Ok so that explains why the Americans are scoring so well with their levels and obtaining new SB.
wow! How did you learn that?Miki is dating Javier? Wow!
I like the sd okay, but its not very captivating. I really like the fd though.I like the Shibutanis' free dance but their short dance was very dull
isn't Javier dating Cathy Reed?Off topic: Miki is dating Javier? Wow!
Help from who? Here's the judging panel and technical officials.
Officials SD - Ref Coton GBR), TC Leaver (USA), TS Higashino (JPN), TS Ponomarenko (RUS), Panel - Rogers (USA), Hurth (FRA), Laur (EST), Clark (CAN), Kato (JPN), Alpern (ISR), Heidler (AUT) Langton (AUS), Buchanan (GBR)
There are two Americans, two Brits but only one Russian and an Estonian but based on the name, I doubt s/he's ethnically Russian.
ETA: Oh and also two Japanese. The panel is very skewed against eastern Europeans. Only two from that side of the continent whereas there are four from western Europe and three from North America so I'm not sure where your sour grapes is coming from.
Skating order makes very little difference in scoring under the COP. Anybody familiar to the judges are more likely to get higher and fairer scores, regardless of when they skate. Anybody who is a stranger to the judges is liable to be lowballed even if they are the last to skate.
If they're moved deliberately, it's vastly more likely to be a concession to TV broadcast ratings (they want more Russians in the final group to make sure people stay tuned in).
Cheating in figure skating are done in much more direct ways than reshuffling something so irrelevant and hoping it makes a difference.
I/K's is much more dramatic and charismatic.