2016 US Nationals Senior Ice Dance FD
- Thread starter tulosai
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I just rewatched the Shibs and one thing I missed the first time around--and is just wonderful to see--Marina's reaction when she saw the score. Marina gets a bum rap on here quite often, but I don't think I've ever seen her more genuinely, well, pumped, as in that K&C. Great to see.
What a fantastic dance event!
Congratulations to our new champions, who really, really deserve it! I've been a fan of the Shibs since 2011 nationals, and I'm so glad they've finally been able to achieve this huge milestone. I tried to stand up and cheer but was quickly knocked back to my sofa by a coughing fit (I have a bad cold), but in my heart I'm doing this: :hap93:
Chock and Bates were great, too, and until the scores were tallied I had no idea who would win. Hubbell and Donohue had to skate in a tough spot, right after the Shibs, but good for them for putting on a wonderful performance anyway.
Judy Blumberg and Meryl Davis were great on Skate Radio, too. I like being able to mute the TV and listen to that commentary instead...
Congratulations to our new champions, who really, really deserve it! I've been a fan of the Shibs since 2011 nationals, and I'm so glad they've finally been able to achieve this huge milestone. I tried to stand up and cheer but was quickly knocked back to my sofa by a coughing fit (I have a bad cold), but in my heart I'm doing this: :hap93:
Chock and Bates were great, too, and until the scores were tallied I had no idea who would win. Hubbell and Donohue had to skate in a tough spot, right after the Shibs, but good for them for putting on a wonderful performance anyway.
Judy Blumberg and Meryl Davis were great on Skate Radio, too. I like being able to mute the TV and listen to that commentary instead...
Well, the ice dance competition was stunning in many ways! I am very happy for the Shibs. it was a beautiful performance and rightfully won by the talented Shibs. Chock and Bates were gracious silver medalists and certainly had a wonderful performance, too. I am not a fan of the Hubbell and Donahue's FD but they did their job and hung on. I am a Hawayek/Baker fan so am disappointed in their ultimate drop to 5th. I've watched Anastasia and Colin's FD again and it was good. I guess I am just stuck with Hawayek and Baker and by what I thought was a very strong performance. But unlike others who raved at Kaitlin's beautiful sparkly dress, I thought it totally broke the spell of their story and maybe confused the judges. Jean-Luc should have been in a plain pants/white shirt the way he was in previous competitions this year. I wasn't crazy about Kaitlin's previous cutesy aqua with a big bow dress but the blue sparkles made them both look like Vega acts. I guess I am saying that the podium is as it should have been. But if Kaitlin and Jean-Luc had a more appropriate SD matched to their strengths perhaps they would have had a stronger score coming into the FD. And maybe since they probably spent the last months trying to fix the SD maybe didn't give the FD the true attention it needed to acquire the levels they needed. And someone forgot the rule that a costume should match the mood and message of the music/performance! I'm guessing the top 3 will hang around for the 2018 Olympics and with some strong juniors entering the arena next year, next year may be tougher for these youngsters. But who are better role models in that regard than the Shibs!
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I literally SCREAMED "Shibs" when their score came up!!!!! My mom thought something horrible had happened to me. I'm so happy that the judges actually gave it to them!!! I couldn't even pay attention to H&D. 
The whole final group was AMAZING today. Congrats to ALL the skaters, especially the Shibs!
The exciting FD certainly made up for the Ladies SP splatfest that aired just before it. :yes:
The whole final group was AMAZING today. Congrats to ALL the skaters, especially the Shibs!The exciting FD certainly made up for the Ladies SP splatfest that aired just before it. :yes:
I am very happy for the Shibs to finally win senior gold at Nationals. IMO these are the best two programs they have ever had. Their SD is charming and their FD allows them to connect so beautifully with the music. They are originally from Boston and it would be smart for USFS to heavily promote them at Worlds sending notice to the international judges that the Shibs can challenge once again for the podium like they did (by luck) in 2011 when they won the bronze medal. Chock & Bates skated well but the Shibs performance captivated the audience. Overall it was a great competition.
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So excited that the Shibs have won Nationals! I have been a fan for a very long time! Congratulations Alex and Maia!
I too love Kait/Jean-Luc, but they are still finding their style. I have every confidence they are destined to be one of the top teams in the world. They have talent and charisma in spades (and to remind those who think Jean-Luc is too small for ice dancing, I have two words: Stavinski and Zhulin).
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- Feb 27, 2012
Thx to sabinfire for uploading the video.
For real! It looks beautiful on my new tv ahhh
What a well skated event! Congrats to all the medalists!
I wonder what it all means internationally? IMO it blows possibilities there wide open. The cynical part of me kinda fears, though, that it also might give the judges an excuse to dump both the Shibs and C/B from contention. Worlds are in Boston, so perhaps I'm just overly paranoid...
H/B need to think about what they want to do now going forward. IMO they didn't progress this season as much as perhaps they should have. Their SD wasn't a good fit, and I personally also didn't find the FD that convincing. They also continue to look like juniors to me, at this point in time they should have shed that.
I wonder what it all means internationally? IMO it blows possibilities there wide open. The cynical part of me kinda fears, though, that it also might give the judges an excuse to dump both the Shibs and C/B from contention. Worlds are in Boston, so perhaps I'm just overly paranoid...
H/B need to think about what they want to do now going forward. IMO they didn't progress this season as much as perhaps they should have. Their SD wasn't a good fit, and I personally also didn't find the FD that convincing. They also continue to look like juniors to me, at this point in time they should have shed that.
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So Marina goes from being the worst coach ever to having the US champions and Russian National silver medalists in just one season.
Wow..I must have missed that thread. How in the world is Marina ever the worst coach. That I don't get.
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- Mar 2, 2012
I sort of wonder that too, if after this amazing high we're going to have our hearts broken at worlds. However, I'm going to go out on a limb and pray for another North American sweep.
Heh.So Marina goes from being the worst coach ever to having the US champions and Russian National silver medalists in just one season.
I think it's the usual OTT reactions that only ever remember the last result and don't have any patience for skaters' long-term development. Marina wasn't an incompetent hack last year. And she's not a perfect wizard this year. Some of the decisions she made regarding the Shibs in the last few years (and some of the programs she gave them...) still weren't a good idea and she deserved criticism for them. But even then she wasn't an incompetent hack. Same with S/K: Perhaps having a coach who had more experience putting together new teams and working out TES quickly (I'm still not sure if the stellar levels the Shibs got here will hold up internationally tbh, they have been a bit vulnerable...not like in the past, but there's still work to be done) would have made them gel sooner. But she's figured it out now, and for all the heat she gets about her choreo and packaging, she has been spot on here. And this is where I think Marina's strengths are showing with S/K: Viktoria has trouble performing. They worked with her on that and it's now better, Zoueva also found themes and vehicles that suit her and that she can do convincingly. The princess thing and the romance thing are rather on the simple side, but she's selling it. And the programs, safe as they are, do something else well that isn't all that easy to accomplish: Nikita is the stronger skater and better performer of the two and the programs play to that strength. Which is something that I feel is sometimes not done in constellations like that, arguably Evan Bates is doing too much supporting work and could use a more prominent role for example. Or, I always liked the programs Drobiazko/Vanagas did that focused on Povilas much better than the ones going with Margarita's melodrama tendencies. But, in contrast to last season, Viktoria isn't totally overpowered by Nikita because for one, he's better at partnering now, and two, the choreo shows off her nice qualities as well. And Marina figured that out. I don't think it's easy at all to find an identity and favourable presentation for a new pair.
Last year her teams were a disaster. People figured it must have been Igor who was the best of the team and that without him she was lost. Many people did seem to think she was on her way out the door.
But this year her teams have been firing on all cylinders. So good for her for getting it together :thumbsup:
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- Mar 23, 2014
Marina: 1 (Nats), Igor: 1 (GPF)
Marina versus Igor will continue at 4CCs and Worlds.
Phrasing it as Marina v. Igor sounds way more fun and drama-filled than Shibs v. C/B.
Marina versus Igor will continue at 4CCs and Worlds.
Phrasing it as Marina v. Igor sounds way more fun and drama-filled than Shibs v. C/B.
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- Jul 26, 2003
No matter what happens with ladies and men, the Shibs winning is the highlight of the competition for me. The Shibs have had so many highlights this season. I seriously got emotional after their skate and upon seeing their score. I could not believe that the judges gave it to them (in their way) and that they are now National Champions. They always had the ability and now they have the material and the audiences.
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