2021 Cranberry Cup International
- Thread starter gsk8
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2020
So excited for Donovan! He always makes my day better.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2007
Flags ready.Donovan! Uncle Bychenko!
This is an excellent group!
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2014
Ironically my stream died at that very moment so I didn't see it. Glad to hear it was good, they do have a superb twist. Too bad Quad Twists aren't worth it these days.
Lot of costumes with viney embellishments here...was there a sale?
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2017
I was thinking the same thing. Thank goodness Donovan is here.
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2004
Dear Boston, up your "upload" speed and upgrade your feed computer from a Window 386 with one meg of ram. Thank you. 
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
Very good performance by Alexa/Brandon. And that's great to see. She didn't need to put her hand down on that throw, but maybe she felt off-balance on the landing. I just think it was a bit of nerves and tightness on the landing. Frankly, all the top teams at the Irvine rink under Meno/Sand have great programs. C/J and K/F really performed, and they landed their jumps too! 
T/M did not land their jumps. But Russian dominance, and the perceived technical quality of T/M are always thrown a bunch of points. Too many points, IMHO. T/M are over-scored in some PCS categories too, because of their technical brilliance. And of course, they have good SS and superb technique. But that does not mean they don't make errors. T/M have rarely skated clean programs for a number of years, and they rarely have good material. Plus, they have never yet been able to connect the way they should with all of their talent, good looks, experience, knowledge of each other, added to all the help they've received from many quarters.
It should feel embarrassing to the judges to over-score T/M the way they did here. Surprising that T/M don't have more swagger on the ice, knowing they only have to show up to be spotted 5 to 10 points at the outset. I did say I don't mind if T/M win Olympic gold, but not if they continue skating with miscues, and nothing that's very exciting. I will move on to pushing for Sui/Han and Vanessa/Eric. But Vanessa/Eric more than likely will be positioned high 6s, low 7s with the best performing U.S. teams. Peng/Jin will be somewhere in that mix too. The younger two Russian teams will be favored against Sui/Han if T/M don't perform better, and if the two younger Russian teams bring more exciting material.
Yes, it ticked out very much the way I thought here at Cranberry Open, except for Liu/O'Shea and Pfund/Santillan. They turned out to be wild cards in terms of how they would perform (due to P/F being off for so long, and L/O being a new team under greater pressure in a bigger field, even though it's still only a small international comp). Also, I didn't expect Chan/Howe to have improved this much, but it's great to see.
There's actually not a lot separating Chan/Howe and Lu/Mitrofanov in terms of talent, so if they both skate to their ability, a showdown at U.S. Nationals will be quite interesting. I would give C/H the edge in terms of their ability to project more and connect with each other better than L/M.
At the same time, there's nothing separating K/F and C/J in terms of ability and talent, except the fact that's quite obvious: U.S. Fed is 100% behind K/F as their fave, and thus they are pushing them more-so than C/J. They know C/J have the talent, but C/J still have to prove they can land the jumps more consistently. At the beginning of last season when it was still unknown how K/F would pan out over the course of the season, so the U.S. judges favored C/J slightly more in the early virtual comps. But that changed as C/J had trouble with their jumps the entire abbreviated season, and they were not their best at U.S. Nationals either. K/F though, built in confidence over the course of last season, and so that's all U.S. fed and U.S. judges needed to see because Alexa is well-liked anyway and they want to reward her. And, honestly, K/F are extremely well-matched and very talented athletically. K/F were all the buzz in the pairs world with their cool match and quick success. Liu/O'Shea created some buzz this season initially. So, L/O need to try and relax, and just have some fun out there.
Both C/J and K/F can improve in different ways, because there's a constant need to improve as an athlete and a performer, and a pairs team. L/O have to gain some mileage as a new team. I want to see Ash/Tim come back asap and compete well. Ash/Tim have been looking so good. With the form they are showing in the OIP full sp clip, and had they skated that way here, Ash/Tim should have landed in front of K/F and C/J. But who knows with the judging politics that always factors in.
T/M did not land their jumps. But Russian dominance, and the perceived technical quality of T/M are always thrown a bunch of points. Too many points, IMHO. T/M are over-scored in some PCS categories too, because of their technical brilliance. And of course, they have good SS and superb technique. But that does not mean they don't make errors. T/M have rarely skated clean programs for a number of years, and they rarely have good material. Plus, they have never yet been able to connect the way they should with all of their talent, good looks, experience, knowledge of each other, added to all the help they've received from many quarters.
It should feel embarrassing to the judges to over-score T/M the way they did here. Surprising that T/M don't have more swagger on the ice, knowing they only have to show up to be spotted 5 to 10 points at the outset. I did say I don't mind if T/M win Olympic gold, but not if they continue skating with miscues, and nothing that's very exciting. I will move on to pushing for Sui/Han and Vanessa/Eric. But Vanessa/Eric more than likely will be positioned high 6s, low 7s with the best performing U.S. teams. Peng/Jin will be somewhere in that mix too. The younger two Russian teams will be favored against Sui/Han if T/M don't perform better, and if the two younger Russian teams bring more exciting material.
Yes, it ticked out very much the way I thought here at Cranberry Open, except for Liu/O'Shea and Pfund/Santillan. They turned out to be wild cards in terms of how they would perform (due to P/F being off for so long, and L/O being a new team under greater pressure in a bigger field, even though it's still only a small international comp). Also, I didn't expect Chan/Howe to have improved this much, but it's great to see.
There's actually not a lot separating Chan/Howe and Lu/Mitrofanov in terms of talent, so if they both skate to their ability, a showdown at U.S. Nationals will be quite interesting. I would give C/H the edge in terms of their ability to project more and connect with each other better than L/M.
At the same time, there's nothing separating K/F and C/J in terms of ability and talent, except the fact that's quite obvious: U.S. Fed is 100% behind K/F as their fave, and thus they are pushing them more-so than C/J. They know C/J have the talent, but C/J still have to prove they can land the jumps more consistently. At the beginning of last season when it was still unknown how K/F would pan out over the course of the season, so the U.S. judges favored C/J slightly more in the early virtual comps. But that changed as C/J had trouble with their jumps the entire abbreviated season, and they were not their best at U.S. Nationals either. K/F though, built in confidence over the course of last season, and so that's all U.S. fed and U.S. judges needed to see because Alexa is well-liked anyway and they want to reward her. And, honestly, K/F are extremely well-matched and very talented athletically. K/F were all the buzz in the pairs world with their cool match and quick success. Liu/O'Shea created some buzz this season initially. So, L/O need to try and relax, and just have some fun out there.
Both C/J and K/F can improve in different ways, because there's a constant need to improve as an athlete and a performer, and a pairs team. L/O have to gain some mileage as a new team. I want to see Ash/Tim come back asap and compete well. Ash/Tim have been looking so good. With the form they are showing in the OIP full sp clip, and had they skated that way here, Ash/Tim should have landed in front of K/F and C/J. But who knows with the judging politics that always factors in.
Happy we get to see him so early in the season.
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2014
Donovan hadn't even started and I was already smiling! 
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2014
Yaaaas Donovan, shake what your Mama gave you.
Or maybe not the stream is struggling!
Or maybe not the stream is struggling!
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2020
Forget the fall. Donovan is nailing this program and I am so here for it.
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2007
Shhh!!!
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2020
Throwing loads of mental stuffies to Donovan!
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2020
Yeah, as I said earlier, with their early skate and making a mistake, T/M shouldn't have received that high a score, especially when they are known to have made lots of mistakes in recent years, despite their strengths. They shouldn't have received higher than 72 or 73, with the way the rest of the field is being scored, particularly this early in the season. T/M's score is too high. It smacks of looking down on U.S. pairs teams, IMO.
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2014
Only Donovan could have angel wings on his back and I wouldn't find it embarrassing, but hugely endearing.
I love his face
I love his face
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