NHK Trophy 2013 (Short Programmes)
MEN
Adam Rippon won the crowd over with his passionate interpretation of Carmen. The costume still looks a a bit odd, but the rest of the presentation was great. Technically, his quad was dodgy and he had a little stumble at the end. His score: 82.25.
Konstantiv Menshov had speed, charisma and some beautiful moments on ice, but fell on the Triple Lutz. He obtained 73.57 points.
Max Aaron grabbed the ladies' attention with his Latino footwork, but lost control on the Triple Lutz. His score: 76.21.
Jeremy Abbott's routine was charming and smooth. He double-footed the Quad Toeloop, but otherwise delivered a good skate. He obtained 78.78 points.
Sergei Voronov looked dashing in his black and white costume. The programme itself benefited from difficult footwork and flawless technique. His score: 79.80.
Nobunari Oda truly made his homeland proud today. Skating on Cotton Club, he landed every jump and showed off his showman abilities. Excellent job! He obtained 82.70 points.
Takahito Mura was the second Japanese skater to put on a show for us, but stepped out of the Triple Toeloop and put down his hand on the Triple Lutz. His score: 79.97.
Javier Fernandez was still as entertaining to watch as ever, but his quad was messy at best. Best costume of the competition though! He obtained 84.78 points.
Daisuke Takahashi dived into the tragedy of the 2011 tsunami catastrophe with his short programme. It doesn't get more expressive or flawless than that. His score: 95.55.
PAIRS
Narumi Takahashi/Riuichi Kihara lack the necessary chemistry to portray the story of Samson and Delilah accurately, but that's probably because they haven't been skating together for long. They experienced some trouble with the thrown twist and she over-rotated the side-by-side Triple Salchow. Their score: 49.54.
Anastasia Martiusheva/Alexei Rogonov's dramatic music could have used a bit more enthusiasm. She fell on the thrown Triple Flip and got quite the scratch on her chin. Thank God it was only that! They obtained 48.97 points.
Cheng Peng/Hao Zhang proved their critics (me included) wrong one more time. It turns out they may have a bright future together after all. Despite the hand down on the thrown Triple Loop, the program was glorious both technically and artistically. Their score: 65.09.
Haven Denney/Brandon Frazier's interpretation of Malaguena might not have been fiery, but it was enough to sparkle. The only mistake was him double-footing the Triple Salchow. They obtained 58.67 points.
Wenjing Sui/Cong Han delivered a fantastic rendition of La Strada with no real technical mistake. Their score: 70.13.
Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir should try wearing anything but black for a change. Their first attempt at a lift failed, but the second one succeeded spectacularly. Their side-by-side Triple Salchows also gave them a hard time today. They obtained 58.60 points.
Paige Lawrence/Rudi Swiegers had swagger, but absolutely no control over any of their jumps. The reason could be her left thigh injure. Their score: 58.72.
Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov's waltz is sure to remain in the history of pair skating as the most complex short programme performed so far. There is not much to say about them, as it is obvious they were perfect again. They obtained 82.03 points.
LADIES
Satoko Miyahara is a good start for Japan's 'wonder-child generation'. She was so delicate and stunningly graceful! Technically, she might not have such difficult elements as the Russian wonder-children, but she is sure to get them in her back pocket in the future two or three years, maybe sooner. Her score: 58.39.
Mirai Nagasu seems to have lost her confidence in the last few seasons. She didn't showcase the romance of The Man I Love and had a mistake on each and every jump (double-footed Triple Flip and Toeloop, under-rotated Triple Loop and dodgy landing on the Double Axel). She obtained 51.01 points.
Elena Radionova might be too young to fully understand the drama of Anna Karenina, but she is talented enough to give us a magical innocent version of the story. The only mistake was the hand down on the Triple Lutz. Her score: 62.83.
Elene Gedevanishvili's nightmares came true once more. The double-footed Triple Lutz threw her off balance, so she ended up jumping a Single instead of a Triple Axel. Unfortunately, when her elements go wrong, her presentation is always next to non-existent. She obtained 45.14 points.
Alena Leonova has one of the best personalities on ice. Whatever role she takes on, you believe her 100% in it. She fell on the second Triple Toeloop here, but that didn't affect the rest of the programme, which is a huge progress for her. Glad to see her back in good form! Her score: 55.86.
Valentina Marchei is skating up the ladder to success. She was elegant, and flawless in her technique. She obtained 61.90 points.
Gracie Gold's choreography was clever, following every change in the music. She had a messy landing on the Triple Loop. Her score: 62.83. P.S: Although she had the same score as Radionova, the Russian ended up on third place because her presentation mark was higher.
Mao Asada does good under pressure. She is the only woman in the world who tries to jump the Triple Axel and although it didn't work perfectly here, it is her signature element. Her presentation was simply splendid. She obtained 71.26 points.
Akiko Suzuki paid homage to love in a breathtakingly beautiful routine.
The only thing separating her from Asada was the Axel. Her score: 66.03.
DANCE
Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier's alert and glamorous short programme had a great debut here. Their twizzles were perfect and their spin, very original. Their score: 55.20.
Tanja Kolbe/Stefano Caruso decided to skate on New York, New York, but didn't look as in love with the city as they should have. It was a good skate with just one minor mistake of synchronization, and the costumes reflected the music perfectly. They obtained 52.39 points.
Cathy Reed/Chris Reed put on the Ritz alright, but started the twizzles with a small lack of synchronization. Their score: 51.91.
Victoria Sinitsina/Ruslan Zhiganshin tried to be funny, but she didn't seem that into it and that was before the silly fall. After, the presentation fell apart, but the twizzles were flawless. They obtained 44.34 points.
Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani were lovely and every bit as elegant as you expected. The diagonal step sequence in particular was very good. Their score: 63.09.
Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov looked fabulous in their 1920s costumes, but had the tinniest problem with the twizzles. They obtained 61.35 points.
Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte were born for light-hearted routines, so the Finnstep fits them like a glove. They had absolutely no mistake here and were simply delightful to watch. Their score: 64.58.
Meryl Davis/Charlie White's routine was refined and very sharp. They told the story of Eliza Doolitle very accurately. They obtained 73.70 points.
Adam Rippon won the crowd over with his passionate interpretation of Carmen. The costume still looks a a bit odd, but the rest of the presentation was great. Technically, his quad was dodgy and he had a little stumble at the end. His score: 82.25.
Konstantiv Menshov had speed, charisma and some beautiful moments on ice, but fell on the Triple Lutz. He obtained 73.57 points.
Max Aaron grabbed the ladies' attention with his Latino footwork, but lost control on the Triple Lutz. His score: 76.21.
Jeremy Abbott's routine was charming and smooth. He double-footed the Quad Toeloop, but otherwise delivered a good skate. He obtained 78.78 points.
Sergei Voronov looked dashing in his black and white costume. The programme itself benefited from difficult footwork and flawless technique. His score: 79.80.Nobunari Oda truly made his homeland proud today. Skating on Cotton Club, he landed every jump and showed off his showman abilities. Excellent job! He obtained 82.70 points.
Takahito Mura was the second Japanese skater to put on a show for us, but stepped out of the Triple Toeloop and put down his hand on the Triple Lutz. His score: 79.97.
Javier Fernandez was still as entertaining to watch as ever, but his quad was messy at best. Best costume of the competition though! He obtained 84.78 points.
Daisuke Takahashi dived into the tragedy of the 2011 tsunami catastrophe with his short programme. It doesn't get more expressive or flawless than that. His score: 95.55.
PAIRS
Narumi Takahashi/Riuichi Kihara lack the necessary chemistry to portray the story of Samson and Delilah accurately, but that's probably because they haven't been skating together for long. They experienced some trouble with the thrown twist and she over-rotated the side-by-side Triple Salchow. Their score: 49.54.
Anastasia Martiusheva/Alexei Rogonov's dramatic music could have used a bit more enthusiasm. She fell on the thrown Triple Flip and got quite the scratch on her chin. Thank God it was only that! They obtained 48.97 points.
Cheng Peng/Hao Zhang proved their critics (me included) wrong one more time. It turns out they may have a bright future together after all. Despite the hand down on the thrown Triple Loop, the program was glorious both technically and artistically. Their score: 65.09.
Haven Denney/Brandon Frazier's interpretation of Malaguena might not have been fiery, but it was enough to sparkle. The only mistake was him double-footing the Triple Salchow. They obtained 58.67 points.
Wenjing Sui/Cong Han delivered a fantastic rendition of La Strada with no real technical mistake. Their score: 70.13.
Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir should try wearing anything but black for a change. Their first attempt at a lift failed, but the second one succeeded spectacularly. Their side-by-side Triple Salchows also gave them a hard time today. They obtained 58.60 points.
Paige Lawrence/Rudi Swiegers had swagger, but absolutely no control over any of their jumps. The reason could be her left thigh injure. Their score: 58.72.
Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov's waltz is sure to remain in the history of pair skating as the most complex short programme performed so far. There is not much to say about them, as it is obvious they were perfect again. They obtained 82.03 points.
LADIES
Satoko Miyahara is a good start for Japan's 'wonder-child generation'. She was so delicate and stunningly graceful! Technically, she might not have such difficult elements as the Russian wonder-children, but she is sure to get them in her back pocket in the future two or three years, maybe sooner. Her score: 58.39.
Mirai Nagasu seems to have lost her confidence in the last few seasons. She didn't showcase the romance of The Man I Love and had a mistake on each and every jump (double-footed Triple Flip and Toeloop, under-rotated Triple Loop and dodgy landing on the Double Axel). She obtained 51.01 points.
Elena Radionova might be too young to fully understand the drama of Anna Karenina, but she is talented enough to give us a magical innocent version of the story. The only mistake was the hand down on the Triple Lutz. Her score: 62.83.
Elene Gedevanishvili's nightmares came true once more. The double-footed Triple Lutz threw her off balance, so she ended up jumping a Single instead of a Triple Axel. Unfortunately, when her elements go wrong, her presentation is always next to non-existent. She obtained 45.14 points.
Alena Leonova has one of the best personalities on ice. Whatever role she takes on, you believe her 100% in it. She fell on the second Triple Toeloop here, but that didn't affect the rest of the programme, which is a huge progress for her. Glad to see her back in good form! Her score: 55.86.
Valentina Marchei is skating up the ladder to success. She was elegant, and flawless in her technique. She obtained 61.90 points.
Gracie Gold's choreography was clever, following every change in the music. She had a messy landing on the Triple Loop. Her score: 62.83. P.S: Although she had the same score as Radionova, the Russian ended up on third place because her presentation mark was higher.
Mao Asada does good under pressure. She is the only woman in the world who tries to jump the Triple Axel and although it didn't work perfectly here, it is her signature element. Her presentation was simply splendid. She obtained 71.26 points.
Akiko Suzuki paid homage to love in a breathtakingly beautiful routine.
The only thing separating her from Asada was the Axel. Her score: 66.03.
DANCE
Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier's alert and glamorous short programme had a great debut here. Their twizzles were perfect and their spin, very original. Their score: 55.20.
Tanja Kolbe/Stefano Caruso decided to skate on New York, New York, but didn't look as in love with the city as they should have. It was a good skate with just one minor mistake of synchronization, and the costumes reflected the music perfectly. They obtained 52.39 points.
Cathy Reed/Chris Reed put on the Ritz alright, but started the twizzles with a small lack of synchronization. Their score: 51.91.
Victoria Sinitsina/Ruslan Zhiganshin tried to be funny, but she didn't seem that into it and that was before the silly fall. After, the presentation fell apart, but the twizzles were flawless. They obtained 44.34 points.
Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani were lovely and every bit as elegant as you expected. The diagonal step sequence in particular was very good. Their score: 63.09.
Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov looked fabulous in their 1920s costumes, but had the tinniest problem with the twizzles. They obtained 61.35 points.
Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte were born for light-hearted routines, so the Finnstep fits them like a glove. They had absolutely no mistake here and were simply delightful to watch. Their score: 64.58.
Meryl Davis/Charlie White's routine was refined and very sharp. They told the story of Eliza Doolitle very accurately. They obtained 73.70 points.
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