2012 US Figure Skating Championships: Senior Pairs Preview

Podium Predictions:
1) Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig 
2) Caydee Denney & John Coughlin
3) Mary-Beth Marley & Rockne Brubaker
4) Tiffany Vise & Don Baldwin


Last year we had a sentimental favorite in Yankowskas & Coughlin and they won gold. This year we have another sentimental favorite in Evora & Ladwig, a team that has been so close to gold for so many years but can't ever quite get there. I don't want to suggest that if they win it will be by default, but they have so much more experience skating together than most of the teams in this event that it's not even funny. I say it all the time, but we can't truly appreciate the beauty of the pairs elements and the artistry if they don't land the jumps. I truly think they will win, but I want them to get their gold in high fashion with two clean programs.

Denney & Coughlin own the last two gold medals from the US Championships, albeit with different partners. They teamed up in the summer and have been quite successful together. They've avoided major mistakes in competition, but their connection, artistry, and polish need fine tuning. They are a solid bet for one of the top two spots and a spot on the world team. If they are clean and Evora & Ladwig make mistakes, they'll likely win. The judges seem to really like them so I don't see them going below second unless they fall apart.

I really took to Marley & Brubaker last year at Nationals. I have always been a Rockne fan and found Mary Beth very refreshing. They had a solid debut in 4th last year and they've been able to get some international exposure at 4 Continents and Skate America. They have a lot of work to do in terms of artistry and building Mary Beth's confidence, but they'll get there if they STAY TOGETHER. I cannot stress enough how much I want these teams to stay together. They have switched coaches from John Nicks to Meno & Sand which should work out well in my opinion. Mr Nicks is a fantastic pairs coach, but he is aging and he has singles students to worry about. Meno & Sand are arguably the most successful US Pair team ever so they know what they're talking about.

Fourth is a tough position to call because anyone could land there, but I'm going with Vise & Baldwin. They had a very respectable showing at Skate America and skated two clean programs. They don't have all the acrobatic tricks of the younger teams, but they have a maturity that only comes with years and years of experience. I'm not about to suggest that they are world class or that they will ever contend for any major international titles, but it would be nice to see them on the podium.


Competitors:


Andrews/LeDuc-BYE
Cain/Reagan-BYE-6th at 2011 Cup of Russia (138.02)
Castelli/Shnapir-BYE-7th at 2011 NHK Trophy (149.02)
Chanel-Bautista/Harris-3rd at 2011 Eastern Sectionals (124.67)
Denney/Coughlin-BYE-4th at 2011 Skate America (175.40); 5th at 2011 NHK Trophy (163.75)
Donlan/Sperof-1st at 2011 Eastern Sectionals (152.73)
Evora/Ladwig-4th at 2011 Cup of China (170.63); 4th at 2011 TEB (169.58)
Fehr/Biver-BYE
Marley/Brubaker-BYE-7th at 2011 Skate America (144.80)
Poapst/Knierim-BYE
Scimeca/Dimitrov-4th at 2011 Eastern Sectionals (110.80)
Vise/Baldwin-BYE-6th at 2011 Skate America (155.42)
Zhang/Bartholomay-2nd at 2011 Eastern Sectionals (131.08)

2011 Skate America: Pairs Preview

This pairs event won't be much of a competition for the the top spot, but it's going to be a dog fight for the rest of the medals. I'll be live blogging ever moment so check in with me 9:55 pm EST this Saturday for the short program and on Sunday at 4:00 pm for the free skate.

3-time and reigning World Champions Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy (GER) should easily run away with this title. They are so far above the rest of this field that they'll be using the event as a way to test out their new programs in front of the judges rather than worrying about the competition. Vera Bazarova & Yuri Larionov (RUS) are a good bet for Silver because they are gorgeous when their programs are clean, though Vera has been known to have problems on her jumps. Caydee Denney & John Coughlin (USA), the much-hyped new pair made a strong debut at Nebelhorn Trophy and beat Bazarova & Larionov in the short program, though their weaknesses were highlighted when the Russians blew them away in the free and knocked them into 3rd. They are a very athletic pair and have a lot of drive and enthusiasm, but their polish and chemistry is still lacking and will be until they get some more experience together under their belts.  Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang (CHN) are a true wild card because nobody has seen them skate in over a year. In their prime, 06-09, they were World medalists and Olympic medalists, but they've fizzled out since then and rumor has it, the once tiny Dan has gone through a growth spurt which can ruin pair elements.  Kirsten Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch (CAN) won a surprise Silver medal here last year but fizzled out later in the season. They have some great tricks but are very rough around the edges and have had consistency issues. They'll need another high-scoring free skate like Les Miserables last season to break win another medal. Maylin Hausch & Daniel Wende (GER) are not to be counted out either and have been steadily improving. They are not at the level of their countrymen but they did win a surprise Bronze on the Grand Prix last season. Mary-Beth Marley & Rockne Brubaker (USA) are another wild card because they impressed us all with a 4th place at US Nationals and then fell apart last year at Four Continents. Mary-Beth is still new to pairs skating, but I'm expecting more from them now that they've been together for about a year and a half. They aren't in the medal hunt, but they can set themselves up for the rest of the season but skating cleanly and impressing the judges. Tiffany Vise & Don Baldwin (USA) debuted at Nebelhorn this season and weren't too shabby.They are an older team and won't have their sites set on medals or titles, but it is great for them to just get out there and get some International exposure.

My Podium Predictions:
1) Savchenko & Szolkowy (GER)
2) Bazarova & Larionov (RUS)
3) Denney & Coughlin (USA)


My USFSA Fantasy Picks:
A) Savchenko & Szolkowy (GER)
B) Denney & Coughlin (USA)
C) Marley & Brubaker (USA)


Competitive History:


Vera Bazarova & Yuri Larionov (RUS)-2nd 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy, 5th 2011 Worlds, 3rd 2011 Europeans, 5th 2010 Grand Prix Final, 2nd 2010 Trophee Eric Bompard, 2nd 2010 NHK Trophy, 1st 2010 Nebelhorn Trophy; PB: 188.24 at 2011 Europeans 


Caydee Denney & John Coughlin (USA)-3rd 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy, PB: 175.94 (Yankowskas/Coughlin) at 2011 Worlds; PB: 62.73 at 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy


Maylin Hausch & Daniel Wende (GER)-4th 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy, 12th 2011 Worlds, 6th 2011 Europeans, 1st 2011 Bavarian Open, 3rd 2010 Trophee Eric Bompard, 1st 2010 Ice Challenge, 7th 2010 NHK Trophy, 5th 2010 Nebelhorn Trophy; PB: 157.42 at 2010 Trophee Eric Bompard


Mary Beth Marley & Rockne Brubaker (USA)-8th 2011 Four Continents, 1st 2011 Nestle Cup; PB: 144.46 at 2011 Four Fontinents


Kirsten Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch (CAN)-8th 2011 Worlds, 5th 2011 Four Continents, 6th 2010 Grand Prix Final, 2nd 2010 Skate America, 2nd 2010 Skate Canada; PB: 175.48 at 2010 Skate America


Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy (GER)-1st 2011 Worlds, 1st 2011 Europeans, 1st 2010 Grand Prix Final, 1st 2010 Trophee Eric Bompard, 1st 2010 Skate America, 2nd 2010 Worlds, 3rd 2010 Winter Olympics; PB: 217.85 at 2011 Worlds


Tiffany Vise & Don Baldwin (USA)-7th 2011 Nebelhorn Trophy, 8th 2011 US Nationals, 2nd 2010 Ice Challenge; PB: 165.76 (Vise/Trent) at 2007 Trophee Eric Bompard


Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang (CHN)-5th 2010 Worlds, 5th 2010 Winter Olympics, 6th 2009 Grand Prix Final; PB: 197.82 at 2008 Worlds