Are you ready to rank your favorite ice dancing teams?!? | Golden Skate

Are you ready to rank your favorite ice dancing teams?!?

sweetskates1

Medalist
Joined
Feb 5, 2012
Let me start by saying that I am not a trained skater or technical specialist. I simply enjoy watching figure skaters be at their very best and root for those that I deem most special and talented. Hopefully, those of you that are trained or have a much more clinical eye can help me see the error of my ways. :biggrin: Please ignore the typos and know that this took forever to type. Thank you and I look forward to reading your thoughts on this season's top ice dancers!

The Judges' Numbers so Far:

Short Dance:

1. Davis/White 75.70
2. Virtue/Moir 73.15
3. Weaver/Poje 70.35
4. Cappelini/LaNotte 69.88
5. Bobrova/Soloviev 65.70
6. Pechalat/Bourzat 63.60
7. Shibutani/Shibutani 61.26
8. Hubbell/Donohue 60.92
9. Riazanova/Tkachenko 59.79
10. Chock/Bates 56.77

Free Dance:

1. Davis/White 112.53
2. Virtue/Moir 107.88
3. Weaver/Poje 104.88
4. Pechalat/Bourzat 102.08
5. Cappelini/LaNotte 98.61
6. Bobrova/Soloviev 97.72
7. Chock/Bates 93.76
8. Shibutani/Shibutani 93.21
9. Hubbell/Donohue 92.28
10. Riazanova/Tkachenko 85.77

Total:

1. Davis/White 188.23
2. Virtue/Moir 181.03
3. Weaver/Poje 175.23
4. Cappelini/LaNotte 168.49
5. Pechalat/Bourzat 165.68
6. Bobrova/Soloviev 163.42
7. Shibutani/Shibutani 154.47
8. Hubbell/Donohue 153.20
9. Chock/Bates 150.53
10. Riazanova/Tkachenko 145.56

My Predictions:

Short Dance:

1. Virtue/Moir - romance sells.. rivalry set up
2. Davis/White - they are always the chasers..
3. Weaver/Poje - they are attractive, both their style and skating
4. Cappelini/LaNotte - technically superb but not enough pull
5. Bobrova/Soloviev - they are fast and Russian...
6. Pechalat/Bourzat - too slow, not enough pull
7. Shibutani/Shibutani - better than countrymen below
8. Hubbell/Donohue - better than countrymen below
9. Riazanova/Tkachenko - young better than the Americans that follow.
10. Chock/Bates - bland, not in the spotlight, will not make the Olympic team

Free Dance:

1. Davis/White - undeniably greater than the rest
2. Weaver/Poje - stylish, taking over as top Canadians
3. Virtue/Moir - enough pull and style to win over others that are technically superior
4. Pechalat/Bourzat - sentimental favorites, unique
5. Cappelini/LaNotte - superb technically
6. Bobrova/Soloviev - Russian pull
7. Shibutani/Shibutani - better than countrymen, better coached
8. Hubbell/Donohue - Carmelengo magic
9. Chock/Bates - better than most non-headliners, will not make Olympic team
10. Riazanova/Tkachenko - young and capable enough to make the top ten

Total:

1. Davis/White lose the SD to VM, win by large margin due to superior FD
2. Virtue/Moir win the SD, win silver by fairly small margin
3. Weaver/Poje win bronze
4. Pechalat/Bourzat off the podium by a fairly 'large' margin
5. Cappelini/LaNotte
6. Bobrova/Soloviev
7. Shibutani/Shibutani
8. Hubbell/Donohue
9. Riazanova/Tkachenko
10. Chock/Bates - will not make the Olympic team

My Preferences/Wish List:

Short Dance:

1. Davis/White: Airy and light but not forceful/fast enough for skaters as I am used to seeing them be. The substance and crispness is there but I feel more is needed. So graceful one forgets that they are flying on ice and how difficult the content is. Best Twizzles but where are the great lifts?
2. Virtue/Moir: Style is superior, smooth and velvety moves. Have less substance than the Italians but are more captivating.
3. Cappelini/LaNotte: Superior substance, speed and skills. Lighter costumes would really help them
4. Weaver/Poje: Skating in between elements is fast but the tricks are not there - the highlights are not that exciting. The 'it' factor is not there.
5. Bobrova/Soloviev: uncontrolled, trying too hard to fly but have technically difficult program.
6. Pechalat/Bourzat: very mature and polished but, despite interesting final lift, too slow and not as original as I hoped.
7. Shibutani/Shibutani: Execution is excellent in all aspects of their skating. They do not captivate me.
8. Hubbell/Donohue: mature chemistry, athletic but heavy
9. Riazanova/Tkachenko: light, fun juniorish...
10. Chock/Bates: Nothing is outstanding or memorable

Free Dance:

1. Davis/White: Astoundingly beautiful, superb technique, incredible lifts, amazing twizzles, great music choice, most exciting choreography and speed. They are capable of performing more crisply and faster plus with something more special - I expect them to, come the Olympics. At this point, unsurpassed in all aspects.
2. Cappelini/LaNotte: Technically proficient and fluid - boring and forgettable but their speed makes performance exciting. Their program is packed, hard to breathe watching them because it seems all difficult and almost impossible for them to finish..
3. Pechalat/Bourzat: Quirky, special with amazing and breathtaking lifts but slow and the twizzles and spins and skating in between are not as great as others'.
4. Virtue/Moir: The music is not good. Their program feels empty and they are not that fast. The lifts are labored and the overall 'it factor' is just not there. Mushy, lacking in style and unoriginal.
5. Weaver/Poje: Very stylish, choice of music is perfect. Substance is not there - lifts, twizzles and speed are not as great or athletic as others'
6. Shibutani/Shibutani: Stylish and technically superb, and their style and performance are catchy. Their substance goes unnoticed because of their campiness. They deserve higher scores and more accolades.
7. Bobrova/Soloviev: They are so unattractive - their expressions and skating that is. There are some interesting moments, including their great lifts, but their darkness is not captivating. It is almost as if they are posing as artistic.
8. Chock/Bates: Great lifts and spin - did not really care about anything else. And they commit the sin of being boring.
9. Hubbell/Donohue: heavy and labored and slow but great attention to detail and well choreographed/constructed programs.
10. Riazanova/Tkachenko: Light and fairly fast - room to grow but still forgettable

Total/Standings:

1. Davis/White: win SD and FD by at least five points at the GPF, Olympics and World Championship.
2. Cappelini/LaNotte: win silver by a couple points.
3. Virtue/Moir: 2nd after short, 3rd after free
4. Pechalat/Bourzat: Climb standings after free
5. Weaver/Poje: solidified as Canadian number one on account of their FD and retirement of V/M
6. Shibutani/Shibutani: Should make Olympic team with final GP results
7. Bobrova/Soloviev: Stop rushing SD and look more coherent/polished during FD
8. Hubbell/Donohue: On the Olympic team
9. Chock/Bates: Miss being on the Olympic team, not wishing them ill-will because they seem lovely but I think the other Americans surpass them this time around
10. Riazanova/Tkachenko: Get better

What are your predictions and your hopes for the Ice Dancing teams this season? :popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:
 

bigsisjiejie

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
You seem to have missed one potential biggie: Ilinykh/Katsalapov. I realize they have yet to show up on the GP series but they can't be counted out, if only for the politicking of it all.
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
You seem to have missed one potential biggie: Ilinykh/Katsalapov. I realize they have yet to show up on the GP series but they can't be counted out, if only for the politicking of it all.

Agreed and ice is so slippery. I think the battle of P and B versus C and L versus I and K or B and S versus W and P let alone Chock and BAtes and the Shibutanis are going to make such a battle for bronze. I still think d and w are the ones to beat.
 

blue_idealist

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
I'm pretty sure Weaver/Poje will not take over as top Canadians until Virtue/Moir retire.

I don't think I/K will be a factor at all (come on, they were 9th at Worlds last year), and after CofC, it looks like Chock/Bates won't be either. I can't see the Shibs getting bronze with that somewhat odd Michael Jackson FD either.
 

SimplyLex

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 22, 2013
We've still to see I/K so for now I'm not including them (that is to change next week).

My wish list so far:
1. Davis/White - have beautiful dances that are already polished. Look great, will only keep getting better. They are so ready for this season.
2. Pechalat/Bourzat - just cause. I've always liked them and they have that ability to think out of the box. Plus maturity.
3. Capellinni/Lanotte - have really grown on me. I think their FD is actually charming. Love their expressions.
4. Virtue/Moir - how evil am I for wishing they end up off the podium? :p but their FD is just so not captivating compared to the above teams. Their SD saves them.
5. Weaver/Poje - loved Je suis malade and that would be it for my love for them. Great technically, but nothing special theme/choreography-wise.
6. ShibSibs - heartwarming, charming young people. I hope their placements improve after this season.
7. Riazanova/Tkachenko - simply out of sentiment
8. Hubbell/Donohue - lovely FD
9. Chock/Bates - meh
10. Bobrova/Soloviev - ditto to the unattractive remark

Predictions:
1. Davis/White
2. Virtue/Moir - I really don't see them fall lower than 2nd
3. ...who the hell knows? :p I'll go with Pechalat/Bourzat - they scored great on FD at an event with very strict panels. If they polish their programs, they will have it (I hope!)
4. Cappellini/Lanotte or Weaver/Poje
5. whoever doesn't win 4th
6. Bobrova/Soloviev - a week ago I would've had them in 3rd, but even Russian politicking is not capable of moving them up THAT much. They look awful so far.
7. Chock/Bates - preparing them to be USA's #1 after D/W retire
8. ShibSibs
9. Riazanova/Tkachenko
10. Hubbell/Donohue
 

museksk8r

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 31, 2006
Country
United-States
This is based more on who I prefer rather than judges' opinions and scores.

1. Virtue/Moir
2. Davis/White
3. Cappellini/Lanotte
4. Bobrova/Soloviev
5. Weaver/Poje
6. Pechalat/Bourzat
7. Hubbell/Donohue
8. Shibutanis
9. Riazanova/Tkachenko
10. Chock/Bates - They have been so unimpressive this season and if the US Olympic team was being decided based on the GP series, they should be left off the team.
**waiting on Ilinykh/Katsalapov**
 

Blades of Passion

Skating is Art, if you let it be
Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 14, 2008
Country
France
Based on what we've seen so far I think Virtue/Moir deserve to win the SD if they do not have mistakes. Davis/White will deserve to win the LP, and probably the competition as a whole, because of their technical ability (since nobody else has a very interesting Free Dance this season, which is where Virtue/Moir should be overtaking them).
 

tulosai

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
This thread is kind of all over the place, but this is my ranking in terms of preference (i.e. how much I like the dance) ONLY, and is divorced from levels. It is not my prediction about how anything is going to go. It is also a ranking sort of assuming the dances were all executed perfectly, without bobbles.

Short dance:
1. V/M. I just love this dance. It is beautiful, fluid, and simmering with romance. Really beautiful, and them doing what they do best.
The rest all kind of blend together for me, but a rough rounding out of my top 5 at this time would be:
2. C/L. Really fun to watch this dance, they execute it with a lot of verve and sass. They manage to stand out a bit in a dance where no one seems to be standing out. Kudos to them.
3. D/W. Fun and frothy, a bit lacking in a cohesive theme, seems not to flow as well as it should. Points for speed and for the careless and fun vibe with which they skate it.
4. P/B. Very sophisticated and mature. Amazing final lift. Slowly draws you in, good polish.
5. (tie) W/P and B/S. Opposite problems. B/S have amazing energy but it becomes too frantic and unpolished. W/P seem slow to me and their program seems a bit dead/empty between elements. Not enough energy. However decent polish.

Free Dance (again, preference ONLY. not predictions or a reflection of who I think is the best team under COP/deserves to win or a reflection of which teams I like best generally):

1. D/W. From what we've seen so far, D/W have blown everyone else away. Intricate, unique lifts and holds. Great speed and energy. Weaving a cohesive story, lots of passion athleticism, and really in character. They are in it to win it.
2. H/D. A surprisingly moving, cohesive program. Good connection between them and a real ability to convey the power of the music.
3. W/P. Brilliant tango, perfectly capturing the character of the music.
4. Shibs. A really fun and energetic program, the kind of thing you could watch again and again and would make you smile every time.
5. P/B. Quirky and unique, good flow and energy.
 
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