I thinkl the judges have deciced D&W are going to win no matter what.
I thinkl the judges have deciced D&W are going to win no matter what.
While I normally prefer V/M over D/W, in this SD, I was bowled over by D/W far more so than V/M. The American team skated with unbelievable speed, power and finesse. Charlie White is really a marvel, and Meryl does a good job of keeping up with him when she has to (the non-touching footwork sequence had unbelievable synchronization), or controlling the speed and power he imparts to her. The only part of the scoring I might have a quibble with is Charlie did have a bobble on the twizzles, and yet all the judges gave them 3's and 2's on the element, except one judge who gave it a 0. Other than that, the routine was a perfectly crafted roller coaster. I can only imagine it's 10 times more impressive in person. I would've had them way over V/M even if Scott didn't fall.
I found P/B's performance pretty awful. Distractingly hideous positions and leg lines during the first lift and especially that flip near the end (Fabian has miserable extension in the legs). Nowhere near the speed and control of the top two teams, and not enough syncopation in their movement (i.e. the entire body moved as one to the beat rather than different parts moving independently to accentuate different parts of the rhythm, an important part of the samba they're going for), so the whole thing felt too linear. I might've had their PCS lower.
As for the Latin feel of all the dances, one of the hallmarks of Latin dance (and I understand there's great diversity in it) is hip action. And it must be really hard to do much hip swaying while stroking or doing footwork. I have yet to see any team do it. Maybe it can't be translated to ice. A shame if so.
Last edited by Serious Business; 12-09-2011 at 05:53 PM.
I largely agree with you here although I flip flop or love them both a lot; but I am confused about the twizzles, can you tell me where that part is scored on the protocols? thanks.Originally Posted by Serious Business
It's marked as STw4 under elements, i.e. a level 4 twizzle. I don't really flip flop between the two teams, I just plain prefer V/M. However, I can see, particularly in this season, how D/W have some amazing, amazing skills and control, and also, IMO, a much better constructed and conceived FD. And their performance of the SD here was sensational.
I do have one quibble I forgot to mention, though. Meryl really, really shouldn't end the SD in that particular position she does. It brings to mind a crab, or swap that last "b" for a "p".
D/W clearly won the SP and by a wide margin IMO. The Shibs seemed to lack the spark in their GPF SP that they had earlier during the GP series itself. I would love to see them on the podium again, so I hope they have a great FS.
thanks, SB! I don't like the end pose either but the rest is great!
Hey Doris - Thanks from me too for the detailed break down. I tried to read some judges score sheets earlier this year but didn't get very far. Not sure if I'll ever get to a point where I know the N is because Tessa missed a hard edge ... hmm ....
Interesting about this whole Latin thing too. When I hear Latin used as an adjective by itself I just assume it referring generically to people whose language is derived from Latin, or the culture they create. I'm glad to know that Flamenco and Paso Double aren't really Latin dances, or at least aren't called that within the ballroom/ice dancing community.
Watched all the programs. Enjoyed V/M the most, though D/W a lot too. Feel unqualified to say who was better.
SB - At least Meryl's hiding behind Charlie in the final pose - a little discretion
Can anyone tell me what the Shibs' first complicated move is? It's always video'd from behind Alex, but Maia is behind him and I can't see what's happening. It looks as though she falls and he scoops her up, but since it always looks exactly the same way, I guess it's not a fall! But what the heck is it?
It is definitely eye catching and memorable too!
SB - At least Meryl's hiding behind Charlie in the final pose - a little discretion
Its just a transitional assisted jump (sort of a somersault) which is pretty common to both ice dance and ballroom dance. Not a scored element.
Thank you. It always looks like a stumble to me.
I'm starting another thread in this part of the forum for an opportunity for anyone who wants to take a look, element by element, at how the judges scored the SD. I've got the videos indexed to the right place in each case, so you should be able to do a basic side by side of the elements.
Hope you all like it.
Awesome idea Doris. We can all use a deeper understanding of ice dance scoring since it's more subtle. I think many fans judge dance purely on personal opinion/impression/preference rather than on substance because it's not as easily understood as obvious jumps and spins would be.
thanks!! you are awesome!!
can't wait to learn from this!!
It's up now.
Here's the link:
http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sho...-Senior-GPF-SD
Anyone's opinion is as good as mine (I'm not a tech specialist or judge, although I do work hard to understand what is scored and why), but I thought it would help everyone to organize their thoughts by looking at the elements, as the judges and tech specialists do.
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