Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Notes from Nebelhorn & Musings from Minsk

The Nebelhorn Trophy wrapped up Saturday in Oberstdorf, Germany, and the Olympic field is set -- sort of.

Earning the remaining spots were:
Men: Switzerland, Austria, Germany, North Korea, Romania, Finland
Ladies: China, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, Spain, Belgium
Pairs: Switzerland, Poland, Estonia, Italy
Ice Dance: China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary

Although it is still unknown as to which skaters will be representing these countries (along with the countries who qualified spots at the World Championships in March), the Olympic picture is slowly developing. One skater who will most likely be there is 2006 Olympic silver medalist Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland. Lambiel buried the competition here in Oberstdorf, and now only has to pass the requirements of the Swiss Olympic Committee (which he will surely do) in order to skate in Vancouver.

On the ladies' side, American Alissa Czisny won her second straight Nebelhorn title, but only on the strength of her short program. She was only credited with two clean triples in her free skate in what was a messy and error-prone event overall. China's Yan Liu won the free skate and placed third overall to qualify a spot for her country in Vancouver, while Hungary's Julia Sebestyen placed fourth but still earned a berth to her fourth consecutive Olympic Games.

In ice dancing, United States champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White performed their "Phantom of the Opera" free dance for the first time internationally this season, and accumulated over 100 points for it. Their total competition score of 200.46 points was more than 30 points higher than the second place finishers, Alexandra Zaretski and Roman Zaretski of Israel. Davis and White's total score at Nebelhorn was .10 points higher than what they received at the World Championshps last March, but would have been enough to earn them the bronze medal at that event. Clearly, they are already on the right track this season.

Over in Minsk, Belarus, the fourth Junior Grand Prix event of the season wrapped up. Russia's Polina Shelepen delivered another solid free skate to win her second JGP event of the season. Japan's Yuki Nishino was second, and Ksenia Makarova of Russia was third. Kristiene Gong was the top U.S. lady, finishing 4th.

In the men's event, Minnesota-native Eliot Halverson was the top American finisher, placing 5th. Russia's Artur Gachinski and China's Nan Song were in a class of their own, each finishing with over 178 points and winning gold and silver, respectively.

China went 1-2 in the pairs event, with Canadians Hole/Johnson winning the bronze medal after taking gold in Lake Placid last earlier this season. Rachel Tibbetts and Collin Brubaker won the silver medal in ice dancing - their first-ever JGP medal - behind Russians Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin.

Shelepen has mathematically qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final, and it appears as though Makarova will qualify as well. Hole/Johnson have also qualified in the pairs event.

The Junior Grand Prix series continues this week in Dresden, Germany. Angela Maxwell (United States) and Isabelle Olsson (Sweden) are both medal winners already this season, and both will be in contention in Germany. Minnesota-native Kiri Baga makes her international debut, and with her strong spins, spirals and jumps, could definitely factor in for a medal.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Mid-competition thoughts from the Nebelhorn Trophy and the JGP - Belarus

The skating season has *officially* begun.

Senior-level skaters from across the globe have gathered in Oberstdorf, Germany, for the Nebelhorn Trophy, a.ka., the Olympic qualifying event. For nations that have already qualified spots for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the competition serves as a tune-up event for their skaters, allowing them the chance to get their programs in front of an international panel of judges early in the season (i.e., the American skaters competing here are simply competing for the experience, although they are not necessarily the skaters who will be representing the U.S. in Vancouver). For skaters from other countries, however, the event has a much more significant meaning.

Up for grabs are four Olympic spots in pairs, six in the mens and ladies events, and five in ice dancing. One skater hoping to nab a berth is Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist and a two-time World champion. Back for another season, Lambiel currently has the lead after the short program with 77.45 points. The Czech Republic's Michal Brezina sits in second place (73.23) and American Ryan Bradley nabbed the third spot (68.18) after landing a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination but falling on his circular step sequence.

In pairs, two-time and reigning World champs Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy accumulated 72.80 points for their short program, and have a commanding 13-point lead over the second place team of Volosozhar/Morozov (Ukraine). 2007 American champions Brooke Castile and Ben Okolski sit fourth with 51.70 points.

The United States' Meryl Davis and Charlie White displayed their consistency once again, winning both the compulsory (37.62) and original dances (62.08) in Oberstdorf. Apparently their original dance to Indian "Bollywood" music is full of difficult and unique choreography, and was well-received by the audience. I, for one, can't wait to see it! They will take a huge total of 99.70 points into the final segment - the free dance - on Saturday.

The other big skating event going on this week is the Junior Grand Prix in Minsk, Belarus. After today's competition, the results are as follows:

Ice Dance (Compulsory Dance):
1. Monko/Khaliavin, RUS, 33.74
2. Routhier/Saucke-Lacelle, CAN, 31.91
3. Agafonova/Dun, UKR, 30.22
4. Tibbetts/Brubaker, USA, 30.16

Ladies (Short Program):
1. Polina Shelepen, RUS, 49.65
2. Ksenia Makarova, RUS, 49.08
3. Kristiene Gong, USA, 47.42
4. Jasmine Alexandra Costa, EST, 46.93

Pairs (Short Program):
1. Sui/Han, CHN, 50.67
2. Stolbova/Klimov, RUS, 49.52
3. Zhang/Wang, CHN, 49.33
4. Cheng/Gao, CHN, 46.47

The men's short program is tomorrow, along with the original dance and the ladies free skate. Look for the ladies final result to be the same (Shelepen/Makarova/Gong), but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a lot of movement in pairs. Canadians Kaleigh Hole and Adam Johnson (gold medalists at the JGP Lake Placid) are currently 7th but most definitely within striking distance (only about four points out of third).

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Thoughts from the Junior Grand Prix - Poland

Because only a few videos have shown up of the competition at the Junior Grand Prix - Poland last week, there isn't much to write about. Instead, I've come up with five conclusions from the event:

1. Kanako Murakami is Japan's next female skating star. I think she could very well find herself on the 2011 World Championships team for Japan, especially if skaters like Miki Ando, Yukari Nakano and Fumie Suguri retire after this season (although she could still very well make the team even if she was in contention with them).

2. Keegan Messing of the United States is one tough guy. He suffered a deep cut to his hamstring after colliding with U.S. teammate Austin Kanallakan during a practice in Poland, an injury that forced him to walk around the arena on crutches. After an 11th place short program, Messing was 3rd in the free skate and wound up 6th overall.

3. Barring injuries, the fight for gold at the Junior Grand Prix Final and the Junior World Championships appears to be between Russian ice dancers Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov and Americans Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani. The "Shib sibs" have the highest junior ice dance total so far this season (a 175.95 from the JGP - Lake Placid), but Ilinykh/Katsalapov are close behind after a 171.61 point effort in Poland.

4. It looks like Christina Gao could make a huge splash at the U.S. Championships in January. After solid summer competitions, Gao won the bronze medal in Poland in her international debut. Gao has all the requirements necessary to be a great champion, and though it would be a stretch for her to make this year's Olympic team, she seems to be building nicely towards the Games in Sochi, Russia, in 2014.

5. Japan has another dominant man in Yuzuru Hanyu. He demolished the men's field here, winning by more than 27 points. Like Murakami in the ladies event, Hanyu is a legitimate contender for a World team berth in 2011. His score in Poland makes him the top junior man on the JGP circuit so far this season, and an early favorite for the JGP Final title in December.

Full results from the Junior Grand Prix - Poland can be found here.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Flatt shines with new short

Rachael Flatt isn't resting on her laurels this Olympic season.

The 17-year old star from Colorado Springs, Colo., knows that it will take a consistent season and two fantastic programs to get to Vancouver in February, which is why she has once again enlisted the help of choreographer Lori Nichol. The result? A fantastic new short program to "Sing, Sing, Sing!" that has already proven to be a crowd pleaser.

Flatt has climbed the national and international skating ranks by displaying awe-inspiring consistency, secure jumps and the ability to thrive under pressure. At times, her skating has lacked any real audience connection -- that extra "spark" -- that past great American female figure skaters have been known for. To boost her Program Component Scores, Flatt and Nichol spent hours searching through music and crafting well thought out programs. Additionally, Flatt is being mentored by 1976 Olympic champion Dorothy Hamill, and the improvement in her skating is quite noticeable.

Flatt performed her new programs at the Golden West Championships last weekend in Culver City, Calif. While her new free skate to "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" understandably needs more time to "gel" (it is only September, after all), her short program is already world-class.



Her jumps are solid as ever, but for the first time in a long, long time, Rachael truly "comes alive" on the ice. From the opening beats she perfectly captures the jazzy feeling of the big-band music and carries that theme throughout the entire program. Her final footwork sequence is the best I have seen so far this season, and could very well bring down the house at the U.S. Championships if she skates with the same verve and attack that she showed here.

While her spins and posture could still use a bit more refinement, Flatt is definitely on the right track this season. If she continues to train smart, keep her cool and remain healthy, she should easily maintain her status as an Olympic team favorite.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

U.S. golden in singles, ice dance in second JGP event

After a slow opening to the series last week in Budapest, Hungary, a stronger American team rebounded at the Junior Grand Prix - Lake Placid this weekend.

Reigning U.S. junior champion Ross Miner won gold in his first Junior Grand Prix event by executing flawless triple Axels in his short and long programs. Though he made minor mistakes in both programs, his total competition score of 179.95 was more than enough to secure first place for him. He finished over 11 points higher than silver medalist Kento Nakamura of Japan. A relative unknown going in, Nakamura surprised many with effortless triple Axels and fantastic style and presentation. His overall score of 168.03 crushed his previous personal best by more than 40 points, and both Miner and Nakamura appear to be among the favorites to make the Junior Grand Prix Final in December.

There were no surprises in the ice dance event, as the brother/sister duo of Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani easily skated off with the gold medal. Their margin of victory? An astonishing 21.53 points over Canadian silver medalists Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill. The Shibutani's recorded personal best scores in all three phases of the competition in Lake Placid, and their Japanese folk dance (original dance) and tango free dance are the perfect vehicles to show off their maturity and technical prowess. Their total score of 175.95 would have placed them 10th at the senior World Championships last season.

The other two American teams in the event, Lauri Bonacorsi and Travis Mager, and Rachel Tibbetts and Collin Brubaker finished 3rd and 7th, respectively. For Bonacorsi and Mager, a bronze medal in their first JGP event sets them up as legitimate contenders for a Junior Grand Prix Final berth, as well as a junior National medal come January.

The story of the ladies event was without a doubt Kristine Musademba. In her third season of JGP competition, Musademba has acquired a newfound grace and maturity. Her "Claire de Lune" short program was a 54.48 point personal best for her, and put her nearly six points ahead of the rest of the field. A solid free skate to Saint-Saen's "Africa: Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra" was marred only by a fall on her second triple Salchow attempt. However, five completed triple jumps and level 3 and 4 footwork and spins contributed to her 92.91 point free skate (Technical Elements: 49.15, Program Components: 44.76). Musademba's overall score of 147.39 points was more than 10 points higher than silver medalist Ksenia Makarova of Russia, and marks her as a favorite for the JGP Final title and a top 6 finish at the U.S. Championships in Spokane in January.

The other American women in the event didn't fare as well. Taylor Firth finished third in the short program but dropped to eighth in the free skate en route to a 5th place finish overall. Junior National champion DeeDee Leng ended the event in 7th place, and a second Junior Grand Prix assignment for both girls now seems unlikely.

The Lake Placid JGP was home to the first pairs competition of the series. Canadians Kaleigh Hole and Adam Johnson took first in both the short and long programs by displaying secure throw triple and side-by-side triple jumps. Russia's Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov hung on to the silver medal despite a fifth-place free skate, while Japan's Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran fought back after a fifth-place short program to capture the bronze medal overall. Britney Simpson and Nathan Miller of the U.S. recorded the third best free skate but had to settle for 4th place overall. Still, they received some of the top Program Component Scores in both programs and could still make the JGP Final if they medal in their second event.

The Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series moves to Torun, Poland next week. American Christina Gao is among the top ladies competing there, but she will face tough competition from Japan's Kanako Murakami and Russia's Polina Agafonova. Minnesota-native Kate Charbonneau, the 2009 Canadian junior champion, will represent that country in her Junior Grand Prix debut.