2011 Four Continents Championships: Free Dance

Final Standings

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CC	IT	Ded. -	StN.
1	Meryl DAVIS / Charlie WHITE	USA	103.02	50.01		53.01	8.79	8.75	8.96	8.89	8.86	0.00	#10
2	Maia SHIBUTANI / Alex SHIBUTANI	USA	93.34	48.76		44.58	7.50	7.21	7.43	7.54	7.61	0.00	#9
3	Vanessa CRONE / Paul POIRIER	CAN	90.17	47.27		42.90	7.32	6.89	7.29	7.11	7.29	0.00	#6
4	Kaitlyn WEAVER / Andrew POJE	CAN	85.69	42.29		43.40	7.29	7.07	7.14	7.39	7.39	0.00	#12
5	Madison CHOCK / Greg ZUERLEIN	USA	85.30	44.15		41.15	6.68	6.68	6.93	7.07	7.11	0.00	#5
6	Xintong HUANG / Xun ZHENG	CHN	77.36	40.01		37.35	6.25	6.00	6.29	6.36	6.39	0.00	#7
7	Xiaoyang YU / Chen WANG	CHN	75.17	40.92		34.25	5.75	5.46	5.82	5.82	5.86	0.00	#8
8	Xueting GUAN / Meng WANG	CHN	63.49	35.10		28.39	4.86	4.54	4.82	4.86	4.68	0.00	#3
9	Danielle OBRIEN / Gregory MERRIMAN	AUS	62.02	35.72		26.30	4.43	4.25	4.43	4.57	4.32	0.00	#1
10	Corenne BRUHNS / Benjamin WESTENBERGER	MEX	47.87	24.95		22.92	3.96	3.61	3.82	4.04	3.79	0.00	#4
11	Maria BOROUNOV / Evgeni BOROUNOV	AUS	43.71	24.66		19.05	3.46	2.96	3.11	3.29	3.14	0.00	#2
WDR	Tessa VIRTUE / Scott MOIR	CAN											#11

2011 US Figure Skating Championships: Senior Ice Dance Predictions and Fantasy Picks

My Predictions:

1) Meryl Davis & Charlie White

2) Madison Chock & Greg Zuerlein

3) Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani

4) Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell

5) Lynn Kriengkrairui & Logan Giulietti-Schmitt

6) Isabella Cannuscio & Ian Lorello

My Fantasy Picks:                                        SkateGate's Fantasy Pick:

A) Davis/White                                              A) Davis/White

B) Kriengkrairut/Giulietti-Schmitt                 B) Kriengkrairut/Giulietti-Schmitt

C) Hoptman/Filchenkov                                C) Hoptman/Filchenkov

If there is such a thing as a sure thing in figure skating these days, it is Meryl Davis and Charlie White. With Virtue and Moir out of the Grand Prix this season, they had not competition internationally and they should not be challenged at home this year at Nationals either. While the US has a strong field in the senior Ice Dance event, Davis and White would literally have to skip several elements in their programs to find themselves below the top spot of the podium. They have top scores of 68.64 in the short dance, 102.94 in the free dance, and an overall combined score of  171.58. These scores easily won them the Grand Prix Final gold for the second year in a row. While they do not have to worry about competition at Nationals, they can use the event as a chance to improve their technical levels and program components going into the World Championships where they are favored to win gold. 

Nipping at the heels of Davis and White are their training partners Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein and Maia and Alex Shibutani. Both of these teams are relatively young and train under Marina Zoueva and Igor Shpilband. Chock and Zuerlein are the 2009 Jr. National and World Champions and last year they debuted on the senior level with an impressive 5th place finish at Nationals. With a senior season under their belts, they looked poised to land in the number two spot in the US, though Maia and Alex Shibutani, the 2010 Jr. National Champions making their senior debut actually have put up higher scores on the Grand Prix.

Though the Shibutanis have put up slightly higher scores, particularly in the free dance, the teams are in a relative dead heat for the silver medal and I think that will be one of the most interesting battles of the event. I am torn because I love both teams so much and they bring very different things to the table. I don't think Chock and Zuerlein's short dance to Edith Piaf's waltzes suits them as well as it could. However, I love their free dance to Cabaret and it is just so quirky. They perform it so well and remind me of a young Joel Grey and Liza Minnelli. They definitely commit to the characters in a mature, yet whimsical way and because they are a Zoueva/Shpilband team, the technical content is obviously there. Their performances won them two bronze medals at their Grand Prix events this season.

I think the Shibutanis have a fantastic short dance and it is just so fluid and gorgeous. Part of that is that The Carousel Waltz is one of my favorite pieces of music on the planet, but they just perform it so incredibly well. They burst onto the senior Grand Prix circuit this year like seasoned professionals, winning two bronze medals in highly contested fields at both of their events. I think they were US bronze medal favorites going into this season, but after the scores they put up on the Grand Prix, they may just be favorites for silver in the minds of most.

While I and many other predict that these three Zoueva and Shpilband teams will sweep the podium, there are several other top teams just waiting to throw a wrench into that plan. Madison and Keiffer Hubbell had a disastrous short dance at Cup of China and though they came back with a stronger free, they still finished off of the podium. They had a much stronger start at Cup of Russia, but they withdrew due to illness, so they will have something to prove at nationals. If all goes according to plan, the Hubbells will make up the final warm up group with the three Zoueva/Shpilband teams, though I don't think they are at the same level as my perceived top three. Lynn Kriengkrairut and Logan Giulietti-Schmitt made a very strong showing at their lone Grand Prix event and actually scored higher than the Hubbells by about 10 points so we'll see if that was a precursor of things to come. Also, expect big things out of Isabella Cannuscio & Ian Lorello. Their overall score improved by about 15 points from their first Grand Prix to their second and if they can keep going, they'll be in the same score range as the the Hubbells and Kriengkrairut/Giulietti-Schmitt. Regardless of what happens, I am most looking forward to this event next weekend!

Countdown to US Figure Skating Championships: 30 Days!

Meryl Davis & Charlie White (Arctic FSC)

• 2009 US Champions
• 2009 Four Continents Champions
• 2009 Grand Prix Final Champions
• 2010 US Champions
• 2010 Olympic Silver Medalists
• 2010 World Silver Medalists
• 2010 Grand Prix Final Champions

If there is such a thing as a "sure thing" in figure skating these days, it is Meryl Davis & Charlie White. With reigning Olympic and World champions Virtue & Moir missing the Grand Prix this year due to injury, Davis & White soared above the competition. Even when their performances were flawed in earlier Grand Prix events, they were ahead of their challengers by leaps and bounds. They struggled a bit with their programs, particularly their free dance earlier in the season, but they gave a stellar showing of both of their programs at the Grand Prix Final and left with a gold medal. I think Ice Dance will be the only senior event at Nationals this year where there is not a showdown for gold as Davis & White have it locked up barring any major disasters. The real competition will be for silver and bronze between their training partners Maia & Alex Shibutani and Madison Chock & Greg Zuerlein. While I love to see great competition for the gold, it will be good for my nervous system to have one senior event that is not a complete nail-biter and the younger teams are sure to put up a fight to make the podium and qualify for the world team.

ISU Grand Prix: Skate America Free Dance

I apologize that I haven't yet watched the Skate America Free Dance, but here at the scores and final standings. I will try to watch the event in the next few days and give my commentary. Thanks so much for reading!

1) Frohberg & Giesen (Germany) 
  Music:

• FD Score: 31.86 (technical) + 28.29 (presentation) = 60.15
•  (SD) + 60.15 (FD) =

2) Reed & Reed (Japan)

    Music:

• FD Score: 35.30 (technical) + 33.69 (presentation) = 68.99
• (SD) + 68.99 (FD) =

3) Coomes & Buckland (Great Britain)

    Music:

• FD Score: 31.34 (technical) + 32.52 (presentation) - 2.00 (deductions)= 61.86
•  (SD) + 61.86 (FD) =

4) Krienkrairut & Giulietti-Schmitt (USA)

    Music:

• FD Score: 42.63 (technical) + 35.96 (presentation) = 78.58
•  (SD) + 78.58 (FD) =

5) Riazanova & Tkachenko (Russia)

    Music:

• FD Score: 40.53 (technical) + 41.09 (presentation) = 81.62
• (SD) + 81.62 (FD) =

6) Shibutani & Shibutani (USA)

    Music:

• FD Score: 46.79 (technical) + 41.56 (presentation) = 88.35
•  (SD) + 88.35 (FD) =

7) Weaver & Poje (Canada)

    Music:

• FD Score: 42.58 (technical) + 41.28 (presentation) -1.00 (deduction) = 82.86
•  (SD) + 82.86 (FD) =

8) Crone & Poirier (Canada)

    Music:

• FD Score: 45.25 (technical) + 44.42 (presentation) -1.00 (deduction) = 88.68
•  (SD) + 88.68 (FD) =

9) Davis & White (USA)

    Music:

• FD Score: 45.16 (technical) + 50.90 (presentation) -3.00 (deduction) = 93.06
•  (SD) + 93.06 (FD) =

Final Standings:
1) Davis/White (USA)                           156.68
2) Crone/Poirier (Canada)                     149.08
3) Shibutani/Shibutani (USA)                 144.81
4) Weaver/Poje (Canada)                      142.34
5) Riazanova/Tkachenko (Russia)          137.14
6) Kriengkrairut/Giulietti-Schmitt (USA)   130.72
7) Reed/Reed (Japan)                            113.39
8) Coomes/Buckland (Great Britain)        111.29
9) Frohber/Giesen (Germany)                 104.18

ISU Grand Prix: Skate America Short Dance

Andrea Joyce and Tracey Wilson are covering the event for Universal Sports and explaining this new Short Dance as a hybrid of a Compulsory and Original Dance. They also tell us that the mid-line step sequence in this event does not allow touching so that judges can evaluate the skaters individually


1) Lynn Kriengkrairut & Logan Giuliette-Schmitt (USA)
    Music: The Trouble With Love Is

• I thought I saw some unison issues on the unison in the twizzle secion
• I would love to see deeper knees and edges in the Golden Waltz section
• As Tracy Wilson says, the main focus on the Golden Waltz pattern is on the the blades and the hold positions
• Very clean, but lacked sparkle and sizzle
• SD Score: 29.83 (technical) + 22.30 (presentation) = 52.13

2) Stefanie Frohberg & Tim Giesen (Germany)
    Music: Tanz der Hofdamen

• This is a character piece and I think it must be hard to continue a character throughout the the Golden Waltz
• This piece really isn't doing much for me, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of the short dance in general so I may be biased
• They are only in their second season together so they are really babies in the world of Ice Dance
• SD Score: 25.24 (technical) + 18.79 (presentation) = 44.03

 3) Ekaterina Riazanova & Ilia Tkachenko (Russia)
   Music: The Snowstorm

• Effortless look on that midline step sequence with great ice coverage
• Russians do have a way with these compulsory dances
• Ice dance is arguably the most detail-oriented discipline with a wrong edge earning costly deductions
• This is also a new team and they are very cohesive
• I am not crazy about her hair at all
• SD Score: 28.49 (technical) + 27.03 (presentation) = 55.52

4) Penney Coomes & Nicholas Buckland (Great Britain)   
    Music: La  Valse d'Amelie/Tango de los Exilados

• Nice coverage of the ice
• The Golden waltz was just okay for me
• I hate the waltz/tango mixture as one costume rarely suits both
• Unison problem on twizzles
• His arms seem much higher than hers on the mid-line step sequence
• The ending scared me for a moment but I realized the drop was planned
• Coach Evgeni Platov is not here with them as he is with other skaters in Austria
• SD Score: 28.17 (technical) + 21.26 (presentation) = 49.43

5) Cathy Reed & Chris Reed (Japan) **
     Music: The Addams Family

• Cathy recently had to renounce her American citizenship to compete for Japan
• Their costumes and the whole look suits this Adams family theme
• I liked that opening lift into the low position
• Wow, close to the boards
• I like the look of the costumes at a stand still, but when they move, there are too many strips of fabric moving with them, especially with Cathy's long hair
• The commentator just suggested they work on their turnout and pointed feet, hello ballet!
• Major twizzle issue with broken unison and Chris coming out of the twizzle early
• I like that they are using their characters throughout the performance
• The rotational lift started nicely but the exit was awkward
• SD Score: 23.43 (technical) + 21.97 (presentation) - 1.00 (deduction)  = 44.40
• Deduction was likely for an extended lift

6) Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani (USA) **
    Music: The Carousel Waltz

• I love this team so much and I love this music so much, it just sends me to heaven
• I see her dress has been shorted to take care of that costume issue they had at NHK with him stepping on her dress
• Perfect unison on the twizzle sequence with amazing speed
• This team is so young and they will be a force to be reckoned with in upcoming seasons
• Amazing unison on the midline step sequence
• The commentators have been calling them the "Shibu-sibs"
• This music is absolutely stunning for the Golden Waltz patterns
• I literally have tears in my eyes right now because this is so beautiful
• The costume issue in Japan was on the shoot the duck and it was wonderful here
• A bit of an issue on the second twizzle sequence
• The commentators are stating that they've heard form may teams the Short Dance is the hardest thing they've ever done because the transition from open dancing to the Golden Waltz is so difficult
• Looks like Marina is on coaching duty today
• SD Score: 30.08 (technical) + 26.38 (presentation) = 56.46

7) Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje (Canada) **
    Music: At Last/Cheek to Cheek

• I am obsessed with this team, they really caught my eye at NHK trophy
• This is such a romantic program and they have wonderful, elegant flow over the ice and a gorgeous lyrical quality
• That side lift is gorgeous and requires amazing strength
• That Golden Waltz is beautifully integrated into this piece
• Her shoot the duck wasn't as low to the ice as I would have liked it to be
• Musical transitions were very good and it brought up the tempo a lot while keeping the same theme
• Twizzles showed good unison, but not nearly the speed of the Shibutanis
• Seamless integration of required elements with the Golden Waltz, a perfect example of what a Short Dance should be
• That program just made me smile and it was a Performance with at capital "P"
• "Gorgeous" is all I have to say about that performance
• SD Score: 32.42 (technical) + 27.06 (presentation) = 59.48

8) Vanessa Crone & Paul Poirier (Canada)
     Music: Fallin'

• That opening upside down lift is striking
• I'll say it again, that costume either needs to be not so tight, or not so white
• Something about Vanessa Crone always rubs me the wrong way, she always looks so angry to me
• They have really gorgeous lines and ice coverage
• Nice work in the compulsory section 
• I think that because the Golden Waltz is such a classical style of dance, the Short Dance concept works best with more traditional music, i.e. The Carousel Waltz from the Shibutanis or At Last/Cheek to Cheek from Weaver/Poje
• I do not like seeing the Golden Waltz set to music by Kelly Clarkson or Alicia Keys, sorry, personal opinion
• SD Score: 30.92 (technical) + 29.49 (presentation) = 60.41

9) Meryl Davis & Charlie White (USA) **
    Music: La Boheme/La Traviata by Puccini

• Hello old friends, barring any travesty you will be in first easily
• I love these costumes for this piece, they are very "operatic" in nature
• The speed and unison on those twizzles is just insane
• Wow Charlie lost balance and put his hand down on the twizzle
• Gorgeous edges and beautiful weaving in and out on the mid-line step sequence
• On a side note, I'm so glad Charlie's hair is not so long anymore, he looks  much more mature now
• The speed and flow on this Golden is lovely
• I love that rotational lift at the end, it is a gorgeous position
• That mistake is so uncharacteristic of them but I doubt it will really even effect them that much
• They are struggling to catch their breath
• I wonder what was going through Meryl's mind when she saw Charlie's hand go down
• The closing pose reminded me of a final bow in an opera
• A big change from last year's Balliwood Original Dane, no?
• SD Score: 30.00 (technical) + 33.62 (presentation) = 63.62

Current Leaderboard:

1) Davis/White (USA)                                          63.62
2) Crone/Poirier (Canada)                                     60.41
3) Weaver/Poje (Canada)                                     59.48
4) Shibutani/Shibutani (USA)                                56.46
5) Riazanova/Tkachenko (Russia)                         55.52
6) Kringkrairut/Giuliette-Schmitt (USA)                  52.13
7) Coomes/Buckland (USA)                                 49.43
8) Reed/Reed (Japan)                                          44.40
9) Frohberg/Giesen (Germany)                             44.03

Favorite Figure Skating Memories #4: Bourne and Kraatz World Championship Free Dance

Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz of Canada have been one of my favorite Ice Dance teams for a long time. In fact, their innovative and theatrical routines are what got me interested in Ice Dancing when the sport was still dominated by Europeans. While they were a world class team, their performances were often underscored under the old 6.0 system due to the fact that they were North American and not European. Now when you look at the top Ice Dance teams in the world, a majority are from the United States and Canada so I guess you can say that Bourne and Kraatz were ahead of their time. Their athleticism and artistry paved the way for the new generation of Ice Dancers to succeed from Canadians Marie France-Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon and Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir to Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto and Meryl Davis & Charlie White of the United States.

In 2003, Bourne and Kraatz were finally awarded the scores they deserved as they claimed the World Championship gold medal. This is the Free Dance that allowed them to finally end the streak of European domination. Watch how perfect their technique is and how well they interpret the music. Also notice their inventive lifts and their use of the hydroblading technique which they helped to popularize.