Canadian and U.S. Nationals

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SkateSand	Canadian and U.S. Nationals	Lead	[-]
Posts: 46603 (01/17/09 3:07 PM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Tags : None Very nice short program to an instrumental version of "Tango de Roxanne" from Moulin Rouge (that's what it sounds like to me, anyway ) by Patrick Chan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9FoEgvnZ9o And no need to even watch the long, LOL - he's already won the competition, based on his sp scores. Laurie (who would rail that it completely ruins the suspense of the long programs when you already know the winner after the short, but you've heard this speech before... )
AKYfan		#1	[-]
Posts: 2310 (01/18/09 1:24 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	His long is worth watching, though. I saw it on CBC yesterday, and was impressed. Jane I think I'm losing it. Obviously I didn't see Patrick Chan's long program yesterday, since they aren't showing it until this evening. I don't know what I was thinking. Last Edited By: AKYfan 01/18/09 1:07 PM. Edited 1 times.
SkateSand		#2	[-]
Posts: 46607 (01/18/09 1:35 PM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I was totally confused! Laurie
SkateSand		#3	[-]
Posts: 46613 (01/19/09 12:28 AM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I'm reading that Kimmie Meissner has pulled out of Nationals - haven't seen any details yet, but apparently the reason is supposed to be injury. If it's true, then I'm sure sorry. I was hoping she'd finally get a break. Laurie
SkateSand		#4	[-]
Posts: 46615 (01/19/09 12:06 PM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Here's an article on Kimmie's withdrawal - looks like a hip injury. http://www.baltimoresun.c...er19jan19,0,1948862.story Laurie
SkateSand		#5	[-]
Posts: 46624 (01/21/09 6:37 AM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Emily Hughes also withdrew - her injury is an ankle injury. I guess my prediction for ladies results, just based on guesswork, LOL - is Rachael Flatt as your eventual winner. But, we'll see! Here's the Ice Network results page - I'll see if Ice Calc also does one. http://www.usfigureskatin...esults/34540/results.html Laurie
AKYfan		#6	[-]
Posts: 2313 (01/21/09 1:16 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Thanks for the results page, Laurie. Jane
SkateSand		#7	[-]
Posts: 46628 (01/21/09 3:02 PM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I don't think Ice Calc does U.S. Nationals since it's not really an ISU competition like the Grand Prix events, Euros, Four Continents, and Worlds, but is under USFSA rules. Laurie
figuristka		#8	[-]
Posts: 5369 (01/22/09 3:32 PM) Ice Dancer Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	-very nice skate by Dube and Davison -lp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hJ9IWVOrdE only saw it today.Hope its alright to post link.
SkateSand		#9	[-]
Posts: 46643 (01/22/09 9:32 PM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Article on the ladies' short programs at U.S. Nationals: I was surprised! http://www.google.com/hos...gu_SNk1BRS836JNwD95SL1R82 Laurie
SkateSand		#10	[-]
Posts: 46653 (01/23/09 9:52 PM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	And even more surprised by the men's short programs! I've been busy trying to figure the logistics thing for Skate America in Lake Placid and forgot the men's shorts were tonight - saw the results page on Ice Network and thought to myself once again - see, this is why you don't want to have the short so important - takes a lot of the suspense out of the long programs, although in this case it's more about eliminating a serious contender for gold. At least they will be showing some of the skating on NBC tomorrow and Sunday. Laurie
SkateSand		#11	[-]
Posts: 46656 (01/23/09 10:09 PM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Article on the men's short programs: http://www.nytimes.com/20...kate.html?_r=1&ref=sports Laurie
SkateSand		#12	[-]
Posts: 46663 (01/24/09 2:31 PM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I am thoroughly enjoying today's NBC broadcast of U. S. Nationals! So nice to see figure skating on U.S. TV! On the big screen! Skating! Amazing! Laurie
jppurple		#13	[-]
Posts: 1832 (01/24/09 8:45 PM) Official Board Navigator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	We actually saw the last 2 groups of ladies. I'm stunned. How great was Mirai's comeback? She should be very proud of herself & not worry at all about where she finished. Lots of good work from our young ladies but Caroline Zhang is my favorite. I know she doesn't quite have the speed of some of the others & still gets a few jumps downgraded but what she does is what I want to see in ladies skating. The pair that skated so well & came in 2nd, Denney & Barrett, trains at our local rink, just across the river from me. Very happy for them. Maybe now the local paper & media will pay a little attention to them. Jennifer
SkateSand		#14	[-]
Posts: 46666 (01/24/09 11:00 PM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	We ended up with five hours of figure skating on NBC, and most of it live (well, on the east coast, anyway, but I was watching my east coast satellite feed, heh-heh). Wow - if only it could always be this way! Fun to watch stuff in real time - must be how football and basketball fans feel all the time. ) But, that whining over with, it was a great broadcast. Okay, I can quibble about the commentators (Scott, Sandra, Hammond), with their obvious biases , but basically what we saw were a lot of programs and a very minimum of fluff. Real action, most of the time. I'm thinking NBC "gets it." Pairs finals: I'm one of the fans who think Denney & Barrett wuz robbed, LOL, although I certainly understand the case for McLaughlin & Brubaker to win. They are clearly the superior pair, just having a bit of an off skate because McLaughlin was clearly ill. I think they did a terrific job with her so obviously under the weather. Their basic skills are just better all around, more complexity and subtlety to their program, etc. But, on the other hand, Denney and Barrett had a dazzling performance - they were on fire! And, I dunno, but I wanna see the performances on fire win. Especially when it's close...but they are both going to Worlds so it's cool... Inoue and Baldwin were just...off. Rena seemed tentative even before they started. They had no fire at all, and stumbled on what should be easy elements for them. Dance finals: Meryl Davis and Charlie White are clearly the class of the field. I question whether Belbin and Agosto could have beaten them today, had they competed here. Beautiful, beautiful performance. Samuelson and Bates were lovely, too. I love her - love her dress, love her fire - love her feet. And Tracey did a great job of commentating - what a difference from the pairs and ladies! Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell I thought were also very enjoyable and a revelation to me. I hadn't seen them before, or if I have, I didn't remember. Ladies Finals: This was great - saw a lot of skaters I've never seen before. NBC showed us quite a few short programs and then the last two groups of ladies' free skates. Alexe Gilles was a pistol! I loved her big jumps, her great, dancey choreography. Ashley Wagner - my little heartbreaker. There is something about this girl I just adore. She's not the most artistic, nor the best jumper. But she has guts to spare. She's just such a determined little firecracker. I'm glad she won the free skate. I'm thrilled she pulled up from 12th to 4th, and I regret she's not going to Worlds, but I also think she ended up about right in the standings so fair is fair. Rachael Flatt - so consistent, so dependable, and Scott made it sound like an insult. It's so reassuring to watch her, knowing she won't break your heart. It's a pity that her programs are so boring this year, because when I first saw her, she had a wonderfully choreographed program that not only showed off her consistency, but her charm and musicality. What happened to that? Whyyyyyy did they change? She's spunky, not boring, and they need to find something for her that suits her personality. I think it's a valid argument that here is your true U.S. Nationals champion...I'm glad she's going to Worlds, anyway - and if we want three U.S. girls for the Olympics, this lady is the one who can be counted on to make it happen for us. Count on it... Alissa Czisny - gorgeous skater, gorgeous skating. No way will three triples cut it at Worlds, but had she not been so far ahead after the short, she wouldn't have won here, either. But you can see why everyone loves her - beautiful, expressive, elegance to die for - the epitome of "lady" skater as opposed to cute little girl. Caroline Zhang - showing remarkable composure and good at everything. I think her only flaw is her speed - she doesn't have any. I don't think the lack shows up that much on TV, but it obviously does live. But she's still a lovely skater and she did herself proud here. Deserved the podium. Mirai Nagasu - oh, was she good! In tears and pretty much a basket case before the performance, she could have totally imploded and you wouldn't have been surprised. But you could see the fire in her eyes as she finally got into it, and she showed the same kind of guts that I'm enjoying seeing in Ashley and Rachael, only Mirai has it all. And it's fun to watch her just zoooooom across the ice. Great comeback after the short - she'll be back! The depth of U.S. ladies is still there and is still incredible. All this gloom-and-doom about U.S. ladies? I don't see it! Great to see the wonderful crowds at U.S. Nationals, too. Nice to see full arenas, enthusiastic audiences. Skating is still here, even if only for the die-hard fans, LOL. Tomorrow - the men! Laurie
SkateSand		#15	[-]
Posts: 46671 (01/25/09 3:33 PM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Well, the men were interesting, as I expected, LOL - but not exactly in the way I expected! I would have said Weir had an excellent chance to be named to the World team anyway had not Brandon finished second and ahead of Evan. With Evan in third, I'm sure they'll send Evan and Johnny is out. I don't think the USFSA will leave Brandon off the team since he finished second and might even have won had not Jeremy come into the free skate with such a commanding lead. Jeremy Abbott - he has probably the only footwork in this COP era that I find at all interesting and enjoyable to watch - everyone else is just doing cookie-cutter Level 4 versions that are a complete snoozefest to me. But Jeremy has such flow and quality that he can make it look like it's beautiful and natural and not just all about points. His jumps are incredible, too, such flow in and out. Grace is the word! Congrats, and I'm sure he'll do us proud at Worlds. Brandon Mroz - well, he certainly brought it! Another skater either I hadn't seen before or I don't remember if I had. But he is the future of U.S. men, no doubt. Athletic and gritty. To not send him to Worlds after both of his superlative performances in Cleveland would be criminal. Evan Lysacek - not his best today. But he fought for everything and still did well enough to make the podium. And there is no way the USFSA is going to leave him off the team. Johnny Weir - I knew he was a goner when I saw the deer-in-the-headlights look in his eyes before he even stepped on the ice. I thought he was going to pull it together later in the program - it looked like he was rallying - but then he fell - on the flip? - and it was all over or at least he seemed to think it was all over. I think he could have made a decent argument for staying on the World team had the podium been Jeremy and Evan in first and second and Mroz in third. Maybe. But with Mroz second, I don't think it will happen for him. You can't leave the silver medalist at Nationals at home in favor of the guy who finished fifth. From his interview, it looks like Johnny thinks he fought back in the long. No - fighting back is what Ashley Wagner and Mirai Nagasu did yesterday. Johnny was tentative through most of the performance except for one brief spark of life. That's not enough - you have to fight for the entire program. That said, he would be sorely missed at Worlds, and I wonder if the powers-that-be will be fretting about lost audience if they don't name him. He's most certainly an icon of current U.S. men, and to "sell" Worlds to audiences in L.A. if he's not there might be difficult... Ryan Bradley was good, too, but it was also not his day. Parker fell apart. Except for Curran, we didn't get to see anyone else, ahem, NBC... The NBC coverage was much better yesterday. Today's was disjointed, going from live to taped and then back to live, and I'm sure the TV audience wasn't quite sure of which was which. Sandra and Scott and Hammond continued with their absurd commentating. They are out of touch with this kind of competition since they aren't going to explain CoP to the audience. If that's the judging system in place, then you have to explain it. You can't just fake like you know what you are talking about... Laurie
SkateSand		#16	[-]
Posts: 46673 (01/25/09 5:29 PM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Okay, looks like it's official, from the SkateFans list: Teams have been named by the USFSA: http://www.usfsa.org/Story.asp?id=42483 >> Ladies 2009 World Championships Alissa Czisny Rachael Flatt Alternate 1 - Caroline Zhang Alternate 2 - Ashley Wagner Alternate 3 - Mirai Nagasu 2009 Four Continents Championships Alissa Czisny Rachael Flatt Caroline Zhang Alternate 1 - Ashley Wagner Alternate 2 - Mirai Nagasu Alternate 3 - Katrina Hacker 2009 World Junior Championships Mirai Nagasu Ashley Wagner Caroline Zhang Alternate 1 - Katrina Hacker Alternate 2 - Alexe Gilles Alternate 3 - Brittney Rizo Alternate 4 - Angela Maxwell Men's 2009 World Championships Jeremy Abbott Evan Lysacek Brandon Mroz Alternate 1 - Johnny Weir Alternate 2 - Ryan Bradley Alternate 3 - Stephen Carriere 2009 Four Continents Championships Jeremy Abbott Brandon Mroz Evan Lysacek Alternate 1 - Ryan Bradley Alternate 2 - Johnny Weir Alternate 3 - Curran Oi 2009 World Junior Championships Curran Oi Adam Rippon Ross Miner Alternate 1 - Armin Mahbanoozadeh Alternate 2 - Alex Johnson Alternate 3 - Richard Dornbush Pairs 2009 World Championships Caydee Denney/Jeremy Barrett Keauna McLaughlin/Rockne Brubaker Alternate 1 - Rena Inoue/John Baldwin Alternate 2 - Amanda Evora/Mark Ladwig Alternate 3 - Brooke Castile/Ben Okolski 2009 Four Continents Championships Caydee Denney/Jeremy Barrett Rena Inoue/John Baldwin Keauna McLaughlin/Rockne Brubaker Alternate 1 - Amanda Evora/Mark Ladwig Alternate 2 - Brooke Castile/Ben Okolski Alternate 3 - Chloe Katz/Joseph Lynch 2009 World Junior Championships Brynn Carman/Chris Knierim Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir Alternate 1 - Molly Aaron/Daniyel Cohen Alternate 2 - Brittany Chase/Andrew Speroff Alternate 3 - Kloe Bautista/Galvani Hopson Ice Dancing 2009 World Championships Meryl Davis/Charlie White Emily Samuelson/Evan Bates Tanith Belbin/Ben Agosto Alternate 1 - Kimberly Navarro/Brent Bommentre Alternate 2 - Madison Hubbell/Keiffer Hubbell Alternate 3 - Jane Summersett/Todd Gilles Alternate 4 - Trina Pratt/Chris Obzansky 2009 Four Continents Championships Meryl Davis/Charlie White Kimberly Navarro/Brent Bommentre Emily Samuelson/Evan Bates Alternate 1 - Jane Summersett/Todd Gilles Alternate 2 - Trina Pratt/Chris Obzansky Alternate 3 - Lynn Kriengkrairut/Logan Giulietti-Schmitt 2009 World Junior Championships Madison Chock/Greg Zuerlein Madison Hubbell/Keiffer Hubbell Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani Alternate 1 - Piper Gilles/Zachary Donohue Alternate 2 - Shannon Wingle/Timothy McKernan Alternate 3 - Isabella Cannuscio/Ian Lorello Laurie
SkateSand		#17	[-]
Posts: 46733 (02/09/09 7:54 PM) Fearless Leader Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I suppose I could have put this anywhere, but I'm putting it here since he specifically mentioned U.S. Nationals, LOL: Stephane Lambiel interview - excerpts translated by Maureen on the SkateFans list: http://news.sport-express...ne/ntext/28/nl283024.html >> "It is a sad situation, because the figure skating competitive world is a bit sick now because of the new system that I find a bit strange. It was not easy for me to decide to retire because I really love competing." Re: Johnny Weir not making the national team "…I blame the new system. In my opinion, Evan Lycasek should have won because he skated both programs, but he only got third. The judges do strange things when they want to advance someone. The new system permits this. For example, I do not understand how the judges determine the components: a skater could completely lack transitions but he'll get high marks because he is considered a good skater. Yes, if you are a strong skater you should get high marks for skating skills, but if you don't have transitions then the transitions mark should reflect this too. In reality, these component scores are usually the same. But it is not logical! I am not even talking about how often the component scores are used to prop up a strong skater who performed badly." Re: But you benefited from the same at last year's Europeans... "I know, but I think it was wrong. You should not use the components to prop up one person and bury another. A skater can show a really good program, but get low components because he is not well-known. This is what I do not like about the new system. It allows messing up the results. I am really bothered by it." >> Laurie
Anna from Athens		#18	[-]
Posts: 5819 (02/10/09 1:33 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I love Lambiel! Anna

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Canadian and U.S. Nationals

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