2013 World Figure Skating Championships - Pairs Short Report | Golden Skate

2013 World Figure Skating Championships - Pairs Short Report

Joined
Jan 22, 2004
2013 World Figure Skating Championships
Pairs – Short Program

Detailed Classification
Judges Scores
http://www.isuresults.com/results/wc2013/wc2013_Pairs_SP_Scores.pdf

Disclaimer: The GOE values listed next to the elements are the ones, I'd award if I was a judge, to give you a general impression of how well it was executed. I try to describe each of the elements but there's not always time to be as detailed as I would like and those numbers can sometimes say a thousand words. So if you see positive GOE, it means an element was executed to a high standard (and yes, I am generally being very nitpicky ).

Any questions, comments, criticisms and discussion are very welcome.

1. Magdalena KLATKA / Radosław CHRUŚCIŃSKI /POL/
Chopin by Edvin Marton

2twist with arm above – very low, catch not very strong [-1]
back spirals to throw 2flip [0]
2axels – his good, hers cheated half a revolution [-2]
camel/up V to up/change sit to cannonball [0] – could use some more speed but synchronised quite well
press lift to one hand to change of position to another change of position to difficult dismount [-1] – laboured
catchfoot spiral to bods with change of hold [-1] – poor position
straight line step sequence [-1] – not a lot of speed, edges a little weak

They were quite slow, skated through the music and the technical difficulty was that of a Junior team. They did skate better than at Europeans, though.

2. SUI Wenjing / HAN Cong /CHN/
Historia de un amor by Carlos E. Almaran performed by Richard Clayderman
Ballade pour Adeline by Richard Clayderman

3twist with arm above – decent height, quite a strong catch [1]
3toe – she underrotated over half a revolution and had a painful fall [-3]
ina bauers towards 3flip – quite high and solid [1]
cantilever going under his owen spiral into bods with change of hold [0] – position not bad but edge weak
flying camel to upward catch/up/change sit broken leg [0] – quite well synchronised but could use more speed
straight line step sequence [0] – good energy, well choroegraphed but she had a small stumble
roll-up entry into press lift to one hand and change of position to full split [0]
she is crying and looks hurt after they finish (she's still struggling with an injury)

Great character and attack as usual from them. A lot of perkiness.

She has grown quite a bit but he didn't. He's not much higher than her at the moment and if she grows any more, they might start to really struggle (we'd get another Zhang/Zhang situation where the female partner outgrows the male one).

I really hope that she's not damaging her body just because the Chinese federation wants to try to earn three Olympic spots.

3. Mari VARTMANN / Aaron VAN CLEAVE /GER/
The Messiah Will Come Again by Gary Moore

2twist [1] – decent height, clean catch
3toe [-1] – hand down from him
press lift to one hand hold to difficult dismount [0] – good position from her but landing was slightly two-footed by him
coe spread eagles to throw 3salchow [1] – nice free leg extension on the landing, skidded very slightly though
circular step sequence [1] – good speed and expression
he stumbled and fell skating forwards after finishing the step sequence and she tripped over him and fell as well
Y spiral into bods [0]
flying camel/sit/up/change sit broken leg [0] – a little bit off-synch throughout, decent rotation speed though

The choreography expressed the bluesy character of the music quite well. There were some nice dance lifts in the program and really long, well extended change of edge spread eagle into the throw jump.

Whilst her extensions are lovely, he skates with rounded shoulders and his lines are messy. He should work on pointing his toes and extending his movements properly.

4. Marissa CASTELLI / Simon SHNAPIR /USA/
Stray Cat Strut by Brian Setzer Orchestra
Pink Panther by Henry Mancini

3twist – decent height but heavily two-footed by him [-1]
3salchow [-3] – good landing from her but a fall from him
camel/up L to up(off-synch)/change sit cannonball(off-synch) [-1]
lovely spiral from her going towards throw 3salchow [2] – huge, she had to go deep in the knee on the landing but held it well and had good speed and flow out
straight line step sequence [1] – good speed and flow
press lift to one hand and change of position to full split [1]
Y spiral into bods with change of hold [0]

Quite good speed. Nice lines and extensions and a lot of character from her. He was lacking those qualities, though (you get a bit of a Volosozhar/Morozov vibe from them).

The program had some nice choreographic touches here and there but I don't think that it worked very well as a whole. Their movement didn't seem to reflect the character of the music well, nor did it seem to tell a story.

5. PENG Cheng / ZHANG Hao /CHN/
Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney performed by David Garrett

dance lift to 3twist – high, quite effortless, strong catch [2]
3toe [2] – high and solid
throw 3loop [0] – high and covered a lot of ice but entry was really telegraphed and landing edge was a little scratchy
Y spiral into bods with change of hold [-1] – edge not great, really slowed down at the end
flying camel to coe/change sit holding foot/up L [-1] – off-synch from the second position until the end
straight line step sequence [0] – one of those 34 hour ones that you just wish would finally end
roll-up entry into press lift to one hand and change of position to full split [0] – strong lifting but he was stumbling through his footwork

The choreography was basic and they skated through the music with blank facial expressions.

Presentation left a lot to be desired but they have one of the best twist lifts in the world (they are the only team in skating history capable of performing a clean, high quality quad twist).

6. Nicole DELLA MONICA / Matteo GUARISE /ITA/
Nothing Else Matters by Metallica performed by Apocalyptica

steps towards 3twist [-3] – underrotated, late and messy catch (she basically fell down on her own), both touched down with free foot on the landing
3salchow [-2] – he turned out, she put hand down
throw 3salchow [-2] – step out, landing wasn't perfect but she could have held it, they just didn't have the focus at this point most likely
press lift with changes of position [0] – nice positions from her but a little insecure changing them
straight line step sequence [0]
Y spiral into bods [1] – good rotation speed
turns to flying camel/sit/up raised leg/change sit/up L [0] – good synchronisation and rotation speed but he travelled a little

A fair amount of speed and power in their skating but they seemed very tense and nervous, which affected both their elements and the way they presented the program (their movements weren't extended or sold very well).

7. Alexa SCIMECA / Chris KNIERIM /USA/
Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven

3twist [1] – decent height, very strong catch, really solid, he was on two feet though
throw 3flip [-2] – long entry and off-axis in the air, landing was akward but she managed to hang on in there
3salchow [-1] – he cheated over a quarter and his landing was a little shaky [-2]
press lift to change of position to one hand to difficult dismount [0]
flying camel/sit/up/change sit broken leg/up [1] – very well synchronised, could be a tad faster
straight line step sequence [0]
Y spiral into bods with change of hold [-1] – position not great, edge a little scratchy

The choreography reflected the character of the music quite well featuring sweeping, edgy movements. Their basics are not very strong however. Both skating skills and postures and lines could improve.

8. Elizaveta MAKAROVA / Leri KENCHADZE /BUL/
Tango Amore by Edvin Marton

2twist with arms above – height not too bad and a solid catch but he two-footed the landing heavily [-1]
throw 3loop [-2] – weak landing: over the toe, hand down, not a lot of control
2loop with arms above [0]
press lift in both directions to change of position and one hand hold to difficult dismount [-1] – laboured
Y spirals into bods [-1] – weak position and edge (received no value since they didn't complete a full revolution)
flying camel/sit/up var/change sit/up butt out [0]
straight line step sequence [-1] – weak edges, tentative and awkward upper body movement

A cautious and tentative performance. They are at the stage where getting through their elements is still a struggle.

9. Stacey KEMP / David KING /GBR/
Doctor Zhivago (soundtrack) by Maurice Jarre

steps towards 3twist [-3] – not much of a catch, she basically fell down on her own, they just don't get enough height
2axel [-1] – she cheated (I'm surprised they didn't get a < because it was very apparent, I guess it was just under 1/4)
throw 3flip [0]
bods (2 revolutions) [0]
straight line step sequence [0]
flying camel/sit/up/change sit broken leg [0] – a little slow at the end
spread eagle to press lift to change of position to one hand to twisting dismount [0]

A good performance for them. Whilst the execution of their elements wasn't of particularly high quality, they did skate to the top of their ability.

Choreography was quite generic and their lines could have been extended better.

10. Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES /FRA/
Rhumba d'Amour
Safri Duo

3twist – good height but crash on the catch, two-footed by him [-2]
3toe [2] – high and very solid
throw 3flip [0] – landing a little bit scratchy, had to go down in the knee
spread eagle dance lift into Y spiral into bods with change of hold [1]
straight line step sequence – good attack and expression [1]
press lift to change of position to one hand to difficult dismount [0]
to turns to flying camel to var/up/change sit broken leg [0] – the first change of position was a little off-synch and he travelled a bit at the end, qute good positions, however and synch was good otherwise

A lot of speed and power in their skating. The choroegraphy was quite generic but they showed a lot of charisma, confidence and attack throughout.

They have improved a lot since last season.

11. Kirsten MOORE-TOWERS / Dylan MOSCOVITCH /CAN/
Motley Crew by R. Beau

footwork to 3twist [1] – not a great deal of height but a strong catch
footwork to 3toe [2] – very short entry, really solid landings
Y spiral to bods with change of hold [1] – decent rotation speed, quite low down, nice piosition variation at the end
throw 3loop [1] – covered a lot of ice, strong landing, entry a little bit telegraphed though
kneeling entry into press lift to reverse rotation, change of position to one hand and difficult dismount – strong [1]
straight line step sequence [1] - in character of the music
flying camel/sit/up Y/change sit holding foot/up [1] – very fast rotation, well synchronised, she travelled a fair amount though

A lot of confidence and attack from start to finish. Everything looked secure and they didn't miss a beat. The choreography had a lot of character and they expressed the playful character of the music very well. A lot of perk.

Their basics (postures and lines in particular) are a little subpar, however.

12. Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY /GER/
Kismet by Bond

throw 3flip – huge (speed and flow on the landing suffers a little as a result though) [2]
spread eagles to 3toe [0] – her landing ok but his landing over the toe
dance lift to 3twist [0]
his Y spiral into bods with change of hold – good position, went really low on the second rotation [1]
flying camel/sit/up Y/change sit cannonball(a little off-synch at the start)/up [0] – good rotation speed
circular step sequence [2] – good flow, sharp footwork
counterbalance dance lift to press lift to change of position and one hand hold to difficult dismount [2] – great speed, very strong throughout

Given how difficult and creative their choreography has been in the past (Send in the Clowns being a good example), this program is very dissapointing. There's still a fair amount of transitions and the elements aren't telegraphed but it lacks lack and shade, there are no interesting higlights and there isn't much relation to the music.

I can understand Steuer given them a simple program, given the judges do not reward complexity of choreography and transitions so why take unnecessary risks? There is no excuse for the program feeling so flat and dull though. They will need something that stands out and captures your attention next season if they are to garner the favour of the judges again and contend for the OGM.

P.S. Aliona, I love you but can you please stop designing your costumes and let somebody who knows what they are doing handle it.

13. Stefania BERTON / Ondrej HOTAREK /ITA/
Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones

3toe – his was good but she fell [-3]
3twist [-1] – not a lot of height, very slight crash, his free foot coming out late
throw 3loop [0] – had to go deep in the knee and fight for the landing a little but held it well
press lift to one hand to change of position to another change of position and one hand hold again [1] – nice extensions from her, strong
straight line step sequence [1] – very good upper body movement
Y spiral to bods with change of hold [0]
flying camel to var/change sit to cannonball/up [1] – well synchronised, decent rotation speed

Sophisticated choreography with busy upper body movement. They were quite elegant and paid attention to presenting the program throughout.

14. Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV /RUS/
The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss

dance lift to 3twist [-1] – crash, decent flow from start to finish though, better than usual
3toe [0] – decent height but could use a little more speed and throw out
dance lift towards throw 3loop [0]
spread eagle to bods with change of hold [0]
flying camel/sit/up raised free leg/change up L [1] – well synchronised
spread eagle to press lift to one hand to change of position and one hand again to difficult dismount(a little laboured) – really strong and secure throughout until the dismount [1]
straight line step sequence [2] – good speed and flow, great expression

Lovely choroegraphy which was full of character, featuring gentle, sweeping movements very appropriate for a waltz. Some very nicely executed transitions (a spiral and later a dance lift) between the triple toes and the throw. They were relaxed, showed a lot of freedom in their movement and presented the program well.

Smirnov was even more orange than usual.

15. PANG Qing / TONG Jian /CHN/
Scott and Fran's Paso Doble by David Hirschfelder

3toe [-3] – underrotated over half a revolution and two-footed by him
3twist [1]
throw 3loop [2] – huge and solid
bods with change of hold [0] – a little slow
counterbalance dance lift to press lift to star position to change of position and one hand hold [1]
straight line step sequence [-1] – he seemed to struggle, was quite slow and she had to wait for him to catch up at one point
flying camel/sit holding foot/change sit/up L [1] – well synchronised, decent rotation speed

They were a little cautious throughout and didn't sell the program as well as they could have. You could see that he's not well at all (his knee is very seriously injured). His skating lacked power and he didn't have a lot of kneebend.

16. Meagan DUHAMEL / Eric RADFORD /CAN/
La Boheme performed by Roby Lakatos
La Boheme performed by Paul McCoy
La Boheme performed by Bruno Walker and Jean Kikteff

steps towards 3twist [1] – good flow from start to finish
dance lift to press lift to two changes of position and one hand hold to difficult dismount with a pull-through between his legs (I'll accept this as a difficult landing position and stop ranting about a two-footed landing) [2]
dance lift into Y spiral into bods [2] – good position, fantastic entry
3lutz [1] – solid
transition towards throw 3flip [1] – very secure
straight line step sequence [2] – good flow and expression, deep edges
flying camel/sit/camel var/change sit to cannonball [2] – very good synchronisation and rotation speed

Very complex choroegraphy and transitions. An unusual element layout. They skated with speed, power and confidence and sold the program really well.

Postures and lines are something they still need to work on, Meagan in particular. They could also work more on developing some facial expression and showing more emotions. But they are getting there, showing significant improvement year on year.

17. Vera BAZAROVA / Yuri LARIONOV /RUS/
Liebestraum by Franz Liszt

3toe [-3] – his was ok but she popped it into a single and landed on two feet
throw 3loop [1] – very good height and distance but landing a little bit shaky (the price you pay the size of the throw I guess), she held it well though with a good free leg extension
3twist – high and very strong, short entry straight from transitions [2]
press lift to one hand to change of position to one hand to difficult dismount [1]
flying camel/sit/camel var/change sit/up Y [1] – very synchronisation and good rotation speed and s but she travelled after change of foot (would be +2 otherwise)
straight line step sequence [1] – good speed and flow
shoot-the-duck into bods [1] – quite good position and rotation speed

An elegant, classiccal program featuring a number of spirals and other similar movements as transitions. This is the strongest choreography they have had so far. Whilst her extrensions were very nice throughout, he's still a bit of a lumberjack whose posture and lines leave a lot to be desired. And they are still skating with blank facial expressions, not showing any charisma.

Bazarova looks really emaciated.

18. Tatiana VOLOSOZHAR / Maxim TRANKOV /RUS/
Love Theme from "The Godfather" by Nino Rota

3twist [2] – huge, good catch
spread eagle towards 3salchow [-1] – she got the take-off all wrong and was off-axis in the air, very surprising that she managed to land it
throw 3loop [2] – extremely high, speed and flow out suffered as a result though (she went deep on the outside edge and skidded slightly at one point)
shoot-the-duck into bods [1] – good position and rotation speed
press lift to change of position and one hand hold [1]
straight line step sequence [2] – deep edges, good flow
flying camel/sit/up/change camel/sit/up Y [1] – well synchronised, decent rotation speed

Good flow throughout, relaxed and composed movement. Everything looked neat and secure.

The program construction is quite simple, however and there aren't many transitions.
 

La Rhumba

Supporting All British Skaters!
Medalist
Joined
Aug 9, 2006
Country
United-Kingdom
On top form again Ziggy! I award you +3 GOE! ;) Many Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

14th Place is surprisingly higher than I expected for Kemp and King, but there's a part of me that thinks it's time they called it a day.

A good performance for them. Whilst the execution of their elements wasn't of particularly high quality, they did skate to the top of their ability.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
Thanks so much for taking the time to produce this, and for giving such a complete picture of how all the different aspects of a program and its execution worked together. I was especially interested in your analysis of S and S's program, because what they seem to be lacking this year is what I've always loved about their work (and Ingo's choreography). Thanks!
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
Thanks, guys. :)

14th Place is surprisingly higher than I expected for Kemp and King, but there's a part of me that thinks it's time they called it a day.

If I remember correctly, they almost did but decided they wanted to make it to the Olympics again. So they will probably call it a day after Sochi (they should be able to easily qualify at Nebelhorn even if they miss the cut here).

They did improve some aspects of their skating since moving to the US though. They are landing the throw 3flip now and this SP was probably the first time they landed the 2axels. :)
 

marcolee925

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
I would have had the result like this:

D&R
MT/M
V&T
S&S
K&S

I think the 2 Canadian teams were wonderful, full of attack and had great programs. V&T had wonderful qualities but their program was blah and extremely empty.
 

marcolee925

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
Looking at the skate order, what I think is likely to happen is that, D&R starting the final group with a bang, S&S getting freaking out by the cheers and scores and making mistakes, and then V&T closing the night with a great skate. I really feel the podium will consist of these 3 teams, and D&R could challenge for silver over S&S.
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
I'm not sure how they'd end up placing if I scored them but I agree that both Duhamel/Radford and Moore-Towers/Moscovitch gave exceptional performances. Whilst they are behind V/T and S/S as far as basics are concerned, they definitely had the best programs (choreography and transitions).

My predictions for the podium are the same as yours: Gold for V/T, Silver for D/R and Bronze for S/S. Ice is slippery though. ;)
 
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