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2008 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships - HighlightsOriginal Dance, Pairs Long Program, and Ladies Short Program
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The 2008 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships continued with the Original Dance, the Pairs Long Program, and the Ladies Short Program.
The Folk/Country dance is the Original Dance (OD) for the 2007-08 season. While there are no restrictions on the the number of music selections used, the dance must have a theme based on a specific country/region.
Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir maintained their overnight lead after the OD, while USA's Meryl Davis and Charlie White and Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre are in second and third, respectively.
The top 9 teams maintained their original placements from the Compulsory Dance yesterday. In addition, the top five teams all scored a new personal best in the OD.
Virtue and Moir showed excellent harmony and expression in their Russian folk dance to Dark Eyes. The Canadian champions earned a level 4 on all elements except for a combination spin (level 3). The team also earned positive Grades of Execution (GOE) on all their elements, including a +2.00 on their circular footwork which had excellent timing as well as good speed and ice coverage. They earned 65.02 (34.74/30.28) points for a first place finish in the OD, and currently have a total of 103.24 points.
"This is our building event before Worlds," said Moir. "We still want to keep everything moving. As I say, we'll see what happens. It was exciting out there. The Korean people were really into it. There is not a ton of them out there, but they're very loud."
Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir maintain their overnight lead after placing first in the Original Dance. |
"Another seasons best, another good skate," added Virtue. "We're happy."
Davis and White delivered a characteristic Russian folk dance to Kalinka in which all elements were also rewarded with positive GOEs. Although both their step sequences only received a level 3, the team showed good interpretation of the music and executed two impressive lifts.
The U.S. silver medalist placed second in the OD with 61.93 (33.01/28.92) points, and now have a total of 99.29 points.
"It was not technically perfect," said White, "but we put a lot of energy out there and that was what we were hoping to do. Getting a lot of expression and a little more relating towards each other. I think that we accomplished that."
When asked what wasn't perfect technically, White replied: "Nothing major. Just little things between us. It has felt smoother, but it was still good."
Davis added that the program has developed throughout the season during competitions. "It's hard to compare to things earlier this season," he said, "but it definitely felt good."
"We're going to prepare emotionally for loneliness and then togetherness," added Davis, regarding the Free Dance. "Kalinka and Eleanor Rigby couldn't really be more different."
Teammates Navarro and Bommentre placed third in the OD with 56.67 (31.14/25.53) points, and are third overall with 91.03 points. The U.S. bronze medalist showed good expression in their unique depiction of an African folk dance to Ijuba, earning a level 4 on all elements except for their circular step sequence (level 3). The team also displayed good edges throughout their dance, as well as nice variations of position in their rotational lift.
"It was fun," said Navarro. "This was our third season together and I know we haven't thought that every performance was fun, but this one really worked out that way – it was a lot of fun. I really liked how we did the presentation. We usually feed off of the audience and it's difficult for us when the audience is small or isn't at eye-level, so we've been working on having the same energy regardless of those circumstances. It's been a goal of ours and I really think we achieved that."
"I felt the expression was right where we wanted it to be," added Bommentre. "We changed a lot of stuff from Nationals until now. We switched around the footwork sequence and we were going out there and trying to make sure that we really protected our levels. I thought we did a great job of that. That's the first time that's happened internationally for us – that the rink has put out so much energy and the crowd has been that engaged."
USA's Jennifer Wester and Daniil Barantsev finished a close fourth in the OD with 55.44 (30.93/24.51) points, and are fourth overall with 86.39 points. The husband-and-wife team displayed good character throughout their "Western Hoedown" dance, earning a level 4 on all elements except for their circular footwork (level 3).
"I think it went well," said Wester. "We haven't made any changes to the program between Nationals and now. We did change our footwork before Nationals, but after that we didn't make any changes."
Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Canada made some minor mistakes during their non-touching midline step sequence (level 3), however, they earned a level 4 on all other elements. The team earned 54.95 (31.30/23.65) points for a fifth place finish for their Russian folk dance to Road to Vladivostok, and are currently fifth overall (85.89 points).
"It was ok," said Weaver. "It was somewhere in the middle, a couple of things were off, but definitely it was an improvement for Worlds. It's very exciting we're going to perform this one more time at Worlds. It was definitely a step in the right direction for us. We can improve the footwork, the speed, the presentation."
"We've been working a lot on our transitions," added Poje, "on everything that we can do in isolation to do it in the program together. We're trying to get the energy up at the end.
Teammates Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno earned 50.53 (28.65/21.88) points for their lighthearted and fun routine, and are currently sixth overall (80.26 points).
"It was good," said Hann-McCurdy, "another seasons best. We're happy. At the very end, after the twizzles, we were flying. It is one of the things we've worked on to keep it going till the end. We hope to get some feedback here, and then we'll go home and see what we'll change."
Japan's Cathy Reed and Chris Reed are currently seventh overall (76.70 points), followed by Xiaoyang Yu and Chen Wang of China (71.21 points).
China's Qing Pang and Jian Tong, both 28, overcame teammates Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang in the long program to win the title. |
Qing Pang and Jian Tong of China overcame teammates Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang to win their third title at this event, while USA's Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski edged out Rena Inoue and John Baldwin to win the bronze.
Pang and Tong had a rough start when Pang underrotated and stepped out of the landing of her jump on the side-by-side triple toeloops. The team quickly recovered to land a side-by-side double Axel-double Axel sequence, a triple twist, and a difficult lift.
Pang also landed an excellent throw triple Salchow which received a +1.83 GOE, but then slightly two-footed the landing on a throw triple loop. Despite the mistakes, the current World silver medalists performed two more level 4 lifts and good level 3 straightline footwork.
Their romantic routine to music from the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack earned them 119.63 (59.62/60.01) points for a first place finish in the long and overall (187.33 points).
"We skated quite well today," noted Tong. "We are getting better and better and hopefully we'll be at our best at Worlds. These championships are an important test for our programs. We like to come to Korea and feel comfortable here. Now we have one month before the World Championships and we hope that we can prepare well without any health problems for Worlds. We wish the same also to the other competitors."
Dan Zhang (22) and Hao Zhang (23) appeared a bit sluggish in their routine to music from The Myth soundtrack, which earned them 111.39 (54.82/56.57) points. Dan Zhang doubled her second jump on the opening side-by-side double Axel-triple toeloop combination, as well as the side-by-side triple Salchows. She also lost her edge on the death spiral which resulted in an awkward exit.
Nevertheless, the 2007-08 Grand Prix Final silver medalists didn't disappoint with their huge throw triple twist and throw triple Salchow. They also produced a throw triple loop and three difficult lifts. With a total score of 181.84 points, however, they slipped to second overall to settle for silver.
"Today's performance wasn't good," admitted Dan Zhang. "We had some problems, especially with the jumps. For us it was pretty bad. Hopefully we'll be able to overcome our problems until the next competition and that we'll be able to skate much better at Worlds. We'll work hard and train all our elements."
Castile (21) and Okolski (23) placed third in the long with 103.55 (53.34/50.21) points, and with a total score of 159.99 points, moved up to third overall to win their first medal at a major international event.
Skating to Sheherazade by Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov, the U.S. bronze medalists opened with a good triple twist and throw triple Salchow, but then Castile singled her jump on the side-by-side double Axels. The team also had shaky landings on their side-by-side double flip-double toeloop combinations, and Castile later two-footed the landing of a throw triple loop.The Americans otherwise produced three good lifts.
"I've been struggling with my jumps a little bit this week," admitted Castile, regarding missing the Axel again. "Something just didn't click in my head and I pulled out. Sometimes it just happens."
Okolski was pleasantly surprised about the performance overall. "I thought it was pretty good," he said. "We aren't as well trained as we would like to be, so I'm happy the way the performance went, despite being a little bit tired. We have worked really hard on it and I thought it was really much better than last year."
Teammates Inoue (31) and Baldwin (34), who stood in third after the short, placed fourth in the long 98.60 (47.56/51.04) points and overall (156.00 points). Baldwin doubled his jump on the side-by-side triple toeloops and Inoue singled and two footed the landing of a planned throw triple Axel which had bad air position.
The U.S. silver medalists otherwise produced three difficult lifts, a double twist, and good side-by-side flying camel combination spins.
USA's Jessica Miller (26) and Ian Moram (28) placed fifth in the long with 94.36 (49.39/44.97) points, maintaining fifth place overall (149.24 points). The 2007 Cup of China bronze medalists produced a good double twist and throw triple loop, however, Moram singled his jump on the side-by-side double Axels and Miller two-footed and put a hand down on the landing of their throw quadruple Salchow.
"It was a good fight," said Miller. "We're happy we didn't get the fall deduction (on the throw quad Salchow). I was determined I was not going to go down on it like I did at Nationals. I was going to fight, I wasn't going to give up, and I wasn't going to go down."
Miller acknowledged that their flawed throw quadruple Salchow earned more points than their clean throw triple loop. "It's the best throw loop I've ever done, so that really says something."
USA's Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent placed a disappointing eighth (88.96 points) in the long and overall (134.41 points) after Vise fell on both the throw jumps - a quadruple Salchow and triple loop.
China's Jiaqi Li and Jiankun Xu and Canada's Mylene Brodeur and John Mattatall maintained sixth (144.53 points) and seventh (141.46) place overall, respectively.
Japan's Mao Asada, 17, currently leads the ladies after the Short Program. |
Japan's Mao Asada and Miki Ando are currently first and second, respectively, after the short program, while Joannie Rochette of Canada is in third. All three ladies are separated from each other by less than a point.
Asada earned a seasonal best of 60.94 (31.89/29.05) points for her airy routine to Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra by Jean-Claude Petit. The current World silver medalist underrotated her second jump in a triple flip-triple loop combination and stepped out of a triple Lutz.
The 17-year-old didn't expect the downgrade on the combination jump. "I landed the triple-triple combination, and I was so happy about it, because I made mistakes all year on the combination in competition. I was very sad about that. I did it last year (in December) at Japanese Nationals finally, and now I'm even happier."
Despite the mistakes, Asada delivered a double Axel, two solid level 4 spins, an excellent spiral sequence, and very good level 3 straightline footwork.
Absent from her side was coach Rafael Arutunian. "[He] went to Canadian Nationals (in January)," Asada explained, "and I wanted to come to Japan to train, as it's closer to Korea. So I went to Japan and trained with the JSF (Japanese Skating Federation) people."
Teammate Ando is in a close second with 60.07 points (32.61/27.46) after a good performance to Bacchanale from Samson and Dalilah by Camille Saint-Saens. The current World champion underrotated her second jump on a triple Lutz-triple loop combination, but landed a triple flip and double Axel. She also produced two good level 4 spins and very good straightline (level 3) footwork.
The Japanese silver medalist confessed that she wasn't at her best due to a headache. " My head felt somehow heavy and hot," said the 20-year-old, "but I did everything, so I'm pleased."
Ando stated that she plans to attempt a quadruple Salchow in the long.
Rochette also had her second jump downgraded in a triple toeloop-triple toeloop combination. The current bronze medalist otherwise landed a triple Lutz and a double Axel, and earned a level 4 on two of her spins. She earned a new personal best of 60.04 (32.92/27.12) points for her dynamic routine to Piano Concerto No. 1 by Tchaikovsky and Piano Concerto by Schumann.
"I knew I had to do the triple-triple and go for it even though I didn't feel perfect in warm up," the Canadian champion later said. "Before I went into it, I told myself to stay in the present moment. Sometimes I think too far ahead in the program. I know I can do it like this every time, I just need confidence. I do it good two or three times a day, so I have no reason not to try it. It counts as a triple-double anyway and this is what the other girls do, so I need to go for it. That triple downgraded is worth more to me than a triple-double. Of course, I want to do it cleaner. In the free program, I'll do my triple-triple sequence, not a combination."
Anastasia Gimazetdinova of Uzbekistan is currently in fourth place with a personal best of 55.49 (32.43/23.06) points after her routine to Yes, I loved You by Alexander Kuzmin. The 27-year-old landed delivered a solid performance which featured a double Axel, a triple Lutz-double toeloop combination, and a triple Salchow.
"This was the best short program of the year," Gimazetdinova. "I am extremely pleased with it, but I still have to improve my footwork and my spins. There is a lot of work left, but technically and artistically I have made a lot of progress."
USA's Beatrisa Liang is in a close fifth after earning a seasonal best of 54.05 (32.14/22.91) points for her routine to The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas. The 2006 Four Continents bronze medalist fell on the second jump of a triple Lutz-double toeloop combination, but recovered to produce a solid triple flip and double Axel.
"I felt really good," said Liang. "Except for a minor mistake on my combination, I was really proud of myself."
"Every competition is, of course, important," the 19-year-old continued, when asked about competing at Four Continents, "but this international competition is good experience for me and I think it's really good practice for Worlds. I don't think that I've felt any pressure from myself or from other people. It will be my first time at Worlds and I really want to enjoy it and I think just having fun there will be the main goal."
South Korea's Na-Young Kim is in sixth place after earning a new personal best of 53.08 (31.46/21.62) points for her routine to Romance No. 2 in F Major by L. v. Beethoven. The 17-year-old's program featured a triple Lutz-double toeloop combination, a double Axel, and a triple flip. The teen also earned a level 4 on three of her spins, including a layback which was awarded positive GOEs.
Mira Leung of Canada also earned a new personal best, and is currently in seventh with 53.01 (30.55/22.46) points. The 18-year-old executed a triple Lutz-double loop and a triple flip, but stepped out of a double Axel.
Teammate Cynthia Phaneuf is currently in eighth place with 50.63 (27.89/22.74) points, followed by Japan's Fumie Suguri who earned 50.24 (25.73/24.51) points.
USA's Ashley Wagner landed a double Axel and a triple flip, but only had a double Lutz-double loop for her combination. She is currently in 12th place with a new seasonal best 47.29 (24.10/23.19) points.
"My performance went really well," said the 16-year-old. "I was really happy with it. I landed everything, and as far as I know, everything was pretty clean. My goal was to go out there and skate clean and put out a really good performance. We'll see how everything ends up going to Worlds, but I think this is a good experience for me here because I'm going to see how I'm going to place myself among the top contenders. It's going to be good experience."
Wagner added that she plans to do a triple-triple in the long. "You know it all depends on how it goes in practice. Really, I'm planning on going out there and skating clean and hoping that everyone enjoys my performance. "
The event continues with the Free Dance the Men's Long Program.
