2021 Skate America: Free Dance

[text_skate]

Don't forget the Polish team. They sank dramatically.

Not in PCS

 

[labgoat]

What was wrong with Chock & Bates FD dance spin ranked 6th CoSp3?

 

[mrrice]

well the competition at grand prix has nothing to do with whom they will have to skate against at the olympics... they barely held on to the silver position last year + add the French this year... it will be very tight between the top five teams of P/C, S/K, Piper and Paul and both American teams. Right now, I am thinking Piper and Paul's FD may not be as showy as the others... but what do I know?

I expect the competition to be close but, Jammer made it sound like the US had no shot at the podium. Our top pairs have done well at the past 2 WC's and of course, we have Olympic Champions Meryl and Charlie. I'm sure this event has been a confidence builder for both of our teams as we move forward

 

[4everchan]

I expect the competition to be close but, Jammer made it sound like the US had no shot at the podium. Our top pairs have done well at the past 2 WC's and of course, we have Olympic Champions Meryl and Charlie. I'm sure this event has been a confidence builder for both of our teams as we move forward

Meryl and Charlie are so 2014... you cannot bring that up in the arguments favouring a USA podium in dance at the games..... I feel that dance is a bit more open right now as 2020 worlds were canceled and 2021 worlds, the French were not there... So, a lot of things are less certain than usually. 5 teams are competing for 3 spots. It will be very interesting.

 

[mrrice]

Meryl and Charlie are so 2014... you cannot bring that up in the arguments favouring a USA podium in dance at the games..... I feel that dance is a bit more open right now as 2020 worlds were canceled and 2021 worlds, the French were not there... So, a lot of things are less certain than usually. 5 teams are competing for 3 spots. It will be very interesting.

KABOOM!!!!!

 

[Seven Sisters]

Fortune favors the brave - which kind of brave though? Difficult lift or Unusual concept? Which team gains momentum?

If fortune does favor the brave, I say, both teams should be watching out for Green & Parsons (and I promise not to say any more on this subject!)

 

[moonvine]

If fortune does favor the brave, I say, both teams should be watching out for Green & Parsons (and I promise not to say any more on this subject!)

They can pay their dues like every other US dance team has had to…

 

[ice coverage]

If fortune does favor the brave, I say, both teams should be watching out for Green & Parsons (and I promise not to say any more on this subject!)

They can pay their dues like every other US dance team has had to…

Chock/Bates became partners in Spring 2011.
At 2013 and 2014 Nationals (the second and third nationals of their partnership), they placed second -- ahead of the Shibs, for example.

For Green/Parsons, 2022 Nationals will be the third of their partnership.
Go, Caroline and Michael!

(Before becoming partners, Chock and Bates obviously had previous experience with other partners.
And the same is true for Green and Parsons.)

 

[anonymoose_au]

Random thoughts while I catch up - for some reason there's no full replay so I have to click on each individually:

Team KoKo!! I love Misato's make up and their costumes! Can they make the OG?! It would be cool to see Dai there but I can't help hoping for Misato and Tim.

For a second I thought Andrei B had stolen Plushy's Bolero costume! But no.

Love Zorro! Adrian's gloves are cute and the sword fight and toe taps and Z at the end are the best!

Mercy me, Nik gives me the vapours . That's one fine looking gentleman! The voice overs are killing me, stop it Actually the whole music piece is hideous, I should change my post about worst music! Amazing what being good looking lets you get away with

I like Evan's costume Not sure about Madi's hairdo, guess she's going for alien. This is a fun program! I like it a lot! The lifts in particular, they're the best in the business. I think it's really sweet that they're a couple especially since Madi said they didn't get along at first - romance novel stuff!

Madi H's dress is stunning! I agree the lift is a bit of a concern, remember the time at 4CC their stationery lift was suddenly disallowed? Imagine if it happened in the Olympics! That would be awful! Pretty cool lift entry though. I do agree the music is terrible, what IS it, it's so weird?

(I had to look up Madi and Zach's dance individually because it didn't seem to be on the playlist and wouldn't you know it? Up popped the full FD replay as one of the options. )

It was very close between the US teams! I think I would have given it to Chock/Bates on the strength of their epic RD, but I ain't no expert.

 

[labgoat]

They can pay their dues like every other US dance team has had to…

Dick Button once said that you dont have to pay your dues when you are very good, only when you are equal with the others

 

[Seven Sisters]

Dick Button once said that you dont have to pay your dues when you are very good, only when you are equal with the others

Extremely wise words from Mr. Button!

 

[labgoat]

Dick Button once said that you dont have to pay your dues when you are very good, only when you are equal with the others

Link to the exact quote from the 1980 Olympic Pairs Final (Kitty & Peter Carruthers are the skaters)

 

[Ruthypegs]

Yeah I can kind of forgive him because of this, although I would like more foot levels tech chat from him during dance explaining how levels may have been lost etc

I love his commentary - he seems to have encyclopedic knowledge of skating and skaters, and always finds something supportive and positive to say about each performance. But, like you, @litenkyckling I'd value more information about how ice dance is scored, and what judges look for in each level, but I also like that Mark doesn't talk all the way through each programme.

 

[La Rhumba]

H/D skated that beautifully but I was uber bored. And as everyone said the music is awful - I found the repetitive “ugh ugh ugh” very grating I prefer C/B’s out of the box Alien concept. FB/S will need to step it up as they have Spain and the Brits on their heels, when they used to out score them

Fear & Gibson beat them at last year's Worlds, when they debuted this dull FD. It will handicap them for the season, and they should've been overtaken for Bronze overall by Olivia & Adrian here.

It's like many of the Montreal teams are trying to outdo each other with worthy vague concepts for a Program. Just give us an entertaining, well skated FD like Zorro!

You're probably too young to remember a hit many moons ago called *Oh Superman" which started off with a woman's voice going "Uh,uh,uh,uh" repetitively. This reminded of Hubbell/Donohue's dreadful music choice. FOR AN OLYMPIC SEASON????????

 

[NanaPat]

Madi H's dress is stunning! I agree the lift is a bit of a concern, remember the time at 4CC their stationery lift was suddenly disallowed? Imagine if it happened in the Olympics! That would be awful! Pretty cool lift entry though. I do agree the music is terrible, what IS it, it's so weird?

I don't think there was anything wrong with the design of Hubbell and Donahue's stationary life at 4CC, it was just that he travelled so much that it was not considered "stationary". AFAIK it was an execution error, not a design error.

Of course, it's possible that he had travelled at other competitions and not been called out on it. At 4CC they happened to do the lift where there was lettering on the ice, and the movement over the letter(s) was obvious.

 

[kappa_1]

Wow, seems like the audience loved this a lot more than I did. On the other hand, I do think they have an edge over the other Spanish team this season. Hope they get to go to the Olympics.

I was in the arena watching it live, and then just watched the NBC coverage of the Smart/Diaz FD. It comes across MUCH better in person. They got a standing O and were my favorite of the night. The energy, passion, speed, and charisma somehow didn't translate well on camera. I found the opposite to be true for C/B.

ETA: Is C/B's long program really so "out there"? The story seems pretty literal to me, and not that strange at all. I liked it much better the second time around watching it.

This is going to be an exciting Olympic ice dance seasons and I hope all these teams continue to grow!

EETA: Anyone else having flashbacks from the Kerr's 2008 Aliens coming to Earth Free Dance? I miss them so much!

 

[rain]

I was in the arena watching it live, and then just watched the NBC coverage of the Smart/Diaz FD. It comes across MUCH better in person. They got a standing O and were my favorite of the night. The energy, passion, speed, and charisma somehow didn't translate well on camera. I found the opposite to be true for C/B

Yeah, I was surprised to see the standing O, even though their performance of this dance was light years ahead of the last time they performed it. Some things just come across better in person. I love their RD, and was one of the few people who liked their circus FD, so I root for this team to do well. I'd love to see them at the Olympics.

 

[dcnative]

I was in the arena watching it live, and then just watched the NBC coverage of the Smart/Diaz FD. It comes across MUCH better in person. They got a standing O and were my favorite of the night. The energy, passion, speed, and charisma somehow didn't translate well on camera. I found the opposite to be true for C/B.

ETA: Is C/B's long program really so "out there"? The story seems pretty literal to me, and not that strange at all. I liked it much better the second time around watching it.

This is going to be an exciting Olympic ice dance seasons and I hope all these teams continue to grow!

EETA: Anyone else having flashbacks from the Kerr's 2008 Aliens coming to Earth Free Dance? I miss them so much!

I definitely have flashbacks of Pechalat and Bourzat in quite a few of the lifts I've seen especially Hubbel and Donohue's "change of position" lift where she goes around his back.

 

[Kitt]

I was in the arena watching it live, and then just watched the NBC coverage of the Smart/Diaz FD. It comes across MUCH better in person. They got a standing O and were my favorite of the night. The energy, passion, speed, and charisma somehow didn't translate well on camera. I found the opposite to be true for C/B.

ETA: Is C/B's long program really so "out there"? The story seems pretty literal to me, and not that strange at all. I liked it much better the second time around watching it.

This is going to be an exciting Olympic ice dance seasons and I hope all these teams continue to grow!

EETA: Anyone else having flashbacks from the Kerr's 2008 Aliens coming to Earth Free Dance? I miss them so much!

Totally agree with this. Diaz/Smart was my fave free dance and I was there. So exciting, passionate, and precise. Love their lifts. They were robbed of bronze in my opinion.

 

[auser]

EETA: Anyone else having flashbacks from the Kerr's 2008 Aliens coming to Earth Free Dance? I miss them so much!

Me too. I was so happy I was able to see them compete live in 2009.