2025 U.S. Nationals Senior Free Dance | Page 22 | Golden Skate

2025 U.S. Nationals Senior Free Dance

Watching C/P skate their Carmen program brought back vivid memories of what I consider *the best* Carmen in ice dance. Italians know their operas. Cappellini & Lanotte, IMO, were so into their characters that it was like watching the opera taking place on an ice rink. I've seen Anthony's parents skate several times (COI). They were my favorite ice dancers and they always chose exciting programs (amateur as well as professional).
 
I love G/ P the most in the FD. C/B are the class of field but she didn't have enough energy for their incredibly challenging program today. I do like how Evan shines in the classic parts of the programs they have chosen this year. Z/ K are interesting but a bit rough around the edges for me. I've never been drawn to CPom and this program is no exception. There are just some sloppy edges and extensions that I don't respond to, but I do appreciate their speed and confidence.
 
As if this isn't still going on today!
In opera ? Less than back then. There are actually contemporary composers who are careful about not replicating the old-fashioned and patronizing synopsis found in librettos from back then. There are quite a few operas with strong and dominant women lead roles who don't end up dead by the end of the last act. I won't elaborate further as it's a completely different topic.
 
4CC : Green and Parsons not going means they will have much earlier starting order. They didn't go to Worlds last year either so they will probably be quite early.. It won't help them.
I fear this too. These #3 and lower nationally ranked North American teams really need to take a page out of the European skaters’ playbook and enter more senior B events to get more world standings points, so that these early skate orders don’t bite them in the butts.
 
I fear this too. These #3 and lower nationally ranked North American teams really need to take a page out of the European skaters’ playbook and enter more senior B events to get more world standings points, so that these early skate orders don’t bite them in the butts.
Skate Canada has worked well to get Fabbri Ayer in better position, and they'll go to 4cc...
 
I fear this too. These #3 and lower nationally ranked North American teams really need to take a page out of the European skaters’ playbook and enter more senior B events to get more world standings points, so that these early skate orders don’t bite them in the butts.
How come G/P aren’t going to 4CC? I had assumed the top 3 here were going to both worlds and 4CC?
 
I love G/ P the most in the FD. C/B are the class of field but she didn't have enough energy for their incredibly challenging program today. I do like how Evan shines in the classic parts of the programs they have chosen this year. Z/ K are interesting but a bit rough around the edges for me. I've never been drawn to CPom and this program is no exception. There are just some sloppy edges and extensions that I don't respond to, but I do appreciate their speed and confidence.
Yeah they were so good. I’m so pleased to see them back in form and getting good scores. I seem to be in the minority as I love CPom and thought they skated really well (and I like the programme!).
 
Yeah they were so good. I’m so pleased to see them back in form and getting good scores. I seem to be in the minority as I love CPom and thought they skated really well (and I like the programme!).
I think many people feel as you do! They just aren't to my taste. They are a wonderful team. There is a lot of depth in US ice dance.

I also didn't mention my favorites the Browns. They held on to fifth place yeah! I don't like their music choice but they always hit the accents of the music so well and are really one of the few teams who dance as they skate, rather than dancing , then skating, then dancing.

Bratti/Somerville were also excellent in the FD. They have such excellent technical skills.
 
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NBC only showed 5 last couples and no SP, but what they showed of FS was really great. Technical stuff aside, I really liked Z/K and C/P dances. I think C/P in particular really managed to pump life into Carmen that I found underwhelming in the beginning of the season. I still find C/B's free to be very lackluster, but I suppose to showcases their skill etc.
 
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How come G/P aren’t going to 4CC? I had assumed the top 3 here were going to both worlds and 4CC?
Zingas/Kolesnik were scoring better than Green/Parsons on the Grand Prix, so that’s the only explanation I can see for Emiliea/Vadim receiving the 4CC assignment along with spreading the love and giving them another opportunity to earn more world standing points. GP performance and scoring really matters when the National Team Committee make their selections for international championship assignments.
 
Why do they dislike Bra/Som, though? I found it excessive. When a team is on an upward trajectory, you reward them. I find the hype around Zin/Kol excessive. They are expressive, but the skating is not so clean.

A quick glance at the protocols:

Bratti and Sommerville had the fifth highest PCS in the RD, but technical deficiencies landed them in 7th overall. Level 2 Pattern, Level 2 midline for both, Level 3 twizzles for her. This isn't a case of not rewarding them. This is a case of underperforming in a tightly packed field.

They finished 5th in the free dance, but it was only enough to climb to 6th overall.

A link to protocols is listed in the header section of this thread.

Personally, I really like their free dance, and I really dislike their RD.
 
Zingas/Kolesnik were scoring better than Green/Parsons on the Grand Prix, so that’s the only explanation I can see for Emiliea/Vadim receiving the 4CC assignment along with spreading the love and giving them another opportunity to earn more world standing points. GP performance and scoring really matters when the National Team Committee make their selections for international championship assignments.
Z/K have a higher season's best from challengers, but Z/K and G/P scored almost exactly the same on the grand prix, and G/P's Grand Prix best score is actual a couple of tenths higher. G/P also only did one challenger, that Michael was sick for and even fainted after the RD, so they were hardly at their best scoring potential.
 
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Z/K have a higher season's best from challengers, but Z/K and G/P scored almost exactly the same on the grand prix, and G/P's Grand Prix best score is actual a couple of tenths higher. G/P also only did one challenger, that Michael was sick for and even fainted after the RD, so they were hardly at their best scoring potential.
I enjoy both teams. Z/K were slightly better score wise this season, but G/P do have the better overall career track record. The GP point total of both events for Z/K was 378.89 and for G/P was 378.62. That penultimate group of ice dancers in the world are so close and evenly matched that these fractions of a point really do matter and can be the difference between 7th and 9th in the world. I can understand why the selections were made for both teams given their respective GP seasons and their performances at Nationals.
 
Watching C/P skate their Carmen program brought back vivid memories of what I consider *the best* Carmen in ice dance. Italians know their operas. Cappellini & Lanotte, IMO, were so into their characters that it was like watching the opera taking place on an ice rink. I've seen Anthony's parents skate several times (COI). They were my favorite ice dancers and they always chose exciting programs (amateur as well as professional).
CP picked a great warhorse to create power, drama and intrigue. But they are not as strong as Virtue and Moir's, Bestminoa and Bukin, Krylova and Oksianikov, or Navka and Kostomorov all who had singificantl stronger Carrmen's.
 
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