World Team FS Challenge - Vancouver

In the words of Lloyd Eisler "Canada Kicked but" at the World Team FS Challenge in Vancouver, BC. It was an awesome competition - with extra bits of humor added in by Kurt and S&P and B&S. Anyway, it's late, I have to get some sleep. I will give a full report tomorrow.

The event was quite good in general with not one single fall, and the atmosphere very light hearted and up beat. And I'm very glad that they left the lights on.

I can't believe I'm saying this but the most pleasant *surprise* for me was Todd Eldredge's artistic program! After the typical Todd GMB he skated to for the technical part of the competition I thought I was going to sit through another zzz skate by him, but wow! What a brilliant program from him it was, and for the first time,*exciting* too! Is this Flamenco guitar program new this year? The music was very unusual and the program surprisingly well choregraphed. He was the only man to do some "real" skating tonight, with an abundance of musical footwork, edge work, and a few barrel rolls (sp?)...! His 3axel right to the almost squealing guitar crescendo gave me chills. I can't say enough about this program and have now a new found respect for Todd. And there IS reason why he's been multiple-time US champion...his edge quality was incredible and speed only rivalled by Yagudin. The question is, why did he never do a program like this when he was eligible??? It was nice to see him place above both Browning, who didn't do much in terms of real skating and whose marks were a bit too high IMO (though he was very entertaining as usual), and Yagudin, who had more skating than Browning but rip-off looking choreography skating to "Memorial". A standing ovation from the crowd.

Oksana Bauil got very good reception from the crowd. She landed an absolutely clean 3sal, 3toe and 2axel and was in first after the technical program...! Her jumps were amazingly on and OMG, SO BIG. I was amazed by her absolute no caution/decceleration into any of her jumps. The program itself was okay.
Swan Lake, on the other hand, was a thing of beauty to witness live. This is the first time I've ever seen her skate live and I'm stll in awe 2 hours after. Her jumps weren't on like they were in the technical program, but her speed and effortless stroking were unbelievable to watch and put the current eligible ladies to shame. With only a few strokes and she was already on the other side of the rink. The program wasn't really jam packed with choregraphy, but who cares when there's just absolutely no other woman who can move to perfection like Oksana does on the ice. She's born a ballarina and those theatrical skills just come so naturally for her. All I can say is this Swan Lake was divine, and the music should be banned from skating forever. I don't understand how she only managed to get mostly 9.5's and 9.6's for this performance.

Now B/S: Meadowland for technical program was a great program, but their performance tonight could have been better. They were slower than expected and cautious at times. They were the only pair to do a sbs 3toe, though Anton doubled and Elena flipped out on the landing. They had by far the most pairs elements and skated like they were doing a real short program.
Time for some gushing now. To see B/S's Let Me Fall live was like a dream. The beautiful forms they create with their bodies were being done to perfection. The choreography of this program is so incredible and I can watch it for a zillion times and still not get bored by it. I do think they skated a bit cautiously, but were nevertheless still so musical and had such emotional tension throughout the performance. It's like once the music starts, a spell is being put on. Elena landed a beautiful throw 3loop but had a minor wobble on the footwork. Other than that they were perfection. I don't think they were appreciated as they should have been. The size of difference in audience response towards them and S/P(who also had a wonderful performance) was quite shocking, but then, not all that surprising. This is in Canada afterall.
..........I'm still in la-la land and can't believe I actually got to see this program live though.

Here are just the highlights for me tonight. More might come.

Thanks for the report!

I have understood about Kurt that his skates were lost by an airline and he had to find another pair from somewhere.... That explains a lot if his skating was not on the usual level.

Marjaana

Shine!!! Gush Gush B&S for me, please!! Just Gush B&S for me....






Denise....

I can't wait to read about your adventures and report from the WTC Lad! Come back soon and post about it okay?!

Is this going to be on TV?

Antilles said:

Is this going to be on TV?

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Yes, it is going to be on the Oxygen Network. Unfortunately, San Francisco Cable does not carry this channel

Herm (sk8ngnutt)

Antilles said:

Is this going to be on TV?

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since you live in Ontario, you should check channel 15(TOR1) ON SAT DEC 6(8-10) and SUN DEC(8-10).

Shine:

You sort of "stole my thunder here"; however, as I did not get home until almost 1:30 am that was the best I could muster.

Here is my report:

It was almost "surreal" just being there, but what a night!

Kurt - well, despite his mishaps with his skates - which by the way turned up in Singapore and are now on their way to Ontario - he absolutely "stole the show." He had us in the palm of his hand before he even skated. As soon as Kurt stepped on the ice he received a standing ovation. His antics on and off the ice kept us in stitches. He was not as "spot on" as he was in ice wars, but nonetheless he kept Canada's score up and kept the spirits high. Talk about a born entertainer! He just can't help himself. He was one of the highlights of the evening for me - just watching him in the side lines interacting with the audience and the skaters was a treat.

Todd - Delivered an awesome performance just as Shine reported. He also received a well deserved standing ovation.

Alexei - Of course, Alexei is well loved here and everyone was thrilled with his performance - especially his technical program - the car. He faltered a little on his artistic program - which was a kind of unusual. Anyway, we love him and he too received an ovation. His passion for skating comes out in each performance. He "invites" you in when he skates. It's wonderful! He also has a great raport with the audience.

Oksana - "Blew everyone out of the water" with her technical program. It was like watching her all over again at her Olympic performance. I love her "Swan Lake" program. I think it is even better than Sasha's interpretation especially the arm movements. I think she skated it better though at Ice Wars. Still I absoutely enjoyed it. Lovely.

Jose - She was the surprise of the evening for me. Little Jose delivered two wonderul programs. She really knows how to "sell" it to the crowd. Jose brought Canada's score way up! Way to go Jose!

Nicole - Poor Nicole! She had a skaters worse nightmare with her music. She just started skating "Dust in the Wind" when her CD started skipping! However, it was fixed and she skated a lovely program. I think it unnerved her though. She did not have a great night.

Maria - I think her mistake is the music she chooses. She has a lovely classic line and is a good spinner. I watched her on the warm up. I wish someone like Sandra Bezic would get hold of her and show her how to use her strengths to show off her skating. I hated both her programs.

The pairs were breathtaking.

Jamie and David - Well, what can I say. I think what sets them apart from everyone is their smoothness. They just float from one element to the next together and skate like one. Their musicality is also wonderful. Their "Crying" program sung by K.D. Lang brought tears to my eyes (talk about Canadian content!) and their artisitic program (Who Wants to Live Forever) brought down the house. They received a 10. I think David does one of the best spread eagles out there.

They also contributed to the antics. Jamie wanted to practice her death spiral and David was sort of ingnoring her momentarily so she pretended to "pout" then Anton S. came by and grapped her hand and they did a death spiral together! Then David skated over to Elena and they did a death spiral - only David did the female part! It was hilarious and really added to the evening.

Elena and Anton - Their technical program did nothing for me. They faltered a couple of times, but their artistic program was wonderul. They were the last to skate after Jamie and David. It was the best I have ever seen from them and by far one of the best programs they have done. They too received a standing ovation.

I should mention Steve Cousins - as always the girls went wild for him! He skated well. Ina and Zimmerman really skated well and got the crowd going. Kovarikova and Novotny also were crowd pleasers with their "adagio" skating.

All in all it was a wonderful evening. I think I enjoyed what went on off the ice and during the practices as much as I did the competition. It certainly is an evening that I will never forget.

Wow this is the longest contribution I have ever made here!

Antilles:

Yes, it will be on tv. This Sat. and Sun.

Shine:

Where do you live? Too bad, I did not know where you were sitting. We could have had coffee! I was in aisle 115 - row 4 - it was a great spot! I could see Kurt's dancing feet as he went by!

Shine:

Your reference to the two pair teams:

The size of difference in audience response towards them and S/P(who also had a wonderful performance) was quite shocking, but then, not all that surprising. This is in Canada afterall.

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I have to disagree with you here. Both teams were given equal appreciation - of course S&P were given a hearty welcome - we are proud of them and this is their home. However, B&S are greatly respected here and the audience warmed up to them.

The same goes for all skaters - Canadian audiences are known for their skating knowledge and appreciation for great skaters.

I thought the audience response to all the skaters was great.

Enough said. Let's keep this light!

aww Lad! I didn't not mean to steal the thunder from you! I was just too excited last night's skating that I couldn't wait to write down some thoughts But how lucky were you! Me and my friends had row 23 tickets but were lucky enough to sneak into the other side of the rink and sat on row 9 center ice. BTW, me and my friend are here living on residence at UBC

shine:

Cool! UBC is a beautiful University.

Beautiful reviews Ladskater & shine! (two thumbs way up)

Thank you both so very much.......no lie.......felt I was right there with you. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you both were professional writers. Who knows, maybe you two are???

***Note: am especially grateful since I, unfortunately, won't be able to see this televised on t.v. - just my luck that my satellite doesn't provide this particular channel. ^(***

Now I would like to take a moment to comment upon shine's lovely description of Oksana's performances (please see below):

shine said:

Oksana Bauil got very good reception from the crowd. She landed an absolutely clean 3sal, 3toe and 2axel and was in first after the technical program...! Her jumps were amazingly on and OMG, SO BIG. I was amazed by her absolute no caution/decceleration into any of her jumps. The program itself was okay.

ME: yes, I agree, her jumps & her acceleration into them are truly a thing of beauty. In fact, I've always thought that skaters in general skate the way they are as people. By that I mean their personalities show through in their skating. And in Oksana's case that translates into skating without bounds/all-out/risky/joyful/emotional/powerful. JMHO.

Swan Lake, on the other hand, was a thing of beauty to witness live. This is the first time I've ever seen her skate live and I'm stll in awe 2 hours after. Her jumps weren't on like they were in the technical program, but her speed and effortless stroking were unbelievable to watch and put the current eligible ladies to shame. With only a few strokes and she was already on the other side of the rink. The program wasn't really jam packed with choregraphy, but who cares when there's just absolutely no other woman who can move to perfection like Oksana does on the ice. She's born a ballarina and those theatrical skills just come so naturally for her. All I can say is this Swan Lake was divine, and the music should be banned from skating forever. I don't understand how she only managed to get mostly 9.5's and 9.6's for this performance.

ME: thank you, shine, for putting into words what I've always felt also. Btw, there is one pro. competition that Oksana did back in 1997 where you can actually see how fast she accelerates with only a few strokes (no lie), which is very rare as television usually doesn't capture this (btw that's why I remember it). It was her Safe From Harm program (which she has only performed once ever) and it was simply phenomenal. First time I ever saw Oksana truly capture the essence of hard rock. And boy did she ever!

Back on topic, there's one important note I would like to make as regards Swan Lake and Oksana. To me, though her 1994 Swan Lake performance was exquisite & one-for-the-ages, she really didn't capture the essence until now. And that's b/c she was only a teenager when she originally performed it (heartfelt though it was), but alas she is now a fully matured woman. It's like comparing apples & oranges IMHO. And in that respect, I feel that one cannot truly give a COMMAND performance until one becomes of age.........body fully matured........a woman so speak (or a man; ala Adam Cooper). Anyhow, it reminds me of that ending scene in the movie Billy Elliott where Billy ~ now fully matured; a man ~ is about to take to the stage as The Swan. And the baby teenage ducklings (young men), whom make up the supporting cast/ensemble, are all watching him. Perhaps hoping that one day they too will have grown enough (not only physically but emotionally as well) to play the part of The Swan as it was meant to be played. JMHO.

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Peace & Love, Nadine

"Many skaters attempt new & different kinds of music, but I believe that there is no replacement for the classics...there is no substitute for beauty." - Toller Cranston
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Thanx for the great reviews. I am glad both of you enjoyed the competition!!

Congratulations to Todd!!

Thank you for the reports! I knew that Todd had skated great in both portions of the competiton ( and deserved the fist placement that he received overall), but I didn't hear anything about him receiving standing ovations! That's good to hear, that he's keeping up the tradition. Congrats to the Canadian Team!


Kathie