2011 US Figure Skating Championships: Senior Short Dance

Hey y'all so here we go, its about time to start the senior short dance. Look for the integration of the golden waltz compulsory dance  into free skating movement. Check back with me after each team for my thoughts on their performance and and feel free to leave me comments!

1) Alison Carey & Ryan Van Nathan

  Music: Ordinary Day/Do Your Thing

• Unison issues on the twizzles, a little too close to each other
• Her upper body is very stiff, she should loosen up a little
• The transition from Golden Waltz to free skating was a little awkward
• The straight line step sequence  is pretty good
• I liked the cartwheel ending
• SD Score: 18.49 (TES) + 15.86 (PCS) = 34.35

2) Rachel Tibbetts & Colin Brubaker

   Music: At Last/Hallelujah I Love Her So

• Here is another Brubaker Brother
• They have nice smooth edge qualities
• A very quiet lyrical couple, at least in this dance
• Her shoot the duck could have been lower and she could have had a higher leg in the attitude
• I've seen worse, but that musical transition was a bit awkward
• I would like to see more joy on their faces
• The distance between them changed on the mid-line step sequence, it should stay the same
• Slight unison issues on the twizzles
• SD Score: 20.43 (TES) + 22.43 (PCS) -1.00 = 41.86

 3) Ginna Hoptman & Pavel Filchenkov

    Music: Dark Eyes

• Twizzle in opposite directions, that was interesting to see and nice unison
• Nice speed and precision on the Golden Waltz
• This musical selection works very well
• She shows nice flexibility in the rotational lift
• Nice midline step sequence
• I like their look together on the ice
• Very crisp and clean
• They have a nice lilt to their movements
• SD Score: 26.57 (TES) + 21.80 (PCS) = 48.37

4) Katherine Pilgrim & Alexander Lorello

   Music: 

• Little loss of unison on twizzles, not super fast
• She needs to extend a lot more in her free legs
• They got very close to the boards at one point
• The waltz mixed with a tango just does not work for me
• They need to point their feet a lot harder
• They definitely ran out of steam toward the end
• SD Score: 15.43 (TES) + 17.36 (PCS) = 32.79

5) Isabella Cannuscio & Ian Lorello

   Music: Piano Man

• They improved a great deal from their first senior grand prix to their second, so we'll see if they can keep that up here
• They have a nice look on the ice, very elegant
• Unison issues in their twizzles, but they were much faster also
• The choreography works well with they music
• Nice midline step sequence, good flow
• I like that they integrate the Golden Waltz with the free skating into one piece of music
• Nice one-arm rotational lift, he makes her look so light
• I don't like when the ending poses are so involved, its just unnecessary
• I don't really get how the 
• SD Score: 28.93 (TES) + 25.50 (PCS) = 54.43

6) Madison Hubbell & Keiffer Hubbell

   Music: The Addams Family Values

• The movements are choreographed nicely to the music
• Haircutter rotational lift is a little overdone at this point
• They are nice and close together in their holds
• The Golden waltz seems a little slow
• Keiffer stumbled out of his first twizzle at the end of the step sequence
• She also lifts her leg a lot higher than he does
• SD Score: 30.64 (TES) + 27.27 (PCS) = 57.91

7) Meredith Zuber & Kyle Herring

   Music: Fallin by Alicia Keys

• They are really close in height, they look nice in holds
• Not the speed of the other teams
• Nice unison in twizzles and midline step sequences
• They look more comfortable together than most new teams do
• I know they want to show off her legs, but sometimes they looked a bit like they were flailing
• SD Score: 24.95 (TES) + 19.47 (PCS) = 44.42

8) Madison Chock & Greg Zuerlein

   Music: Edith Piaf's Waltzes

• Here comes one of my favorite teams
• Madison has such great expression on her face
• This is already the best speed we've seen so far
• These Zoueva/Shpilband teams really use every not of the music
• Nice transitions between the individual waltzes
• These are the best twizzles we've seen so far
• Padam, Padam works very well for this Golden Waltz sequence
• Very smooth, speed staying basically the same throughout
• Great speed in the rotational lifts, very fast
• SD Score: 32.00 (TES) + 29.74 (PCS) = 61.74

9) Katharine Ziegler & Baxter Burbank

   Music: Hallelujah

• Love the musical selection
• Loss of unison in the twizzles
• He rocked back onto his heel of his skate and fell
• She could really stretch out her limbs more
• He seems very unstable on his feet
• They seem very slow overall
• They finish after the music
• They have a very nice look together on the ice
• SD Score: 16.15 (TES) + 17.14 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 32.29

10) Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani

     Music: The Carousel Waltz

• I love them so much!
• The Carousel waltz is one of my favorite pieces of music in the world
• Some of the best twizles in the world, they do a sequence
• This is probably my favorite short dance of the season
• PERFECT unison on the midline step sequence
• They are very well matched in terms of height
• They use their knees so well, they skate into the ice rather than on top of it
• They cover so much ice
• The curve lift is fantastic as is the rotational lift
• Nice big fist pump from Alex!
• They are so pleasant to watch, they just warm my heart
• SD Score: 38.43 (TES) + 32.04 (PCS) = 70.47

11) Kristen Nardozzi & Robert Cuthbertson

     Music: Fallin

• This is like the song of the season apparently
• They look a little choppy, they skate above the ice, not really into it
• Definitely lacking in speed a lot
• He gets tripped up in some steps in the Golden Waltz
• SD Score: 20.08 (TES) + 18.45 (PCS) = 38.53

12) Meryl Davis & Charlie White

     Music: La Boheme & La Traviata

• This is a very European looking program
• I'm glad Meryl went back to the peach dress
• Slight twizzle issue
• The weaving midline sequence is wonderful
• This program has grown so much since the debut at NHK, specifically in terms of performance and drama
• Wonderful speed and deep edges in the Golden Waltz sequence
• Gorgeous ending, and they don't lose any speed throughout
• SD Score: 38.78 (TES) + 37.26 (PCS) = 76.04

13) Shannon Wingle & Timothy McKernan

      Music: 

• Major unison issues on twizzles
• Are they really another Zoueva/Shpilband team?
• SD Score: 31.15 (TES) + 23.92 (PCS) = 55.07

14) Alissandra Aronow & Zachary Donohue

      Music:

• This blue color is like the color of the day
• Their edges aren't nearly deep enough
• Major unison issues on the twizzles, she lost her position
• This is a new team and they have a lot of room to grow
• SD Score: 19.95 (TES) + 20.89 (PCS) = 40.84

15) Lynn Kriengkrairut & Logan Giulietti-Schmitt

     Music: The Trouble With Love Is

• This is a nice team, they connect well with each other on the ice
• They have pretty nice leg lines
• They seem pretty slow today, the music is dragging them down
• SD Score: 32.08 (TES) + 26.51 (PCS) = 58.59

Standings After the Short Dance:
Davis/White                                 76.04
Shibutani/Shibutani                      70.47
Chock/Zuerlein                             61.74
Kriengkrairut/Giulietti-Schmitt   58.59
Hubbell/Hubbell                            57.94
Wingle/McKernan                        55.07
Cannuscio/Lorello                         54.43
Hoptman/Filchenkov                    48.37
Zuber/Herring                               44.42
Tibbetts/Brubaker                        41.86
Aronow/Donohue                          40.84
Nardozzi/Cuthbertson                   38.53
Carey/Van Nathan                        34.35
Pilgrim/Lorello                              32.79
Ziegler/Burbank                           32.29

2011 US Figure Skating Championships: Senior Ladies Short Program

Alright y'all here we go! I'll be here with you all night so check back with me after each skater to get my thoughts on the performances. If you have questions, thoughts, or just want to say hey, leave them to me in the comments section of the post. Without further ado, here are the competitors in the senior ladies short program.

 1) Kelsey Traunero
     Music: Sangre del Torro

• So this is not the costume color I think of for a Spanish program
• She seems to struggle with getting enough height on her jumps
• She has really nice speed on her layback spin
• Good solid event for Kelsey
• SP Score: 23.04 (TES) + 19.24 (PCS) = 42.28

 2) Felicia Zhang

     Music: Swan Lake

• She is a very delicate skater, the ballet music fits her well
• Lands a triple lutz-double toe combination
• Fall on a triple toe
• She has rib injuries and that fall could not have felt good
• This is a gorgeous dress but the scrunchie is killing me
• Felicia may have done well with another year in the junior ladies event
• She stumbled a little in footwork, I think the injury is really affecting her mentally
• Not a bad skate, but not the skate she wanted
• Felicia definitely does justice to the Sasha Cohen I-spin
• SP Score: 22.36 (TES) + 19.87 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 41.23

3) Alizza Czisny

    Music: Romance-Violin Concerto in D major, opus 35

• Here is my home girl Alissa
• She looks very in the zone
• Such a performance from beginning to end
• Solid triple lutz-double toe, she made it look so easy
• Solid triple flip right there
• Gorgeous spiral moment
• Slight slight balance check on double axel but landed cleanly nonetheless
• Her spins are like no other, she is up there with the Swiss skater
• Watching Alissa used to scare me to death but now it is just such a treat
• I think it was good for her to skate early because she had nothing to compare herself to really
• Everytime I watch her spin, I feel like I'm watching fast forward
• The moment she drops the hip and locks into that Bielmann is just exquisite
• SP Score: 32.81 (TES) + 29.69 (PCS) = 62.50

 4) Christina Gao

    Music: Violin Concerto in E Minor

• Get it Christina Gao
• Triple triple planned, lets see if it happens
• Triple flip-triple toe combination was pretty solid
• Triple lutz out of footwork pretty solid
• I would like her to stretch out those long legs a bit more and point her feet harder
• She stumbled out of the double axel, maybe held back a bit too much
• I think this is because she is still growing, but she seems to have trouble controlling her limbs
• SP Score: 33.10  (TES) + 25.33 (PCS) = 58.43

 5) Kristiene Gong

    Music: Flamenco Fantasy

• Like Gao, Gong was a top lady on the Jr.Grand Prix, made it to the final
• Triple Lutz-double toe seems to be the combination of the night
• Skid on the triple flip, almost put a hand down
• She has a nice step sequence
• The energy and intensity is there, but I'd love to see more passion and emotion on her face
• Oh hey Frank Carrol!
• SP Score: 24.09 (TES) + 20.03 (PCS) = 44.12

 6) Alexe Gilles

    Music: Excerpts from AschenBrodel by Strauss

• Alexe had a rough Grand Prix season and I'd love to see her deliver a solid performance here
• Gorgeous triple toe-triple toe for her
• Tough fall on her triple lutz takeoff, fully rotated, but a point for the fall
• She has such grace and elegance, she'd be a fantastic show skater someday
• The fall was unfortunate but she has to be happy about the triple toe-triple toe
• SP Score: 26.60 (TES) + 22.15 (PCS) -1.00  = 47.75

 7) Agnes Zawadzki

     Music: Gopher Mambo/Concierto para Bongo

• Girlfriend is so sassy
• Triple toe-triple toe was solid, probably a positive GOE on that for speed and height
• Solid triple lutz
• She has great spins
• She is playing to the crowd a lot and her energy is awesome
• This is great choreography
• She could work more on her spins, in terms of keeping the speed throughout
• She is so sassafrass in this footwork
• I love how she does that Ina into the double axel at the end of the program
• SP Score: 34.12 (TES) + 27.42 (PCS) = 61.54

 8) Caroline Zhang

     Music: Libertango

• I'm hoping for good things from Caroline Zhang
• That was a tough fall on her triple flip
• Triple loop-double toe combination is solid, she has nice flow out of her jumps
• She struggles to keep up speed
• Nice double axel, travels across a lot of ice
• I love her signature pearl spin, very nice positions that she gets on that
• She seems to really attack this tango music
• Not the best she can do, but overall an improvement for Caroline
• SP Score: 26.94 (TES) + 22.54 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 48.48

 9) Ellie Kawamura

     Music: Mishima by Phillip Glass

• Phillip Glass is such an interesting choice for skating music
• Triple toe-double toe was solid
• Triple loop was a little shaky
• Nice solid double axel
• This is a pretty solid skate for Ellie today
• I love the low positions she gets on that combination spin
• SP Score: 25.28 (TES) + 19.91 (PCS) = 45.19

 10) Mirai Nagasu

       Music: The Witches of Eastwick

• Get it Mirai....love this girl
• Mirai really wants her title back
• I love the storytelling in this program
• Triple lutz-double toe, very solid, will probably get positive GOE
• Nice solid triple flip
• She is very calm out there
• Some nice footwork her, good use of the toe pick and the deep knees
• Mirai has always had excellent spins
• She achieves a very nice I-position
• Solid double axel for Mirai, all of these jumps should receive high GOE's
• She gets such a great arch in that haircutter position
• Look at that look on her face, she knows she just laid it down
• SP Score: 32.94 (TES) + 30.41 (PCS) = 63.35

 11) Katy Jo West

       Music: Vedeldu

• I love the costume
• She is definitely making an impression, a very nice skater
• She could use some ballet to help her lines and her overall flow
• SP Score: 20.50 (TES) + 19.57 (PCS) = 40.07

 12) Raina Narita

      Music: Papa Can You Hear Me?

• She popped that opening jump, looked like a triple toe attempt
• She has a lot of grace and a lot of emotion in her skating
• Hand down on the triple lutz, lost her combination
• Opened up completely on her double axel
• That is unfortunate that she struggled with those jumping issues because she has a lot of potential and is so elegance
• She will have nothing to lose in the free skate so I suspect we'll see her go all out and not hold back
• SP Score: 15.77 (TES) + 17.89 (PCS) = 33.66

 13) Tatyana Khazova

     Music: We Are From Jazz

• Unfortunate fall on a triple loop
• Totally opened up on that double axel, she won't even get credit for a single axel
• Double lutz-double toe
• She is going to want to forget these jumps, but she has a lot of performance and personality nonetheless
• SP Score: 10.70 (TES) + 16.88 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 26.58

 14) Morgan Bell

       Music: Assasin's Tango

• Spread eagle entry into a solid double axel
• Solid combination from her
• Triple salchow seemed like less than 3 rotations, definitely an easier solo jump when others are doing lutz and flip
• Nice crisp movements, gotta love her intensity
• Should be a solid score for Morgano
• That was definitely a solid performance from opening to ending
• SP Score: 24.95 (TES) + 24.78 (PCS) = 49.73

 15) Kristine Musademba

       Music: Clair de Lune

• I love Kristine! Hoping for a solid showing from her, would love to see her in the top 10
• Her coach Derrick Delmore skated in men's senior nationals just a few years ago
• I loved seeing her take that breath to calm herself before she started
• Triple loop out of three turns
• She floats so elegantly to this music
• Oh that was a tough fall on the triple flip, she misses her combo as well
• Double axel was solid
• She is such a gorgeous fluid skater, unfortunate to see her fall
• SP Score: 24.59 (TES) + 23.35 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 46.94

 16) Kali Zhou

      Music:  Scene D'Amour

• Popped loop attempt
• Looks a little unsettled, a little unsure of herself
• I think she needs to just build her confidence up and she has a lot of potential
• SP Score: 21.30 (TES) + 20.08 (PCS) = 41.38

 17) Vanessa Lam

       Music: Con Te Partiro

• She killed it at her single junior Grand Prix event this year, one of the highest international scores for a US lady all year
• Double axel
• Triple Axel, double loop combo
• Triple flip
• She gets all of her jump content out of the way right away
• I like how she really takes her head back on her Biellmann spin
• Vanessa has really fabulous spins
• I like the use of levels on her footwork
• That was really a solid showing from Vanessa!
• Crowd on their feet!
• SP Score: 31.73 (TES) + 25.88 (PCS) = 57.61

 18) Joelle Forte

       Music: O (Cirque du Soleil)

• I love this music
• She has a nice fluidity to her skating
• Ina into the double axle was nice
• Good tuck in flying sit spin
• She looks like she may be running out of steam
• Nice performance overall for Joelle
• SP Score: 26.34 (TES) + 20.69 (PCS) = 47.03

 19) Ashley Wagner

      Music: Once Upon A Time In America

• She looks set to attack
• Step out of her triple flip, that was her combo
• Two-footed triple lutz into double toe
• Ashley is a free skater, so she needs to keep going to stay in the top 4 or 5 if she wants to be in striking distance
• She really fought for the landing of that double axel
• She has such a gorgeous Biellmann position because of her long legs
• SP Score: 27.27 (TES) + 27.36 (PCS) = 54.63

 20) Yasmin Siraj

       Music: Czardas by Monti

• I love this exotic music selection from Yasmin
• She did extremely well on the Jr. Grand Prix this season and qualified for the final
• She is a gorgeous spinner
• SP Score: 26.63 (TES) + 24.28 (PCS) -1.00 (DED) = 41.91

 21) Rachael Flatt

       Music: East of Eden

• New program, here we go
• Get it for Coach Tom Z!
• She is seeing something in the distance, that's method acting right there
• Triple flip-double toe, should get a very high GOE
• She is really gliding effortlessly here
• Triple lutz
• Nice spin positions for her right there, she moved off of her axis a bit
• This is suiting her so well for me, she is so elegant
• Very easy double axel
• All of her jumps look so easy
• That Ina is gorgeous
• Wow, she is really surprising me with this new artistry
• She is killing me softly with this footwork
• Such a good choice to switch short programs!
• Get it Tom Z!
• SP Score: 31.55 (TES) + 30.77 (PCS) = 62.32

22) Danielle Kahle

       Music: Kill Bill Vol. 2

• Solid triple flip
• Lacks speed going into the triple loop-double toe
• Very nice program for Danielle Kahle
• SP Score: 25.13 (TES) + 20.74 (PCS) = 45.87

 23) Melissa Bulanhagui

       Music: Tango Medley

• I love the costume
• I heard she was landing triple axels in practice
• She is putting on a very solid showing
• It must be awful to wait that long to skate
• SP Score: 23.77 (TES) + 21.59 (PCS) = 45.36

Standings After the Short Program
Mirai Nagasu                           63.35
Alissa Czisny                            62.50
Rachael Flatt                            62.32
Agnes Zawadzki                       61.54
Christina Gao                           58.43
Vanessa Lam                            57.61
Ashley Wagner                         54.63
Morgan Bell                             49.73
Caroline Zhang                         48.48
Alexe Gilles                              47.75
Joelle Forte                               47.03
Kristine Musademba               46.94
Danielle Kahle                          45.87
Melissa Bulanhagui                  45.36
Elli Kawamura                          45.19
Kristiene Gong                         44.12
Kelsey Traunero                      42.28
Yasmin Siraj                             41.91
Keli Zhou                                  41.38
Felicia Zhang                            41.23
Katy Jo West                            40.07
Raina Narita                              33.66
Tatyana Khazova                      26.58

2011 US Figure Skating Championships: Senior Pairs Short Program

Here we go y'all, I'm so excited! I try to state the facts while also giving my opinion on the performances, but I keep everything clean and nice. If I don't have commentary for a skater, it is because I had to step away from my computer, not because I didn't like them. I will watch the skaters I missed either tonight or tomorrow and fill in the commentary so I am prepared going into the free skate on Saturday afternoon. Happy watching!
**Denotes USFSA Fantasy Skating Picks

1) Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig

   Music: Sing, Sing, Sing

• Their new costumes for Sing Sing Sing are so adorable, love it
• Oh heeey Peter Carruthers
• At 26 and 30, they are so mature compared to other teams
• They are starting off with nice speed and energy
• That was a pretty clean catch on the split triple twist
• Some nice choreography and transition moments
• Nice solid side by side triple toe loops (huge YEAH screamed from the crowd)
• Throw triple loop had nice height, did she put her hand down?
• A slight loss of unison in their spins, but they got it back
• The steps are nice in this mirroring sequence
• They look slightly uncomfortable out there, probably because the program is new
• I am sensing a bit of holding back
• Amanda has a gorgeous death spiral position
• Their lasso lift is gorgeous, a highlight of the program for them
• SP Score: 35.33 (TES) + 27.54 (PCS) = 62.87

 2) Lisa Moore & Justin Gaumond

     Music: Singing in the Rain

• They train with Evora/Ladwig, and they have the elegance 
• Nice clean throw triple salchow
• They did side by side rippons
• I love the "faux umbrellas" and they really contribute to the choreography
• Very good unison in the spins until the foot change, also grew apart in terms of distance
• They are a lovely team, very easy to watch
• SP Score: 26.64 (TES) + 19.80 (PCS) = 46.44

 3) Lindsay Davis & Themisthocles Leftheris

     Music:

• SP Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) = 51.07

4) Alexa Scimeca & Ivan Dimitrov

    Music:

• This team has withdrawn due to injury, we wish them the best in the future
• SP Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) =

 5) Gretchen Donlan & Andrew Speroff

    Music: Moonlight Sonata

• Nice clean catch on throw triple twist, gorgeous extension 
• Beautiful landing on her throw
• Wonderful lines and such elegance
• Slight timing issue on their side by side jumps
• Good job staying together on those spins
• She looks so ethereal up their floating in the lasso lift
• The foot work looked a little clunky to me
• I'd love to see her get a bit lower with more of an arch in the death spiral
• What a lovely, quiet program from this very young team
• SP Score: 26.73 (TES) + 21.89 (PCS) = 48.62

 6) Tiffany Vise & Don Baldwin

    Music: Pirates of the Caribbean

• Don is the brother of John Baldwin, former US champion
• What an athlete she is, look at those guns!
• Good speed at the beginning, did a split double twist, but a clean one
• They do their SBS jumps in opposite directions
• That was a nice strong throw
• Their spins are also in opposite directions
• His sit positions are lower than hers and she seems to slow down
• He struggled to get that lift off
• They really lose speed in that death spiral
• She is very dynamic in this footwork
• Definitely some errors in this program. but she looks so happy with it
• Peter Carruthers always comments about the safety concerns involved with trying difficult elements
• SP Score: 31.13 (TES) + 23.17 (PCS) = 54.29

7) Caitlin Yankowskas & John Coughlin**

    Music: Tango Oblivion

• They have the personality of ice dancers
• Nice stretch out of the split triple twist
• I love that not a moment is wasted
• Strong throw triple salchow, bad camera angle there
• Beautiful side by side triple toes, impeccable timing
• Wonderful lift, smooth entrance and exit
• That is what a pairs spin sequence should look like
• I'm actually shaking for them right now
• This step sequence is new
• Gorgeous position on that death spiral
• That was an incredible short for them, I have tears in my eyes
• SP Score: 35.98 (TES) + 28.32 (PCS) = 64.30

8) Marissa Castelli & Simon Shnapir

   Music: Money/For the Love of Money

• Simon looks a little clunky in that opening "dance" sequence
• Simon stumbles on opening Side by Sides
• They lost speed on their crossovers, maybe caught an edge
• Split triple twist was huge
• Major unison issues right her on the spins
• The free skate is their strength, so they can recover from these mistakes on Saturday
• She was flying with so much speed on that throw triple salchow
• Her catch-foot lift position is pretty awesome
• SP Score: 29.57 (TES) + 21.91 (PCS) = 51.48

9) Chloe Katz & Joseph Lynch

   Music: Prelude

• 
  
• SP Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) =

10) Mary Beth Marley & Rockne Brubaker**

     Music: 

• 
  
• SP Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) = 58.10

11) Erika Smith & Nathan Bartholomay

    Music: Punch Drunk

• 
  
• SP Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) =

12) Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett

     Music: Love theme from "The Cousins"

• New costume for this program, I think I like this one better
• Caydee has always been very expressive but now Jeremy has started to come to her level in that department
• The footwork into the triple twist was nice
• Caydee was very tilted in the air on that side by side jump
• Throw triple flip was very nice
• I do not like that upside down death spiral position
• Very nice spin sequence
• Sometimes the pressure to defend a title is very intense
• They have a lovely step sequence
• John Zimmerman has done wonders with them in terms of presentation and performance quality
• SP Score: 32.13 (TES) + 26.66 (PCS) -1.00 = 57.79

13) Molly Aaron & Daniyel Cohen**

      Music: Schindler's List

• She fights for the landing on that throw
• She takes a tough fall on the side by side jumps
• This music seems to somber for a short program to me
• They are skating quite slowly
• SP Score: 27.08 (TES) + 21.16 (PCS) -1.00 = 47.24 

14) Becky Bereswill & Treover Young
      Music: Song of India

• Can we talk about how I'm obsessed with her costume
• Wow are they both tall, what long line
• Off ever so slightly on their unison for the side by side triples
• Split double twists as opposed to triples from most teams
• Nice reverse overhead lift, not the fastest rotation, but smooth entry and exit
• Good fight for that landing from Becky
• They look great for a pair just beginning their partnership
• I'd love to see them get some international assignments next season
• Slight unison issue at the end of the spin sequence
• That was a lovely and elegant program choreographed by Marina Zoueva
• SP Score: 27.55 (TES) + 21.22 (PCS) = 48.77

Standings After the Short Program:
Yankowskas/Coughlin    64.40
Evora/Ladwig                  62.87
Marley/Brubaker            58.10
Denney/Barrett               57.79
Vise/Baldwin                    54.29
Castelli/Shnapir               51.48
Davis/Leftheris                51.07
Bereswill/Young                48.77
Donlan/Speroff                 48.62
Aaron/Cohen                     47.24
Moore/Gaumond              46.44
Katz/Lynch                        46.38
Smith/Bartholomay           43.60

2011 European Figure Skating Championships: Ice Dance Qualifying Round Results

This year, in order to shorten the amount of time the short program/short dance round takes, the European Championships have added a qualifying round. The Ice Dance competition has 28 entrants with the top 12 entrants (based on scores from previous ISU events this season) going directly to the short dance. The following 15 teams competed their free dance in a qualifying round this morning and the top 8 teams listed below will advance to the short dance. They will be joined by top contenders Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat, Federica Faiella & Massimo Scali, John & Sinead Kerr, and Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev among others.

1 Lucie MYSLIVECKOVA / Matej NOVAK
 CZE
80.54 1
2 Nelli ZHIGANSHINA / Alexander GAZSI
 GER
79.27 2
3 Penny COOMES / Nicholas BUCKLAND
 GBR
73.79 3
4 Federica TESTA / Christopher MIOR
 ITA
67.90 4
5 Sara HURTADO / Adria DIAZ
 ESP
67.20 5
6 Irina SHTORK / Taavi RAND
 EST
66.38 6
7 Allison REED / Otar JAPARIDZE
 GEO
66.24 7
8 Isabella TOBIAS / Deividas STAGNIUNAS
 LTU
65.36 8
9 Nikola VISNOVA / Lukas CSOLLEY
 SVK
63.92 9
10 Kira GEIL / Tobias EISENBAUER
 AUT
63.09 10
11 Zsuzsanna NAGY / Mate FEJES
 HUN
61.70 11
12 Ramona ELSENER / Florian ROOST
 SUI
53.50 12
13 Lesia VALADZENKAVA / Vitali VAKUNOV
 BLR
53.41 13
14 Henna LINDHOLM / Ossi KANERVO
 FIN
50.75 14
15 Kristina TREMASOVA / Dimitar LICHEV
 BUL
42.88 15

2011 US Figure Skating Championships: Novice Compulsory Dance

Alright y'all here we go...competition is officially underway in Greensboro with the Novice Ice Dances in their compulsory dance. As a judge, it must be such an honor to judge at nationals.

BLUES

1) Howe/Farmer

• The speed seems to really be lacking here
• They are nicely synchronized with the music
• They seem intently focused which is good, but she is definitely more of a performer than he is
• Is it just me or does she look like Lynn Kriengkrairut?
• 14.12 (TES) + 14.44 (PCS) = 19.99

2) Parsons/Parsons

• I already don't like these costumes for a blues number, they are too light and flowy and seem more appropriate for a waltz
• This team has much better speed than the previous team and they also seem to get further onto their edges
• I don't know why they let the music run so long after the dance is finished, we have to hear the same piece 12 times so is it necessary to prolong it?
• 18.14 (TES) + 17.57 (PCS) = 25.00

3) Mancini/Brooks

• Now those costumes look more like blues costumes
• She needs to lift her head more and elongate her neck because she looks like she is staring at the ground
• They are pretty deep into their knees which is good but they need more stretch in their free legs and a lot more speed
• Thank you for killing the music asap once the dance ended
• 17.93 (TES) + 16.60 (PCS) = 24.17

4) Oi/Jhanke

• I could tell from their entrance that I liked them, they just knew how to carry themselves from their first stroke
• They do need more speed, but their elegance is undeniable and they have nice lines
• I'm calling it now, if they stay together, they'll be a top team here in a few years
• I wonder if Zoueva & Shpilband every scout new teams or if the ice dancers come to them?
• She is a lovely performer and I don't know what it is, but there is something really special about them
• 15.45 (TES) + 15.31 (PCS) = 21.54

5) Pogrebinsky/Gudis

• They seem to have a nice flow across the ice
• She really needs to straighten her knees and point her feet to elongate the leg line
• I don't like him in those tails because they disrupt the leg line and just get in the way
• She has something in her hair that is kind of distracting and juvenile looking
• 16.73 (TES) + 16.06 (PCS) = 22.96

6) Deissroth/Mueller

• They are an older team and their height similarity makes for an interesting look
• She has such long legs, I wish she would extend them more
• I also hoped they would have more of a performance quality because they are older but I didn't really get that from them
• 13.47 (TES) + 13.03 (PCS) = 18.55

7) Grant/Skala

• I would love to see these skaters do more in terms of makeup and hair to treat this more as a performance
• They are skating painfully slow here
• They look scared and aren't giving me anything in terms of performance quality
• Leg lines need to be elongated
• 14.34 (TES) + 13.65 (PCS) =19.59

8) DeMaria/Miller

• I would love for them to be faster
• They have nice leg lines and I appreciate that they are really trying hard to point their feet, that gets a lot of points in my book
• She gets very deep in her low positions
• The look very tentative, especially her, but they are nice skaters and have no reason to hold back
• 14.10 (TES) + 13.78 (PCS) =19.52

9) Schmucker/Munday

• Nice speed to start out with
• They have nice posture and carriage, particularly the man
• Normally the woman is the picture and the man is the frame but he really has nice posture and he is a joy to watch
• 15.34 (TES) + 15.19 (PCS) = 21.37

10) Moore/Klaber

• I like the suspender look on him, but her dress is a little to romantic and ethereal for me
• This sounds weird but they have very nice extensions to the back in what would be an arabesque position in ballet
• I want all of these ice dancers to take ballet so they can learn to point their feet-an unpointed foot just destroys an otherwise beautiful leg line
• You know how some teams just have that "look" that they fit together, well this is one of those teams
• 16.37 (TES) + 16.11 (PCS) = 22.74

11) Jeandell/Dodge

• They have a nice intensity about them, particularly in the opening poses 
• They seem to have lost that intensity as the program went along

Current Leaderboard:

Parsons/Parsons 25.00

Mancini/Brooks 24.17 

Pogrebinsky/Gudis 22.96
Moore/Klaber 22.74 
Oi/Jhanke 21.54
Schmucker/Munday 21.37
Howe/Farmer 19.99
Grant/Skala 19.59
DeMaria/Miller 19.52
Deissroth/Mueller 18.55

2011 US Figure Skating Championships: The Top Coaches

As we gear up for the start of competition at Nationals in Greensboro today, we cannot wait to see our favorite skaters give it their all. But behind every skater there is a dedicated team, so I thought it would be nice to write about some of the most important people in the sport...the coaches.

Let's start out with one of my favorite figure skating coaches, Frank Carroll. I was, and still am, a huge Michelle Kwan fan so Frank is the first skating coach I ever knew of. I have watched him coach many skaters, but I'll always remember him in conjunction with Michelle. I am not the biggest Evan Lysacek fan but I was so happy that he won Olympic Gold because he was Frank's first ever Olympic Gold. Because Evan is retired, Frank's only elite skater in contention at Nationals is Mirai Nagasu. I have loved watching their relationship develop and I still remember Cup of China last season when he told her she was no longer allowed to cry at competitions. Mirai has calmed down and matured a lot over the past few seasons and most of that can be attributed to Frank's stellar coaching skills.

Another one of my favorite coaches these days, and perhaps the busiest skating coach in the business is Tom Zakrajsek of the Broadmoor Skating Club in Colorado Springs. Correct me if I am missing anybody but he has at least 7 elite skaters competing in Greensboro this year including Rachael Flatt, Agnes Zawadzki, Alexe Gilles, Brandon Mroz, Joshua Farris, Alexander Johnson, and Max Aaron. With Rachael and Brandon being top contenders in their events, Tom could theoretically have two national champions under his tutelage. Between 4 senior skaters, Tom was at every senior ISU Grand Prix this season (I want his frequent flyer miles), including the final. He is known to go above and beyond to prepare and motivate his skaters, from renting late night ice time to prepare his male skaters for a late draw in the short program, to doing pushups on national TV when Rachael Flatt won the free skate at Skate America. Greensboro certainly won't be a vacation for coach Tom, but with so many talented skaters, he'll certainly enjoy the spoils of victory.

If anybody is going to challenge Tom for the title of "busiest coach" it will be Marina Zoueva & Igor Shpilband. They train the four top senior dance teams in the country, though Samuelson and Bates are absent due to injury, and Lichtman and Copely, a top junior team. Their work with Davis & White, Chock & Zuerlein, and previously with Belbin & Agosto has completely transformed Ice Dance in the US. They've made world class competitors in a discipline that was previously dominated by eastern Europeans. Unless something outlandish happens next weekend, their teams should sweep the senior National podium and win the junior title. In addition to "busiest coaches" they'll also most likely be the "most decorated coaches" this week in Greensboro.

Of all the coaches that have multiple pupils competing in the Senior division, the husband and wife team of Yuka Sato & Jason Dungjen have the best chance of striking Gold twice. They have done wonders with Alissa Czisny, particularly in terms of confidence and consistency, in their first season with her and coached her to a Grand Prix Final gold. She is, in my opinion, the favorite to win the ladies title if she can keep her focus. On the men's side, they also coach Jeremy Abbott, who is the 2-time reigning US champion and looks strong enough to win a third this week. Yuka choreographs for additional skaters around the world and Jason is an ISU technical specialist. This marriage of technical expertise and choreographic artistry has allowed them to add precision and polish to Jeremy and Alissa. I have a feeling they'll be getting requests to coach a lot more skaters if they have the success I suspect they will in Greensboro.

Olympic silver medalist and coach of Olympic gold medalist Yu-Na Kim, Brian Orser, also has two top contenders in the senior event, Adam Rippon and Christina Gao. Adam put up the top score by a US male this season and Christina put up the 3rd highest score by a US lady, so he too may have medalists on two senior podiums. After his break with Kim, Rippon and Gao are his top skaters and he now has more time to focus on them. If all goes as predicted, he'll be taking Adam to Worlds and Christina to junior Worlds where they'll both be medal threats. Orser is a great example of a successful world-class skater who was able to use his experience to become a stellar coach.

Priscilla Hill is yet another coach who has top contenders in senior men's and ladies with Armin Mahbanoozadeh and Ashley Wagner. Both have the potential to medal in their events. She also coaches Stephen Carierre who has withdrawn due to injury and some other international skaters. Hill is no stranger to coaching winners, as she coached Johnny Weir to 3 National titles and was usfsa's 2004 coach of the year. She trains her students at the University of Delaware Figure Skating Club in Wilmington.

Married couple John Zimmerman & Sylvia Fontana are first-time coaches, but they have taken on reigning US Pairs champions Denney & Barrett and have done wonders with them thus far. Their work has built some consistency within the team and taught them to connect with one another more on the ice. They train the pair in Florida and are working to establish a world-class pairs training center there. In my opinion, that is just what is needed for US pairs skating to begin to thrive and this may just be the coaching team to do it. Look at Russian pairs under Tamara Moskvina, Chinese pairs under Bin Yao, and USA/Canada ice dance under Zoueva/Shpilband-they are all very successful programs and the common thread is one coach and one training system. If I were Zimmerman & Fontana, I would look for strong young skaters and pair them up very young so that they learn their elements together and learn to truly skate as one. I think that they can help Denney & Barrett to grow and improve, but their work should focus primarily on younger skaters if they want to truly establish a successful US pairs training program.

2011 US Figure Skating Championships: Senior Ladies Predictions and Fantasy Picks

My Predictions:
1) Alissa Czisny
2) Mirai Nagasu
3) Rachael Flatt
4) Ashley Wagner
5) Christina Gao
6) Agnes Zawadzki


My Fantasy Picks:                         Skate Gate's Fantasy Picks:
A) Alissa Czisny                             A) Alissa Czisny
B) Christina Gao                            B) Christina Gao
C) Kristiene Gong                          C) Kristiene Gong

I never thought I would say this, but it seems that Alissa Czisny is poised to reclaim her National title. She has always seemed to me like a beautiful show skater who could never handle the competition pressure, but she truly proved me wrong this season. Her programs are gorgeous this season and the lyrical qualities of each selection suit her better than any other piece I've seen her skate to. The coaching change to Yuka Sato, a former World Champion, and Jason Dungjen seems to have allowed her to truly take ownership of her own skating. Her win at Skate Canada caught me by surprise, but a lackluster Trophee Eric Bompard made me wonder if she was for real this time. But two near perfect performances that garnered at total score of 180.75 quieted all of the naysayers at the Final. Beating some of the world's best by winning the Grand Prix Final gave Alissa so much confidence and validation and she is the favorite going into Nationals. She gets such high marks for her program components and for her spins on the technical side that she can afford some small mistakes or negative GOE's on jumps. So it is my belief that all she has to do is stay on her feet and she will be the National champion once again. Regardless of how she finishes, I think she is a smart choice to send to Worlds because her programs have scored very well internationally this season and she has already beaten Mao Asada, Miki Ando, Carolina Kostner, and Kanako Murakami who will be some of the top contenders at Worlds this season.

I love Mirai Nagasu and I think that she has the brightest future of any of the top US ladies. Of the top seniors right now, I think she is the only one who will be able to contend in Sochi in 2014, but she needs to improve her consistency and tackle her demons. She always says that when she is in first after the short program, she feels too much pressure and falls apart, which we saw at the 2010 Worlds and at Cup of China. So for Mirai's sake, let's hope that somebody beats her in the short program. Mirai is a skater like Alissa that can afford small errors because she receives high technical marks for her spins as well as high program components scores. Her highest combined score of 167.79 from Trophee Eric Bompard was the second highest score posted by a US lady this season, though its about 13 points short of what Alissa Czisny put up at The Grand Prix Final. She won a silver medal at Trophee Eric Bompard this season, her first senior Grand Prix medal, so with that added confidence, I think she can make a strong showing at Worlds if she can qualify with at top two finish in Greensboro. I think the most important thing for US ladies this season is to gain a 3rd slot for Worlds. In order to do that, the US ladies' placements at Worlds need to add up to 13 or less and I think Alissa and Mirai are the best bets to do that.

The person who is probably going to throw a wrench into my predictions is Rachael Flatt and I love her for that. An ankle injury plagued her all season but she still brought home two Grand Prix medals against tough fields. She qualified for the Grand Prix Final, and though she had a disappointing finish, she qualified nonetheless, which is something Mirai Nagasu and Ashley Wagner could not do. For some reason international judges score Rachael lower than most on program components but she has been working this season to transition from a little girl to a more mature skater and she has really grown up. She has also been working on her jumps to avoid under-rotation calls that plagued her last season at the Olympics and Worlds. Her highest combined score this season is a 165.53 which places her 5th among US ladies this season. The short program will be key for Rachael, she has actually scrapped her old jazzy short and replaced it with an East of Eden program choreographed by Lori Nichol. I think that with Rachael's consistently low program components scores, there are only two ways that she can land in the top two and make the World team. She need to either win the short program or sit in a close second in order to have the edge going into the free skate and a points buffer to hold of Alissa and Mirai's PCS marks. The option for Rachael is to do what she does best and hit all of her elements cleanly, because while Alissa, Mirai, and company very well may make mistakes, Rachael is the consistency queen. Rachael is such a fighter and I have no doubt that she will skate two clean programs, but she'll need some help from the other ladies to make the top two.

Ashley Wagner is yet another lady who could contend for the National title if she puts together two clean programs. Like Ryan Bradley on the mens side, she has spent a lot of time in the dreaded 4th place position at Nationals. She actually won the bronze last season and was devastated to have not made the Olympic team so it would be great for her to have a shot at the World team this season. She is an elegant skater and is just beautiful to watch when she is "on". The key for Ashley will be the short program because she considers herself a "free skater" as that is her stronger program usually. She will have to have the short program of her life in Greensboro to stay at the top, especially if other top ladies can put together two clean programs.
Other ladies who can make a splash include 2010 US Junior champion and Junior World silver medalist Agnes Zawadzki who put up two stellar short programs in her senior Grand Prix debut. Christina Gao won two Junior Grand Prix silver medals this year and qualified for the final. Her score of 167.14 from the JGP of Austria ranks her 3rd among US ladies internationally. Kiri Baga, Kristiene Gong, and Yasmin Siraj also qualified for the Junior Grand Prix final and will be making senior debuts at Nationals, as well as Vanessa Lam who also put up big scores on the Junior Grand Prix. Then there is longtime favorite Caroline Zhang who has struggled since her success as a Junior and we are all pulling for her to make a comeback.