pairs sp

[mousepotato]

After seeing S/S throw axel, I can total see how a judge would give a positive GOE. She they had a great entrance she was very high, great flow, she was up right and tight in the air, great flow out of the jump. She did have a slight two foot landing but don't forget the judges only judge in real time and don’t have the benefit on instant replay. That jump was killer. I saw the two footed landing but she barely touched the ice with her blade and I would have only given her a -1 but I can certainly see judges giving a +1 depending on what they saw. I was a great jump. I don't think it warranted a -2, it's not like she stepped out of it.

[seniorita]

The Slytherin-ice in Nice is clearly part of that conspiracy.

What is slytherin ice? :D
On twitter I read the arena is very hot, more than usual temperature anyway.

[Art&Sport]

Well, I may as well throw every prediction I made into the trash. :D Didn't expect that. I'm thrilled for the Germans, as I was hoping they would win, and I love P/T as well. It's a shame for the Russians, but I guess given the fact that it's such a new partnership the nerves were bound to get them eventually. They could still move up. I'm so surprised about Takahashi/Tran, who are an absolutely stunning team. I'm really happy that they were able to adress some of their technical issues. And a really good for Duhamel/Radford to end up 5th, just a couple of points behind the Japanese. It's still anyones game for bronze.

Agree with most of your thoughts. As far as the mistakes by the Russians, perhaps the high expectations by their country and the way they are all being pushed to shine in Sochi is getting to them a bit. They do have lots of time to regroup, and I'm sure they will all skate better when the Olympics arrive in their home country. So, I'm not feeling sorry for any of them right now. Except perhaps maybe a little for Maxim, but I predict he and Tatiana will perform well in the fp and pull up perhaps for a medal (depending on the overall competition). V/T are a well-liked team, but the mistakes they made in sp could not be ignored. Also, I don't think their choreo and music for the sp stand up very well, so they had nothing to fall back on (puns intended).

Sui/Han are fun to watch, but I don't think all their tricks add up to the level of a polished pairs team -- S/H still look juniorish and have IMO tended to be overmarked b/c their program is so exciting when they hit everything. I would have scored them lower.

D/C skated with energy and were precise on their elements. Yes, they do have a lot of improving to do with their lines and presentation skills, as well as some technical issues, since they have not been skating together that long. I love Marley/ Brubaker -- they are fun to watch and had a great showing in the sp.

I am very impressed by Duhamel/ Radford. I did not like them last season, but they have slowly grown on me this season. Their performance in the fp at Canadian Nats was amazing -- their sheer desire and hard work is paying off. If not for Eric's sp fall in Nice, they might have landed in third or fourth. T/T were quite lovely in the sp, and it will be interesting to see if they are able to maintain that same level of perfection.

If the performance level is high in the fp for all the pairs, there will be fireworks and difficult decisions for the judges.

[mikiandorocks]

The results in the short programe really surprised me. I was shocked to see the russians make those mistakes. It was painful to see Trankov feeling so miserable. Yuko & Sasha seemed to have at least been able to put a brave face. Bazarova & Larionov were lucky to have fallen right after the music stopped otherwise they would have lost 2 points in a silly way (I have to say that it reminded me a bit when Jamie and David fell on their ending pose during the 02 Olympics).
Takahashi and Tran surprised me in a good way. She is tiny but has such an attitude! Go Narumi! Their skating seemed smooth and she's so flexible it's unbelievable. Really nice choice of music.
Pang & Tong were also very good considering their absence from competition during the season. Gosh, they look so well matched and elegant on the ice. Lovely choice of music.
Thumbs up for Aljona and Robin for not playing safe and going for the throw triple axel. Even though it wasn't perfect, I was thrilled for them. They didn't seem as sharp as before in my eyes but overall I think their lead is deserved.
For those interested (and that understand portuguese), I've updated my blog with a few notes on the SP. It's not finished yet but here's the link anyway: http://magiageladapatinagememportugu...ama-curto.html

[Art&Sport]

Just now watching replay of sp on Universal Sports television. Peter C commentating with some other guy who I don't know who doesn't seem to follow fs that much b/c he commented that John Coughlin was skating at his 2nd World Championships while Denney was skating at her first. Denney won two U.S. National Championships (one with Jeremy Barrett and one with John Coughlin; she also won a silver U.S. medal with Jeremy). Moreover, this is actually Denney's third World Championships, so she has more experience at Worlds than Coughlin.

[Not Anybodys Mother]

Error in judging?
In the protocols, Sui and Han got a +1 on their GOE for their level 4 footwork, but only .7 was added to the base value of the element. According to the 1611 document, +1 GOE on level 4 footwork gives 1.0 bonus points.

I believe that GOE was devalued after the 2010 or 2011 seasons. +1 GOE is no longer worth 1 point. I believe it's worth .7. +2 GOE = 1.4, +3 GOE =2.1

Fan friendly - not! But it keeps Yuna from building up such a huge lead! LOL

I wish they'd go to percentages, that would make a bit more sense, and it would reward combinations. But this is a conversation for another time.

[SkateFiguring]

World Figure Skating Ice 'Cracks Like Glass' – Smirnov

“I fell because my skate cracked the ice,” Smirnov said. “The ice is all new and very fresh. It just cracks under your feet like glass.”

[ImaginaryPogue]

Not Anybody's Mother is correct. Level four footwork was devalued after last season so instead of +1/2/3, it is +0.7/1.4/2.1

Also, wow with T/T. That was amazing.

[lavender]

To me that was the best S/S skated that short program and I still don't know if I like V/T's short yet even when clean.

[hurrah]

It's possible that the ice is too soft. It was the pair's men who had the unexplainable falls and they are the heaviest skaters who also support the weight of their partners. In which case, the organizers need to at least make the stadium colder even if it means the audience will freeze.

[SkateFiguring]

The speculations/complaints about the ice are contradictory. There have been talks of soft ice, including much water. But Smirnov is saying it's too fresh and cracks easily, which suggest it is too hard. Big guys carrying their partners falling supports the hard ice theory. However, falling off a death spiral and tipping over at final pose can hardly be blamed on the ice but more of a focus issue.

[rallycairn]

Wow, really enjoyed S/S's program and this performance of it! Love their positions on so many of the moves == the spisn, the lifts.

[hurrah]

The speculations/complaints about the ice are contradictory. There have been talks of soft ice, including much water. But Smirnov is saying it's too fresh and cracks easily, which suggest it is too hard. Big guys carrying their partners falling supports the hard ice theory. However, falling off a death spiral and tipping over at final pose can hardly be blamed on the ice but more of a focus issue.

Maybe it's the quality of the water that makes the ice weird for the skaters? Doesn't south of France have very hard water?

[Spun Silver]

I noticed that the crowd was not very bundled up. It made me think the ice must be soft. Maybe Smirnov was mistranslated or misspoke? Soft ice can split in slivers like glass.

[mousepotato]

I noticed that the crowd was not very bundled up. It made me think the ice must be soft. Maybe Smirnov was mistranslated or misspoke? Soft ice can split in slivers like glass.

I think what he is describing is soft ice. Soft ice tend to be puffy (I hope that make sense, I can't think of a better way to say it) even when you just step on it when it's not properly prepared it crackles like the sound of glass breaking or the sound of air bubbles breakings. It's is not ideal for figure skating although some hockey players like softer ice. I don't, it gives the feeling like you’re skating through mud or peanut butter. I think Trankov and Smirnov obvoiusly slipped, but Larionov looks as though he lost his balance.