Crystal Skate

Wow, it has been a really long time since I've written a blog post about figure skating. Longer than I wanted or expected. I realised this as I was trying to update the theme of this blog and couldn't remember the settings... Oops! Life has been busy, but life is always busy and unless you make time for the things you're passionate about, you will probably never get back to them. So I decided to stubbornly make time and bring figure skating and this blog back into my life. Let's get started then. The season always begins for me with the Grand Prix Series and therefore, almost every time, with Skate America. This year's Skate America is being held 8 hours before my time zone, so it's proving a bit of a challenge, but hey, I'm committed to commenting on as much of it as I can. I did mean to write a Preview post trying to predict what the podiums will be like, but life and other temporary miniature disasters got in the way, so I'll have to start my co...

The pairs' short programme was a perfect example of what happens when technology goes rogue. For those of you who didn't watch this live, let me explain. Simply put, the scoring system crashed and there was a gap of about 10 minutes between Nicole della Monica/Matteo Guarise and Liubov Ilyushechkina/Dylan Moscovitch. This things happen though and once the problem was fixed, the competition carried on with no real damage. Here are some thoughts on the best four performances: Nicole della Monica/Matteo Guarise  drew a lot of attention at the Cup of China, but did even better in Grenoble. They had a really sharp step sequence, staying in sync throughout it, and no errors. They finished on 3rd place, same as in Beijing, but I think they have more chances at a medal here. Their score: 70.65 . Liubov Iliushechkina/Dylan Moscovitch  needed nerves of steel to get over the long wait prior the start of their routine. Their performance wasn't perfect, but it wasn't awful eithe...

The pairs' competition hasn't looked so even in a while. Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot have a lot of potential, but have yet to establish themselves as a top pair, Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov look like they might be the next big thing, and Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov are in theory contenders for the gold, but haven't skated on international ice yet this season. So really, it's anyone's game at the moment. Let's start by taking a look at Lola Esbrat/Andrei Novoselov . They skate to Memoirs of a Geisha , with a programme whose transitions are pepperred with pretty choreographic lifts. He puts a hand down on the side-by-side triple Salchow and she double-foots the throw jump. Their score: 52.51 . Arina Cherniavskaia/Evgeni Krasnopolski   skate to a selection of Chopin melodies. He doesn't quite catch her right during the triple twist, and she falls on the side-by-side triple Salchow. They get 47.92  points. A bit of drama happening during the routi...

Figure skating is often about momentum. When the favourites make errors, it's up to their rivals to grab the chance to skate away with a gold medal. In Marseille, Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov are given the rather rare opportunity to defeat world champions Meagan Duhanel and Eric Radford. Will they rise to the occasion or will victors' experience win the title? Before all that, Julianne Seguin/Charlie Bilodeau  start the competition with a much better performance than yesterday's even if he falls on the side-by-side triple Toeloops. Elements like the side-by-side spins and the throw jumps are beautifully set to the rise and fall of the soundtrack of Cinema Paradiso . Their score: 125.99 . Overall: 186.85 . Natalia Zabijako/Alexander Enbert  make great use of the epic intro of Cry Me a River  to set their triple twist against a dramatic musical background. Unfortunately, their presentation doesn't convince me - not sure smiling all the way through the routine...

Do you remember that awkward season when Ilinykh/Zhiganshin and Sinitsina/Katsalapov had just switched partners? Well, we're experiencing that in the pairs' event this season. The swap between Peng/Zhang and Yu/Jin seemed to have been a good decision at the Cup of China, at least for the Yu/Zhang pair, but how will their fare against rivals from Canada and Russia? Let's start with their former partners, Cheng Peng/Yang Jin , who are not doing badly at all. I really like their short routine - it's funny, the costumes are great, the choreography is interesting, the technical is pretty good as well... The only problem is that they don't really look at each other unless they must. I imagine it's not easy being told one day you've a new partner, so it's natural that chemistry will take some time to develop. Their score: 70.84 . The unlikely winners of the short programme, Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov look like t...

There's a lot to be proud of in the pairs' event if you're Russian, or if your favourites are any of the top three pairs, for that matter. Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov are unlikely to move from their first place, as are E. Tarasova and V. Morozov from their second. Thirdly, K. Astakhova and A. Rogonov might just take a medal at their first senior competition. Maybe it's because they're a new pair, but Dee Dee Leng/Simon Shnapir 's routine is not ambitious at all - they attempt only a thrown double Loop. They also fall on the side-by-side triple Salchows, lose unison in the side-by-side spins and she puts the hand down on the thrown triple Salchow. The theme choice, Miss Saigon , was clever though because they couldn't look their parts better. Their score: 83.26 . Overall: 128.68 . It's not looking good for Narumi Takahashi/Ryuichi Kihara . Something has definitely happened in the past two seasons to her because she just can't land the side-by...

So far, the pairs' category has been the most faithful to skaters' reputation. And if there is one pair who can keep their heads in the game, it's Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov. However, after what just occurred in the ladies' short, I won't try to predict what place they'll lend after the short. I'll just wait and see what happens. This is the season of break-ups and new partnerships. Dee Dee Leng/Simon Shnapir  are another recently formed pair and it shows. Theirs is a decent routine, but it's filled with errors. Their score: 45.42 . Kristina Astakhova/Alexei Rogonov  are also making their debut here, but they show great chemistry. More importantly, they sell the raunchy sexiness Be Italian  is all about. The only problem is the lack of synchronicity in the side-by-side spins. They get 58.34  points. Bossa Nova is one of the most energetic musical styles in the world, but you wouldn't guess it by watching Narumi Takahashi/Ryuichi Kihara . ...

We start off the final with a clear image of who the winners will be (Duhamel and Radford, obviously) which would normally make for a dull competition. However, because China and Russia's new pairs are debuting their rivalry for the runner-up position, there's still hope of some thrills. Plus, this is figure skating and twists of fate can happen anytime. Mari Vartmann/Aaron Van Cleave  have chosen Joaquin Rodriguez's famous Concierto de Aranjuez  for the long routine. It is, I'm afraid, filled with mistakes such as lack of synchronicity and a hand down on the first thrown jump, a triple Flip. Their score: 97.46 . Overall: 145.89 . The Great Gatsby  is an ambitious story for beginners like Brittany Jones/Joshua Reagan  to tell. They don't capture any of the angst, or love for that matter, but by God they are  amazing technically. Although their side-by-side spins are pretty bad, the jumps are clean and the lifts are so difficult they almost make me nervo...