Men Free Skating Report - 2013 Skate Canada | Golden Skate

Men Free Skating Report - 2013 Skate Canada

Joined
Jan 22, 2004
2013 Skate Canada
Men – Free Skating

Detailed Classification
Judges Scores
Final Result

Links to Other Reports:
Ice Dance - Short Dance
Ice Dance - Free Dance
Ladies – Short Program
Ladies – Free Skating
Men - Short Program
Pairs – Short Program
Pairs - Free Skating


Disclaimer: The GOE values listed next to the elements are ones I would award if I was a judge and they’re intended to give you a general impression of how each element 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 a numbers can sometimes say a thousand words.

I am generally very nitpicky, try to pay a lot of attention to detail and attempt to notice various errors that judges might have missed. I realise that I’m being very harsh but I try my best to apply the same high standard to all of the skaters.

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

1. Ross MINER /USA/
Glory by Michael W. Smith

4salchow [-3] – underrotated over 1/2, foot down, step out
1axel/2toe [1] – good height, solid landings
3lutz/3toe [1] - solid
flying sit pancake to leg behind [0] – good rotation speed but a foot down coming out
circular step sequence [1] – quite good flow
1axel [0]
3flip [1] – high and solid
camel/sit/up L/change camel/sit/up butt out(not extended very well) [1] – quite good rotation speed
3lutz/half-loop/3salchow(cheated over 1/4) [-1]
3loop [0]
choreographic sequence: spread eagles / split jumps [1] – good speed
into 2axel [-1] – over the toe on the landing, foot down quite quickly
into scratch butterflies into flying camel/jump to sit/jump to sit/up cannonball/scratch [0]

Good speed and flow over the ice but his movements lacked projection and conviction and weren’t extended very well. The choreography was quite generic (although there were a few in character movements towards the end of the program) and there weren’t many transitions.

2. Andrei ROGOZINE /CAN/
Nyah (from "Mission Impossible 2" soundtrack) by Hans Zimmer

3flip/2toe [0] – not a lot of flow out
spread eagle into 3axel(not a lot of flow out)/3toe(turnout) [-1]
2lutz [0]
3flip [0] – clean but not a lot of speed out
flying camel to donut coe to catch coe [-2] – off-centred, positions not extended well
circular step sequence [-1] – edges quite scratchy, lacking speed and flow
spread eagle into 3axel [0] – landing not very strong
3loop [-2] – wild turnout
3salchow [0]
2axel into 2axel [1] – solid, decent flow out of both jumps
sit broken leg to forward tuck/change sit side twist [-1] – changed rotation centre slightly on change of foot, last position poorly extended
choreographic sequence [0]
camel upward twist/jump to sit/up cannonball to scratch(fast rotation) [0]

Poor posture and lines, not a lot of relation to the music. Edges weren’t very strong either, his basics really need work.

3. Joshua FARRIS /USA/
Schindler's List (soundtrack) by John Williams

4toe [-3] – underrotated slightly, fall
3salchow [1] – high and solid
3axel/2toe [0]
flying sit to cannonball to broken leg to forward tuck [1] – quite well extended positions, decent rotation speed, good flow
circular step sequence [1] – decent edges
3axel [0] – slightly over the toe
footwork into 3flip [1]
3lutz/2toe/2loop(landed on two feet and stopped) [-2] – short entry
camel to catch/change camel donut [1] – good flow, decent rotation speed
3lutz [0]
choreographic sequence [1] – decent edges and flow
spread eagle towards 2loop [1]
camel/sit/up butt out/change up cannonball(was meant to be the sit but way too high) to L [0] – rotation speed decent to start with but he had to rush the spin to finish in time with the music and the change of foot was quite weak

He used his arms well throughout and his soft movements reflected the character of the music. His flow over the ice surface wasn’t bad either. The choreography lacked variety and highlights, however and some more projection and attack in his movements would have been good to see.

4. Michal BREZINA /CZE/
Sherlock Holmes (soundtrack) by Hans Zimmer

4salchow(good height but very slightly over the toe)/2toe [0]
around the rink once more into 3axel [0] – slightly over the toe again
and around the rink the third time into 4salchow [2] – very solid
flying sit to cannonball coe to forward tuck [0] – could use a little more speed
circular step sequence [2] – good speed and expression, flowed well
3axel(hand down)/2toe [-1] – entry quite long
3flip [1] – high and solid
2loop [0] – solid with good flow out but entry a little telegraphed (+1-1)
3lutz [-3] – underrotated slightly, fall
choreographic straight line step sequence [0]
into 2salchow(way off-axis in the air, hand down)/1toe [-2]
camel/jump to sit/up pancake to raised leg/change camel/sit/up cross-foot [-1] – quite slow
sit/change sit broken leg [0] – could use more speed

Strong, deep and smooth edges enabling him to generate a lot of speed.

The choreography was very lackluster, however. At the start of the program, he stroked around the ice rink three times in a row, to plant jumps in the same place and it looked more like a practice session than a competitive program. His fourth jump (the second triple axel) had quite a long entry as well and the program didn’t get fleshed out much more as it went on either.

He said ‘I got tired’ in the Kiss&Cry so maybe it was a conditioning issue rather than a loss of focus.

5. Elladj BALDE /CAN/
Shine On You Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd

3toe [1] – high, flow out not bad
3axel(over the toe)/2toe [0] – entry quite short with some footwork before (but not directly into the jump)
3flip [1] – solid, quite short entry with footwork preceding it
circular step sequence [0] – edges a little shallow
camel sideways twist/change sit cannonball/up cannonball/up cross-foot [0] – rotation speed not bad but positions could have been extended better
3axel [-3] – leaning forwards in the air, hand down, foot down
3lutz(a little over the toe)/2toe [0] – flow out not bad
spread eagle to three-turns into 3loop [-2] – two-footed
flying sit/jump to sit side twist to forward tuck(slow) [-1]
choreographic straight line step sequence [0] – quite fast footwork but edges not very strong and upper body movement could have been more pronounced and extended better
3lutz [0]
2axel [1] - solid
transitions to camel to catch(not extended well)/change camel to donut coe(off-centred slightly) [-1]

This performance provided an interesting contrast to Brezina. Balde’s basics aren’t anywhere near as good. He skates with rounded shoulders and his lines aren’t extended well. His basic skating isn’t very strong either, although it has improved under Sato’s tutelage.

The program itself, however, was clearly superior in all aspects. There were a lot of transitions throughout and the entries into the elements were quite short with some footwork preceding a lot of them. Element layout was quite interesting too, utilising the ice surface very well and he moved in time with the music.

A new personal best for him (FS and total).

6. MURA Takahito /JPN/
Spartacus
Man of Steel (soundtrack)

2toe [-1] – got timing wrong on the take-off, loose position in the air
4toe [-3] – underrotated over 1/2, two-footed
3axel [1] – very high, decent flow out, getting his free foot out a little strained though (+2-1)
camel coe/change camel upward twist to catch [1] – very good rotation speed, positions could have been better extended though (+2-1)
3lutz/1toe [-1] – lutz landing was little strained and he didn’t have enough balance and momentum for a double or triple toe
camel/up to cross-foot/change sit/up butt out/sit forward tuck [0] – quite good rotation speed but positions not extended well (+1-1)
3loop [-1] – telegraphed, landing a little weak
1axel/2toe [0]
circular step sequence [1] – fast footwork, edges not bad
3lip [-3] – a very obvious outside edge from the start, it looked like a lutz (0-3)
3salchow [-2] – step out
choreographic straight line step sequence [0]
unextended hydroblade into flying sit (camel position in the air) cannonball to broken leg(position not extended very well) [0]

The program lacked transitions and most of his jump had long entries. His lines weren’t extended and his movements were sluggish and really lacked projection and attack (it looked more like a 6am practice session than a competitive performance). There was hardly any relation to the music.

7. Jeremy ABBOTT /USA/
Exogenesis Symphony Number 3 (Redemption) by Muse

4toe [-3] – underrotated, fall (I am surprised that it didn’t get the ‘<’ call at least as it seemed almost 1/2 short on the slo-mo)
3axel/3toe [2] – quite short entry with some footwork preceding it, very solid on both jumps
sit cannonball to broken leg/change sit/jump to forward tuck [-1] – slow and off-centred on the last position
2flip/1toe [-1]
circular step sequence [2] – very good flow, neat footwork
into 2axel [1]
3axel [-3] – fall
3salchow [1] – decent flow out, short entry
1lutz [-3] – foot down
3loop/2toe [1] – solid
flying upright leg to the side to var to cross-foot [0]
choreographic straight line step sequence [1]
camel to upward twist/sit/jump to change sit/up var to up [1] – quite good flow and rotation speed

Smooth basic skating. Very sophisticated choreography featuring a lot of detailed upper body movement throughout and a good use of the ice surface as well, with the element entries being quite short and often preceded by transitions. He seemed to really feel the music and connected to it well.

His focus seemed all over the place on the jumps, however as we’ve unfortunately seen so often from him in the past.

I am surprised that more skaters don’t hire Sato for choreography as both Balde’s and Abbott’s programs showed she is capable of producing high quality work.

8. HANYU Yuzuru /JPN/
Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota

three-turns into 4salchow [-3] – fall
4toe [-2] – slightly cheated, hand down, landing quite scratchy
footwork into 3flip [1]
circular step sequence [1] – quite good flow
into flying camel upward twist to donut/change sit broken leg/up biellmann [0] – off-centred slightly after change of foot (+1-1)
1axel(over the toe slightly)/1toe [-1]
footwork into 3axel/2toe [0] – not a lot of flow out
3loop [1] – solid, short entry
3lutz/half-loop/3salchow(cheated over 1/4) [0] – good flow throughout (+1-1)
3lutz [0]
choreographic straight line step sequence [1] – a beautifully extended ina bauer to start but the footwork he did afterwards wasn’t that impressive
flying sit to cannonball/change sit forward tuck [2] – good positions and rotation speed
camel coe/jump to sit/change up var to cross-foot [1] – good rotation speed but off-centred very slightly at the end (+2-1)

Good speed and flow throughout. His posture and lines - which were never his strongest point - seemed to have regressed, however. His movements looked unfinished. The choreography lacked variety and light and shade.

9. ODA Nobunari /JPN/
Wilhelm Tell Overture by Giacochino Rossini

3toe [0] – clearly a quad attempt but timing was a little off on the take-off
3toe [0]
3axel/2toe [0] – solid landings but not a lot of speed and flow out
flying sit/jump to sit broken leg to forward tuck [0] – could use a little more speed
circular step sequence [1] – decent flow
3axel [1] – good height, solid landing, entry a little telegraphed though (+2-1)
footwork towards 3lutz [1] – good flow out
3flip [-3] – fall
flying camel upward twist/jump to sit/up butt out [0]
spread eagle towards 3loop [1]
3salchow [1] – good flow out
choreographic step sequence [1]
camel/sit holding foot/change sit side twist/up L [2] – good flow and rotation speed

Decent flow. The program featured a few difficult jump entries but overall the choreography was quite sparse, lacking variety and highlights. There were a lot of arm movements throughout but they lacked attack and projection and could have been extended a little better. He seemed tense.

10. Patrick CHAN /CAN/
Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto Grosso by Arcangelo Corelli

4toe/3toe [1] – slight hesitation between the two jumps and not a lot of flow out but both landings very solid
4toe [1] – good flow out
2axel [0]
circular step sequence [3] – very good speed and flow, deep edges
flying sit to sideways twist to broken leg [1] – quite good rotation speed
3lutz/half-loop/2salchow [0]
3lutz [0]
3loop [-1] – slight step out
3flip/2toe [0]
camel/change camel to upward twist coe [1] – good rotation speed
1axel [0]
choreographic straight line step sequence [2] – light footwork
camel/jump to sit/change up cannonball/jump to up scratch [-1] – weak change of foot, changed rotation centre a lot jumping to the last position

Whilst his basic skating was absolutely incredible as usual – deep, smooth and secure edges and fantastic speed and flow throughout – the program itself wasn’t very complex. The entries into the jumps were longer than we’ve seen from him in the past, without many transitions preceding them and he didn’t utilise the ice surface as well either. His movements were quite soft and flowed well, reflecting the character of the music, but they could have been extended and accentuated a little better.
 

marcolee925

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
Farris is the future of US men's skating together with Brown. He has everything. Now if he can only nail the quad (and same for Brown)...

Brezina's jumps are amazing but his skating continues to hurt my soul...

Mura doesn't quite have IT like last season. At least it looks like there is one less Japanese man to fight for the 3 spots for the Sochi team...

Abbott and Farris need to not pop. Ideally I want the US men's team to have two of Abbott, Farris and Brown but I am ready to let Abbott go as he continues to disappoint. The 3axel3toe and the steps are the only things worth watching for Abbott at this competition.

Hanyu is finally integrating more distinguishable entrances for his flips and lutzes. I am again indifferent to his programs but think he has enough going for him to contend for a medal if he goes clean. I prefer him to Fernandez overall but Fernandez will be difficult to overtake with 3 clean quads.

Oda has never been interesting since he turned senior and this season he continues to rely on the tricks alone. It's all about the big jumps, the spins and the knees. There are no programs to speak of. I hope the Japanese Sochi team does not feature him. I hope the team is Hanyu, Machida and Takahashi (or Kozuka if Takahashi keeps losing his jumps).

I am glad that Chan has dialed down on the complexity of his programs. They are still difficult enough to commend high PCS yet manageable for him to land the jumps. Perfect balance. He really is the best skater of this quad, all things considered. Probably not the best artist or entertainer, but undoubtedly the best skater overall.
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
I am glad that Chan has dialed down on the complexity of his programs. They are still difficult enough to commend high PCS yet manageable for him to land the jumps. Perfect balance. He really is the best skater of this quad, all things considered. Probably not the best artist or entertainer, but undoubtedly the best skater overall.

I also think that it has been done on purpose to try to achieve more consistency. I am not particularly happy about it (and he's willingly giving ammunition to the 'he has nothing but skating skills' crowd ;)) but it's not like most of his nearest rivals are particularly strong in that regard either.
 
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