good twizzling unison until the 3rd, they got a little close
• Looked like a little misstep on the first Cha Cha sequence
• A little bit of a botched hold on the 2nd Cha Cha sequence
• They went with the standard girl in bright costume and guy in all black
• He is definitely the star of this team, I love his facial expressions!
• That rotational lift in the haircutter position was wild, she looked like she was about to fly away
• He is an amazing performer, I'm loving him

20.42 (TES) + 17.12 (PCS) = 37.54

2) Roxette Howe & Mark Jahnke
   Music: El Beso Del Final/Dance With Me

• Very passionate piece, right from the beginning
• Nice change of position lift with him in that low squat
• They both have very expressive upper bodies
• She looks like Lynn Kriengkrairut
• Good clean edging on the Cha Cha patterns from what I can see

25.57 (TES) + 17.76 (PCS) = 43.33

3) Jessica Mancini & Tyler Brooks
   Music: Haitian Lady

• That's quite an elaborate costume she has on there
• She's grown up a lot since last year
• Good use of the arms for drama's sake by Jessica
• She really plays to the audience well
• I really like the Cha Cha compulsory patterns
• Their height difference is pretty huge, it's impressive that his posture is so good
• Wow, nearly hit the wall there
• This piece is very seamless, you don't see it as separate elements
• Nice rotational lift with his change of height, she breaks form a little on the exit 

26.00 (TES) + 19.81 (PCS) = 45.81

4) Jenny Dzierzanowski & Vinny Dispenza
   Music: Hot Hot Hot/Smooth

• Wow guys those names are mouthfuls!
• Major unison issues on the twizzles, she did at least two rotations lest than him
• Her posture needs some work
• I'm really surprised we haven't heard more hot, hot, hot this season
• He seems to be much more advanced than she is, or else he copes with the nerves better
• This piece is really picking, they're really building
• Oh no, a double fall, and just when they were getting their momentum!

16.09 (TES) + 13.98 (PCS) -2.00 (DED) = 28.07

5) Lauri Bonacorsi & Travis Mager
   Music: Chilly Cha Cha/Besame Mucho

• Very fiery and sharp right from the beginning, they are really going after it
• Very very close together on the twizzles, slight lack of unison on the arms in set #3
• Lauri seems a little hunched over, very nice posture from Travis
• Nice change of position lift, but very close to the wall
• Nice clean holds in the Cha Cha sequences, good use of arms to accent
• Travis is a great partner
• Very solid, no visible errors other than posture

28.35 (TES) + 25.04 (PCS) = 53.39

6) Rachel Parsons & Michael Parsons
   Music: Psychedelic Sally

• Love these kids!
• I love this piece of music
• Very cute costumes, very age appropriate, I love the full skirt
• Nice change of position lift, a little choppy in the position changes
• Michael has beautiful leg line
• Slight unison issue on the not-touching sequence
• Michael was just a hair faster than Rachel on the twizzles
• I like her positions a lot on the rotational lift
• Really clean edges on the Cha Cha patterns from what I can see
• Good speed and flow throughout
• They are really well matched in terms of size and height

28.93 (TES) + 21.87 (PCS) = 50.80

7) Alexandra Aldridge & Daniel Eaton
   Music: I Need To Know

• Here comes my favorite team right here!
• Alexandra is working it tonight
• She has great hip action, and she's working the Meryl Davis double ponytail!
• Great entry into the straight line lift
• I've never seen her so sassy before
• Great use of the free arm
• They are getting really close to the boards
• This is so fast right here at the end and they are really keeping up their energy throughout
• Tiny stumble by Alexandra toward the end, they started to get slightly out of control toward the end, but fantastic overall

27.71 (TES) + 26.71 (PCS) = 54.42

8) Elliana Pogrebinsky & Ross Gudis
   Music: Relax Max

• These costumes don't scream Latin to me, they look more Egyptian or something
• This team looks very novice to me for some reason
• Mirroring twizzles are always hard to see unison issues, I suspect that's why teams do them
• This program is a little slow moving for me
• Nice team, but they had a tough act to follow

25.86 (TES) + 20.81 (PCS) = 46.67

9) Amanda Bertsch & Sam Kaplun
   Music: Medley

• I think I love that dress....it's very Tanith Belbin
• Slight unison issue right at the end of the twizzle
• Really good speed
• I like that layback lift
• I like her expression a lot
• The thing I love about ice dance is that they know how to stay in character

25.08 (TES) + 19.80 (PCS) = 44.88

10) Lorraine McNamara & Quinn Carpenter
   Music: Kaboom/Gabrie's Oboe

• OMG I love their grand entrance to center ice, how dramatic
• I love a good boot cover!
• They are precious, younger than most of the Novice teams
• Their foot work is great in that Cha Cha pattern
• This piece of music is fantastic for this dance
• They are fantastic, I love the joy they show out there
• Really nice twizzle set
• I don't know how I feel about Gabriel's Oboe over a Cha Cha rhythm
• They are cute, but I don't get the theme, the costumes, or the elaborate entrance
• This piece was short on Latin, but heavy on cute

28.20 (TES) + 20.91 (PCS) = 49.11

11) Danielle Gamelin & Alexander Gamelin
   Music: Corazon Espinado/La Vide es un Carnaval

• Holy big hair
• Wow she almost clipped his head with her skate, that would've been horrible!
• Really close holds in the Cha Cha patterns
• Really unfortunate double fall into the boards just as they were clicking along
• He's just a hair faster than her on the twizzles
• She looks shaken up after that fall, I hope she didn't hurt herself
• Nice upside down lift
• Really good dance from them, very sad about the falls

19.36 (TES) + 18.96 (PCS) -2.00 (DED) = 36.32

12) Kaitlyn Hawayek & Michael Bramante
   Music: Sway/Tequila

• Slight unison issue on 1st twizzle
• OMG they had identical facial expressions coming out of the 1st twizzle
• I really like that color on her
• This team is really high energy
• Fantastic speed on the rotational lift
• Great death drop spin
• She is thrilled with that performance, as she should be!

25.50 (TES) + 21.35 (PCS) = 46.85

13) Madeline Heritage & Nathaniel Fast
   Music: Make You Feel My Love/Rolling In The Deep

• I'm not loving that costume on her at all, it's too muted for Latin
• Nice backbend lift
• This dance is very smooth, but it's not latin at all
• Putting bongos under Adele does not a latin dance
• This team looks very mature
• Slight stumble in the 2nd Cha Cha pattern, a little bit of a hold issue
• They look to have lost their focus and speed a little
• That final rotational lift got a huge audience response!

28.43 (TES) + 20.39 (PCS) = 48.82