Skate America 2014 - Men Short Programme
There are 12 men competing at Skate America in the individual event. Three of them are looking to reinforce their worth, two hope they can redeem themselves and the rest are just here to gain some experience. Let's see how the best of them pull through:
Artur Gachinski still can't land his quads, which is just painful to watch because artistically, he's as good as ever. He's got Tatiana Tarasova on his side now so maybe she can fix him. His music is Cry Me a River by Michael Buble. He gets 75.71 points.
Artur Gachinski still can't land his quads, which is just painful to watch because artistically, he's as good as ever. He's got Tatiana Tarasova on his side now so maybe she can fix him. His music is Cry Me a River by Michael Buble. He gets 75.71 points.
Nam Nguyen seems to be having the time of his life here. His music choice, Sinnerman by Nina Simone, is an incredibly tricky song to skate on because of the rapid changes in rhythm, but he never struggles with it. His ease reminds me of Patrick Chan in his earlier days. His score: 73.71.
Representing Russia's younger generation of skaters, Adian Pitkeev skates on Rachmaninoff. He manages alright with only a minor mistake on his quad, but artistically I'm not impressed. This is good, but it doesn't stand out; it feels like just another typical Russian routine. He gets 76.13 points.
I'm so happy Jeremy Abbott hasn't hung up his skates. His performance of Lay Me Down feels like an exhibition programme in the best of ways. For once, he doesn't look pressured or stressed, so the change in rules befits him. He does however over-rotate the triple Axel. His score: 81.82.
The good thing about Jason Brown's Juke is that it transports you right back to the 1950s. The bad thing is that when a triple axel is the best you've got technically, messing it up is the worst you can do. Still, he doesn't seem too troubled by it. He gets 79.75 points.
Denis Ten has a system. I doubt he does it intentionally because it's not a very good system, but nevertheless, after watching his last two seasons, a pattern emerges. So, as usually, his first competition of the season is short of his best performance. He falls on both the quad Toeloop and the triple Axel. His score: 77.18.
Tatsuki Machida came here to keep his Skate America gold and by the looks of it, he'll have no problem doing it. It isn't just that he is technically flawless or artistically masterful, but that he sets his goal clearly before each competition and he stays focused until he reaches it. That's champion material right there. He gets 93.39 points.
The men's short programme has come to an end and each skater seems to have half-achieved their aims (except for Denis Ten, but then again, he's got a system). Stay tuned for the free skate and any changes in standings it may lead to.
Representing Russia's younger generation of skaters, Adian Pitkeev skates on Rachmaninoff. He manages alright with only a minor mistake on his quad, but artistically I'm not impressed. This is good, but it doesn't stand out; it feels like just another typical Russian routine. He gets 76.13 points.
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| Tatsuki Machida doesn't stray from his goals easily Photograph: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America |
The good thing about Jason Brown's Juke is that it transports you right back to the 1950s. The bad thing is that when a triple axel is the best you've got technically, messing it up is the worst you can do. Still, he doesn't seem too troubled by it. He gets 79.75 points.
Denis Ten has a system. I doubt he does it intentionally because it's not a very good system, but nevertheless, after watching his last two seasons, a pattern emerges. So, as usually, his first competition of the season is short of his best performance. He falls on both the quad Toeloop and the triple Axel. His score: 77.18.
Tatsuki Machida came here to keep his Skate America gold and by the looks of it, he'll have no problem doing it. It isn't just that he is technically flawless or artistically masterful, but that he sets his goal clearly before each competition and he stays focused until he reaches it. That's champion material right there. He gets 93.39 points.
The men's short programme has come to an end and each skater seems to have half-achieved their aims (except for Denis Ten, but then again, he's got a system). Stay tuned for the free skate and any changes in standings it may lead to.
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