Cambpell's Reports

tharrtell said:

Now, Tarasova's done lovely things for her, will someone now find her a new designer?

Click to expand...

Tarasova's staff also designs the costumes... Sasha's dresses pre-Tarasova were much nicer IMHO

Thanks for the reviews!!!! I feel like I was there now, esp. after reading Rgirls post. Props to everyone who reported.

Rgirl, I loved, loved, loved your Phoenix description of AP's costume. I had to remove the coffee spray from my monitor after reading it.

Now we just have to wait two weeks to actually see it. Can't wait!!

rgirl

It was a pleasure meeting you. I lurk here a lot and love reading your posts...Actually, MK handed me the t-shirt...(Small consolation for her not winning...)...Loved your review!

Great post Rgirl!!! It was wonderful meeting you last night!

I agree with most of what you said ... except I didn't like Sasha's dress at all. It just seemed so odd to me ... and I usually love her dresses.

I love that Michelle is skating to Tosca and have no doubt it will be much improved by Nationals. Also, I heard MK is breaking in new boots, so maybe that's part of the reason she had trouble with her lutzes.

Sasha deserved to win ... she skated very well.
Let's see what happens at Nationals!

Thanks all (especially Rgirl) for the great reports and pictures.

An article with some quotes:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42558-2003Oct4.html

http://www.usfsa.org/events_results/results/200304/campbellsclassic/index.htm

The full results are up on the USFSA board. There was, indeed a 3-way tie for 4th place (Jahnke/Honda/Smith).

Elena Sokolova's lowest technical mark was a 4.5, from the Canadian judge.

Kwan was placed 2nd by all five judges.

Rgirl said:

I would have posted last night but I had to eat dinner when I got home (11:30pm), watch "The Seven Samurai" AND "Yojimbo" (skating is not the only thing in life--there are chicken cutlets and Kurosawa movies too).

Click to expand...

And it looks like you posted before taking a nap, because The Seven Samurai takes four hours by itself

Edited to remove an extra paragraph.

I was really impressed with how much great music is in "Swan Lake" that you would never associate with "Swan Lake," especially in Act III.

Click to expand...

Argh, I so wanted her to skate to the Act IV pas de deux music, which no one knows.

As for the costume, boy, perspective can be a funny thing. Being there, in a an excellent seat, I thought the costume was both beautiful and effective, But looking at it in the photos Tharrtell provided the links to, it looked awful

Click to expand...

From the pictures, it looks so much better when she's moving, and the costume keeps changing, and awful when she's standing still.

Fumie Suguri: Despite Elena’s problems, I felt it was Fumie who had the worst skate of the night.

Click to expand...

I wonder what the CoP scores were. Did they show them in the arena?

But her final scratch spin was fantastic as always, one of the few true blur spins around.

Click to expand...

We'll soon see if under CoP those great endings enhance scores for the middle of Suguri's programs.

Plushenko had an average skate. Two footed his first quad, two-footed or fell out of several other jumps, did a gorgeous 3Axel, and even for a “less than best” performance was still thrilling to watch.

Click to expand...

St. Petersburg 300 is such a great program for him, even when he's injured and not his best. I wonder why he chose to compete instead of resting his knee before GP?

Scott Smith looks and skates so much like a young Paul Wylie it’s spooky. I mean, right down to the haircut and color and style of costume. Beautiful lines. There was no info on Scott in the program so I don’t know how old he is or who coaches him, but I sure hope he makes a big improvement soon because I think he is really lovely to watch.

Click to expand...

From US Nationals last year, his line just popped out from among the other skaters, even the top ones who have more technical skills. IMO the only US man with comparable line and elegance is Jahnke, and he has charisma as well.

According to the ISU website, Smith turns 22 in a couple of weeks, his coach is Mark Mitchell, and his former coaches are Michael O'Rourke, Pam Gregory, and Timothy Murphy. He's affiliated with Skating Club of Boston. I wonder if he's even gotten help directly from Wylie?

[Jahnke's] quite tall, 5’11” and much better looking in person than on TV, IMO.

Click to expand...

Scary, since he's really good looking on TV.

There were one or two other saucer-eyed reactions again of, “YOU’RE Rgirl?!”

Click to expand...

If I were there, that would have been me. I love reading your posts, and I'm still kvelling over your descriptions of Campbell's.

Thanks GS, Joe and everybody who posted reports and links. It sounds like Sasha was the only one who really made use of her summer, coming out with a state of the art performance instead of a work in progress.

"Virtually all of the music Tarasova chose was from Act III and there was no passage with the strong theme "Laaa-la-la-la-la-laaa-la-laaa, etc."

Click to expand...

Rgirl, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Laaa-la-la-la-la-laaa-la-laaa the Nessum Dorme theme from Turandot? Not, of course, to be confused with
Laaa-la-la-la-laaa-la. (Please...don't take the A train, ...If...you’re going to the Garden.)

"Although I’m sure the following had nothing to do with it and that Michelle chose [Tosca] because she liked it and for the dramatic challenge,..."

Click to expand...

I heard a rumor that Irina was planning to use East of Eden for her LP this year.

"Michelle looked absolutely stunning in the lavender costume."

Click to expand...

I am not sure whether I approve of the cut of Michelle's costume. Will someone please post about 40 more pictures so I can make up my mind?

At first I was happy when I saw Jenny Kirk's results. Coming in fourth as a last minute substitute and finishing ahead of both the World silver and the World bronze medallists -- that's not bad. But if she made a lot of technical mistakes and couldn't hold the landings on her jumps -- that's not good.

Anyway, congratulations to all of the performers, and especially to Sasha. Poor thing -- she's been analyzed down to the last eyelash by friends and foes alike over the last few weeks. How nice it must be for her to be able to say, "ANALYZE THAT!!"

At least until Skate America.

Mathman

Hey guys,
Just want to say thanks to Joesitz and Rgirl for such great reporting and to everyone who's posted their reports and pictures. I feel like I hardly need to watch it on TV (except to see the dresses, and even those I've seen thanks to y'all's pictures).

thanks again,
Jeff

campbells

MATHMAN Go to MKF and in spoilers see post a few Campbells pics = the dress. WOW I thought of you. Beautiful and Sexy what a surprise. Enjoy

Thanks Cianni. I'm glad to see you over here on the new GS board.

MM

Thanks for the reports from every one, especially rgirl. Enjoy reading them.

Campbells

Rgirl and Joesitz:

Thanks for your reports. I envy you both!

Regarding the comments on Sasha's dress, all I can say is that last season I didn't particularly like the look of her LP dress from the photos, but loved it when I saw her skate in it at Nats. I can imagine that the Swan Lake dress looks better with movement as well. So although I again don't particularly like the way the "Swan" dress looks in these pictures, I will reserve judgment until I can see her skate in it. The program sounds so awesome, I can't wait to see it. I am delighted to know that the program lacks the "laaa la la la la laaa" melody.

Regarding MK's not totally ready performance, I agree with those who remarked that she was at a similar state last year at Campbells. MK always seems to peak at Nats. Rgirl's description of the potential of MK's developing program certainly intrigues me.

Thanks again for your great reports!!!!

I was there, too, and it was awesome! Thank you all for the wonderful reports.

Thanks for all of the reports, guys. This sounds like it is going to be a wonderful season! Sasha got the job done. I hope she can keep that momentum going for the big pressure events in January-March. Good for her! As for Michelle, I love that she has gone dramatic again...and Puccini is my favorite! I can't wait to see what she does with this music. Nationals (if Michelle goes, which it sort of sounds like she is considering it) should be extraordinary! I'd love to see a battle of the 6.0s!

Awsome reports, everyone.......actually felt as if I was there. Wow, RGirl, you met some of the posters from MKForum....how cool is that!!!! 42

Here's an extreeeeemely late report......(from a first timer)

I now loooooooooove Plushy. For an average skate, it was still exciting to watch. All of those melodramtic movements now seemed great to watch.

Timmy Goebel seems to be working on his presentation skills......I can definitely see him with a more refined sense of artistry by Nats. The only thing slowing him down would be his music- I like Queen, but I'm not sure it's the type of music that can lead you to a world champoinship title.

Mike Weiss has a cute butt I think he skated to the Glory soundtrack, considering the battle drums in the piece, but I could be wrong. I'm not a big fan of all the drums, but the program works for him.

Honda's program I genuinely liked, particulary because he used the Warsaw concerto, the same music Midori Ito skated to when she jumped out of the rink (let's hope he doesn't suffer the same fate). He just has to relax more when it comes to the in-betweens.

As for the ladies.......
AP McDonough(aka "the Glittery Swan")- I think she did a good job overall despite the fall. The arm flapping during her
morosov-esque footwork was a bit much but I'm glad she used the finale for it. I really hope she finds a new costume designer......her mom just basically took the concept of her Madame Butterfly dress and applied it to Swan Lake, only she added fringes to her sleeves and skirt.

Jenny Kirk: Her die fledurmaus (or as my 30 yr. old sis calls it, "deflated mouse") program has great potential to it, but she needs a little more pep to keep the program going, great presentation though.

MK: "Why oh why did she borrow Irina's CD?" was the main thought running through my head when I heard Tosca playing....maybe it's because of the many, many, many LP's she's done that contained original or creative music. Michelle was lacking a little with the presentation- it felt as though she was just going from end of the rink to the other just jumping. But at least she had the best dress of the night, even if it did look like the original yellow aranjuez dress but in lilac. :\

Elena Sokolova: Ok, maybe I'm not the biggest expert in skating, let alone jumping, but I think she got jipped with the technical marks.... she definitely didn't deserve a 4.5. But I must say that her LP is a forgettable one- the only thing I remember is my sister telling me that her costume looked a a cat clawed it.

Sasha Cohen: First off, I love her dress in that it is so effective in portraying both the black and white swan. Halfway through the program, she spins and places her arms in such a position that, in a way, you she her switch from Odette to Odile (or is it the other way around?). Her music still has the theme but it's different variations and edited very nicely compared to her Rach program. Without a doubt best program of the night. I was just happy that for once she wasn't a human zamboni.

One sidenote: For some reason, most of the skaters seemed to fall on the side of the rink close to the kiss'n'cry area. Was anyone near that area?

I thought Victoria V. was supposed to skate. When and why did she back out.