Pre-Season Figure Skating Survey

Hey all, I thought it would be fun to do some predictions before the figure skating season official kicks off. If you are interested in participating, please email me your answers at thebackstagebarbie@gmail.com. You can give me as much detail as you like. You can also omit answers to any questions that you don't feel comfortable answering. Also include your twitter handle and/or blog address so I can credit your contribution in the post. Thanks so much and I'm looking forward to a great season!

1) Which skater/team are you most excited to see this season in terms of new programs, choreography, and overall performance?

2) Who do you expect to make their biggest splash in their Senior Grand Prix debut? This can be a skater rising from the Junior ranks or a newly formed team.

3) What do you think about the new Grand Prix format?

4) Will Denney & Coughlin live up to their pre-season hype?

5) Which individual GP event are you most excited for? (i.e. Ladies at NHK, Pairs at TEB, etc)

6) Will we have a clear favorite for the national title in ladies, men's singles, or pairs at the conclusion of the Grand Prix season? If so, who will it be?

7) How does Evan Lysacek factor in this season, particularly if Plushenko returns to competition?

8) Who has the potential to beat Virtue/Moir or Davis/White?

9) Does it help or hurt Ice Dance as a discipline when one coaching team (Zoueva/Shpilband) dominates most of the competitions?

10) How critical is the 2011-2012 in the grand scheme of things, specifically looking toward Sochi?

11) Who will be this year's Alissa Czisny and come out of nowhere to have a stellar season?

12) I know it's not nice to think about, but who do you expect to bomb this season?

13) If the World Team Trophy does take place, (assuming US, Canada, France, Russia, China, and Japan compete) who will win?

14) I know we've debated this for years but I'm going to ask it anyway. Which 2 ladies, men, or pairs can earn a 3rd spot in their discipline for the US at Worlds?

2011 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: NHK Trophy Free Dance

1) Cathy Reed & Chris Reed (JPN)
     Music: Chale Chalo, Mon Amour

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FD Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 49.36 (SD) + (FD) =

2) Alexandra Paul & Mitchell Islam (CAN)
     Music: Tonight

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FD Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 39.26 (SD) + (FD) =

3) Lynn Kriengkrairut & Logan Giulietti-Schmitt (USA)
     Music: Walking in the Sand

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FD Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 50.81 (SD) + (FD) =

4) Lorenza Alessandrini & Simone Vaturi (ITA)
     Music: Tosca

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FD Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 54.37 (SD) + (FD) =

5) Nelli Zhiganshina & Alexander Gazsi (GER)
     Music: Romeo & Juliet 

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FD Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 55.69 (SD) + (FD) =

6) Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani (USA)
     Music: Chattanooga Choo Choo, In the Mood, Moonlight Serenade

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FD Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 59.02 (SD) + (FD) =

7) Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje (CAN)
     Music: Je Suis Malade

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FD Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 60.07 (SD) + (FD) =

8) Elena Ilinykh & Nikita Katsalapov (RUS)
     Music: Ave Maria

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FD Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 61.83 (SD) + (FD) =

2011 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: NHK Trophy Pairs Free Skate LIVE BLOG

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2011 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: NHK Trophy Pairs Free Skate LIVE BLOG

1) Natasha Purich & Raymond Schultz (CAN)
     Music: Spellbound Concerto

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 45.56 (SP) + (FS) =

2) Marissa Castelli & Simon Shnapir (USA)
     Music: Piano Concerto No. 2 by Rachmaninov

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 49.93 (SP) + (FS) =

3) Lubov Iliushechkina & Nodari Maisuradze (RUS)
     Music: A Chorus Line

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 53.12 (SP) + (FS) =

4) Yuko Kavaguti & Alexander Smirnov (RUS)
     Music: Clair de Lune

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 55.02 (SP) + (FS) =

5) Caydee Denney & John Coughlin (USA)
     Music: Nessun Dorma

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 55.48 (SP) + (FS) =

6) Stefania Berton & Ondrej Hotarek (ITA)
     Music: Adagio in G Minor for organ and strings

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 56.23 (SP) + (FS) =

7) Narumi Takahashi & Mervin Tran (JPN)
     Music: Concerto de Quebec

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 57.89 (SP) + (FS) =

8) Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy (GER)
     Music: Pina

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 59.23 (SP) + (FS) =

2011 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: NHK Trophy Ladies Free Skate

1) Shoko Ishikawa (JPN)
     Music: Miss Saigon

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 45.07 (SP) + (FS) =

2) Cynthia Phaneuf (CAN)
     Music: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 45.42 (SP) + (FS) =

3) Mae Berenice Meite (FRA)
     Music: Fever, Hey Pachuko, Who Framed Roger Rabbit

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 52.05 (SP) + (FS) =

4) Kiira Korpi (FIN)
     Music: I Got Rhythm

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 53.70 (SP) + (FS) =

5) Agnes Zawadzki (USA)
     Music: Rhapsody in Blue

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 53.84 (SP) + (FS) =

6) Ashley Wagner (USA)
     Music: Black Swan

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 55.88 (SP) + (FS) =

7) Elene Gedevanishvili (GEO)
     Music: Phantom of the Opera

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 57.37 (SP) + (FS) =

8) Mao Asada (JPN)
     Music: Liebestraum

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 58.42 (SP) + (FS) =


9) Alena Leonova (RUS)
     Music: Adagio for Strings, Requiem for a Tower

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 61.76 (SP) + (FS) =



10) Akiko Suzuki (JPN)
      Music: Die Fledermaus

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FS Score:  (TES) +  (PCS) - (DED) =
Total Score: 66.55 (SP) + (FS) =

Dance Moms: August 24th Live-Blog!

11:00 Next week we have Nationals and I'm sure that all hell will break loose!
10:58 Holly is about to exit this studio.....it's getting intense!
10:57 Oh crap what did Abby just say about a Martin Luther King scholarship?? hahaha this woman is too much but she creates some great soundbites!
10:56 What is ethnic about front walkovers and leg-catch turns?
10:54 Oh lord now Cathy is ragging on the photographer. Does she not get that they didn't want the dancers to be highly made up?
10:53 Editing error.....Maddy was just shown practicing a turn sequence AFTER her solo had already gone on
10:46 Its so true that all dancers are typed. I was always given musical theatre and jazz
10:44 Maddy has a very good stage face and such an expressive upper body
10:40 Well Abby, maybe they'd do a better job if it wasn't a new routine every week
10:39 Oh no, Maddy is pissed!!! She's pissed because Nia didn't do well but she told Abby she hurt herself
10:36 Poor Nia!
10:33 Why the hell do they always get there so late?
10:32 Maddy is getting that signature dancer pre-teen attitude
10:30 Abby looks like Ursula there sleeping on the bus!
10:29 Abby is literally driving Holly to drink......and I agree with Kelly that she is going overboard
10:23 OMG Melissa is going to flip out because they are running late
10:22 Nia's costume is to die for...I'd totes wear that lol
10:20 Abby they are children....why do you want them to dance like teenagers?
10:19 Poor Vivi is going to become such a rebellious child  b/c Cathy is pushing her to do things she doesn't want to do
10:18 "You do remember I'm not a team player" -Kathy
10:16 How does this minister think she can just walk out of a contract?
10:09 OMG Minister Dawn is back after the cops hauled her out circa episode 1!!
10:07 I did a double take when Abby decided to teach Nia "ethnic dances" but I actually see her point about being prepared for auditions
10:06 Maddy is doing a precious lyrical solo in memory of her grandmother
10:04 Kathy and Kelly are rehashing last week's costume debacle
10:01 Here we go, Abby is doing her opening speech as per usual

2011 Grand Prix Alternate List

Courtesy of @icemusings here is a list of the top alternates for the 2011 ISU Grand Prix of figure skating series should any of the assigned skaters have to withdraw.

http://icemusings.blogspot.com/2011/07/tentative-grand-prix-alternate-list.html