2014 Skate America Pairs SP 10/25

[text_skate]

Big THANKS to doris an sequins for the PBP!

 

[Skater Boy]

Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV (RUS)

Music: Méditation from “Thaïs” by Jules Massenet

She's in pale blue beaded dress. He's in all black, also beaded, slick ponytail.

3T - solid
3Tw - slight crashy catch
3LoTh - nice flow
3Li
StSq
FiDs
FCCoSp3p

Elegant clean skate, nice flow, should take the lead easily.

SP: 36.87+32.29 = 69.16 (SB), 1st (out of 5)

I think this was a great start to their comeback but I do think their pcs could be up - it is like saying that this is the third Russian pair which they might well be or even fourth depending on health and splits. But they deserved more of a differentiation over the other teams.

 

[Kutien]

1 Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV RUS 69.16 video
2 Cheng PENG / Hao ZHANG CHN 62.38 video
3 Haven DENNEY / Brandon FRAZIER USA 61.08 video
4 Alexa SCIMECA / Chris KNIERIM USA 60.61 video
5 Madeline AARON / Max SETTLAGE USA 58.41 video
6 Vanessa GRENIER / Maxime DESCHAMPS CAN 51.13
7 Annabelle PROLSS / Ruben BLOMMAERT GER 48.87 video
8 Miriam ZIEGLER / Severin KIEFER AUT 45.27 video

 

[ice coverage]

Even Hersh gave Maddie/Max a shout-out :yay: (his one and only tweet re any Pairs SP today):

Philip Hersh ‏@olyphil

Nice skate by Madeline Aaron - Max's sister - and another Max, Settlage, on pairs SP
10:33 AM - 25 Oct 2014
https://twitter.com/olyphil/status/526063920529027072​

Thanks again to all who contributed to this thread.

 

[Doggygirl]

I didn't know they were dating? I thought Zimmerman was married?

Haha! If I weren't already married I would marry them both lol!

 

[Cyn]

OK I have to pee but want to guard this stool with my life. What to do????

Pee on the stool

 

[Sandpiper]

Messed up the times of the streams and managed to miss everyone except the last skaters. Happy for K/S, sad for P/Z (judging by the replays I saw).

 

[deetrakt]

Was surprised not to hear more about John Coughlin's debut (?) as a commentator. He already puts Michael Weiss and especially Tonia K. to shame. He was pithy, his comments were to the point and well-stated and he was enthusiastic without seeming like a cheerleader.

I was really impressed by Maddie and Max and Haven and Brandon. Aren't they both 20/22? If they can only stay healthy and together, we might be back to the international podium occasionally in a couple of years!

 

[wordsworthgirl]

Very nice from Den/Fraz. Look out S/K. Shocking to see steuer on the boards. Wish I had a binoc cam to get a nice pic of him and Zimmerman . I don't know what else to say. Loved it. Interesting ending on fw. Very different.

Two of the hottest men in skating framing that adorable, promising pair!

 

[wordsworthgirl]

Kavaguti & Smirnov
gorgeous program in Meditation of Thais
leaves me breathless
lovely 3ts, moving well out of them
nice 3tw
good edges & knee action
great lift with the 2nd position a shoulder stand
steps in hold on the f/w
top arm is held by him in the death spiral
lovely spin with catchfoot.



69.16 SB

Agreed, Doris! A beautiful, beautiful program. So happy they're back!

 

[flutzy13]

S/K look like they have major work to do, because I can see D/F easily passing them by Nationals at this point.

If judging is fair I would agree but looking at the protocols, they had 2 judges giving them 8s and even a 9 on PCS ( all the other judges were in the 6.5-7.5 range) putting them on par/higher than Kaviguti and Smirnov. D/F got no such help. For whatever reason, USFS is set on pushing them right now. Will be interesting to see if it continues through Nationals or if the federation wakes up and realizes that 1) they' haven't had a clean comp since early 2013? and 2) even clean they're not that superior to their domestic competition.

 

[TarAncalime]

I didn't know they were dating? I thought Zimmerman was married?

Steuer only dates pairs skating ....Joke aside, he is on the team now officially...got his work visa and permit until 2017 for Coral Springs, FL. Been there all summer. Steuer also coaches a project pairs for South Korea's start at the Olympics 2018.

 

[gold12345]

Does anyone know if the judges are listed in the same random order for every skater? Is Judge 1, for example, the same for everyone? I want to know if the scores I'm looking at when I compare skaters are coming from the same judge.

Kavaguti/Smirnov ranged from -1 to +3 on their 3Lo throw. It was a great throw and probably should have been +1 or +2. GOE for throws (and twists) have never been as huge across the board in pairs as they are this year (on the Jr level too), and it almost seems like it's confusing the judges at times.

Denney/Frazier got credit for a Lvl 4 twist when she has a big knee bend for the split (and not much of a split in general), which is a no-no this year. And they ranged from -1 up to one +2 on the death spiral, which is a weaker element for them. This is also the first time that Peng/Zhang have gotten Lvl 4 on their twist even though they appear to be going for a Lvl 3 twist. Are they just being very lenient here with the split feature? Most teams don't show a straight leg split, and most teams don't tend to get the level for it.

Grenier/Deschamps received -2 up to one +1 on their SBS spins. They had a little unison trouble, so anything more than 0 GOE was excessive. I know the ranking of the teams is most important, but the GOEs, as usual, aren't without oddities here and there. I wonder if sometimes there are some GOE oddities because they are trying hard to make sure the teams rank where they should be in comparison to each other.

Alexa looks so uptight when she competes.

I thought the same. Her 3S was so off in the competition, after looking good in the warmup. It was a similar case for Peng/Zhang today. Sometimes the nerves will get to you, but to both teams' credit, the rest of their elements went very well. You can sometimes tell which teams feel the pressure and which feel more like they have nothing to lose. And for the true veterans, Kavaguti/Smirnov, it looked like it was another day at the office. That's what some of the newer pairs need to work on.

If judging is fair I would agree but looking at the protocols, they had 2 judges giving them 8s and even a 9 on PCS ( all the other judges were in the 6.5-7.5 range) putting them on par/higher than Kaviguti and Smirnov. D/F got no such help. For whatever reason, USFS is set on pushing them right now. Will be interesting to see if it continues through Nationals or if the federation wakes up and realizes that 1) they' haven't had a clean comp since early 2013? and 2) even clean they're not that superior to their domestic competition.

How many pairs often have clean comps though (even the top teams)? It's more important how you score. S/K were also struggling recently with a big injury, so that assessment is harsh. But if you truly can't understand why S/K are the top US pair at the moment on paper, it is because they have one of the biggest, most lovely twists in the world, well above average throwing ability for a US pair, strong elements across the board, and are more well-matched than American pairs tend to be. They still need more refinement, but they have nice enough chemistry and presentation, and their lines match. They absolutely shoot themselves in the foot with inconsistency, but they lack experience compared to the veteran pair skaters. Scimeca needs to learn to handle her nerves. And you could pick apart the protocols for every skater, but you never do, why?

 

[Blades of Passion]

Yay, very happy for Kavaguti & Smirnov! That was actually one of their best SP performances ever. The side-by-side Triples are looking better and the throw seemed stronger than usual as well. Excellent death spiral too!

 

[Meoima]

I think this was a great start to their comeback but I do think their pcs could be up - it is like saying that this is the third Russian pair which they might well be or even fourth depending on health and splits. But they deserved more of a differentiation over the other teams.

Without V/T for the GP series this season, I hope they will shine. Their long is absolutely lovely as well.

 

[dorispulaski]

golden12345, since you asked, at all GP events & ISU championships, the order of judges is randomized.

Judge 1 for Skater 1 is a different person altogether than Judge 1 for Skate 2, and so on.


Blades, I too am overjoyed for Kavaguti & Smirnov. That was just a lovely, well-executed program.

 

[Doggygirl]

golden12345, since you asked, at all GP events & ISU championships, the order of judges is randomized.

Judge 1 for Skater 1 is a different person altogether than Judge 1 for Skate 2, and so on.

Thank you Doris. I didn't realize this. I thought Judge 1 was the same for all skaters. This is good to know! Back to the arena soon....

 

[unico]

Oh K/S, what a beautiful and mature program. I love their LP as well, would love to see it skated just as well

 

[demarinis5]

I just watched the videos. Oh my, Yuka and Alexander, class of the field!

 

[gold12345]

golden12345, since you asked, at all GP events & ISU championships, the order of judges is randomized.

Judge 1 for Skater 1 is a different person altogether than Judge 1 for Skate 2, and so on.

Thanks so much for this info. I was always unsure about this.

Blades, I too am overjoyed for Kavaguti & Smirnov.

Same here. They are a great example of what can happen when you don't give up during trying times. And it some ways, it seems they're getting stronger with age.

Yay, very happy for Kavaguti & Smirnov! That was actually one of their best SP performances ever. The side-by-side Triples are looking better and the throw seemed stronger than usual as well. Excellent death spiral too!

I thought so, too. I thought it was one of the best throws they've done in a while. Sometimes I think she just rotates really fast in the air, without much power behind the throw, but this one looked a little stronger to me.