Men's LP

[demarinis5]

It just started.

eta: I really like J. Ten this kid has a lot of potential, a few mistakes and bobbles but overall very good skating. He has a
real sense of musicality to his skating. I like that.

 

[Medusa]

eta: I really like J. Ten this kid has a lot of potential, a few mistakes and bobbles but overall very good skating. He has a
real sense of musicality to his skating. I like that.

I also like his skating - but I have the feeling that he is really lacking confidence, that he doesn't believe that he is going to land those jumps. I think after the (clean) Triple Loop he looked really surprised - as if he was saying: woaa, on one foot without step-out? He probably has the potential to land all those jumps cleanly, he has height on them, the take-offs look good.

Apart from the poor Japanese guy the skating was okay in the first group. Not too many falls... And the Chinese in the lead is 1) very tall (at least he seems to be very tall) and 2) a really powerful jumper. I like it when the jumps look that strong.

 

[MissIzzy]

I love Kristoffer's new program!
I think he doubled a couple of jumps though.

 

[demarinis5]

It was a nice program, but his score was much lower than last year at Worlds.which IIRC was in the 205 range.

S. Carriera (217.25) just set it down. The next two skaters better
be perfect.

 

[Medusa]

Carriere was superb!!! Abbott was DIVINE!!!! Incredible!

156 POINTS! For Abbott!

 

[jcoates]

Wow! What a terrific skate by Jeremy! That has to be the performance of the season so far.

Look out everyone else. All he needs now is a consistent quad.

 

[Bennett]

How was Tomas?

 

[Medusa]

How was Tomas?

Started well but ended badly. Got the Bronze though, landed a terrific Quad and 5 clean Triples.

 

[BelleFilleYuna]

Big, big congratulation to Jeremy!!
Loved, loved, loved his performance here!!!!!

 

[Bennett]

Started well but ended badly. Got the Bronze though, landed a terrific Quad and 5 clean Triples.

Thanks a lot, Medusa, for your info. I appreciate it. I am happy that he at least medalled here after losing just as many points as he could in SP. Congrat's to all the medalists!!

ETA: protocol is up.

 

[fiercemao]

Wow! What a terrific skate by Jeremy! That has to be the performance of the season so far.

Look out everyone else. All he needs now is a consistent quad.

I don't like Jeremy's LP. But I'm happy for anybody who can challenge the tech-less Patrick Chan.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Borodulin needs some spark. He did a workman like skate but lacks pizzazz.

Chipeur was not on today. Next time, hopefully.

Tomas got it back and looking good. I believe in the correct placement but scores should have been higher.

Carriere - The first time I really appreciated him. He skated super, and Firebird hasn't looked that good since Joannie. The routine is tough but right on.

Abbott - If he keeps this up the question has to be asked: Will he replace Johnny and Evan at US Nats?

One last note: The guy who came in last has the best flow in his skating. He's worth watching in future events.

 

[demarinis5]

Congrats to the winners, and to all of the men. A special Bravo to Jeremy no question abut his program gold worthy for sure. There was a lot of talent out there on the ice today and they did not disappoint. Best competition I have seen this season.

 

[Medusa]

Why is nobody talking? What time is it at your place?

Well, the Russians, who often happen to have very sound technique, got a flutzer on their hands. And what the heck happened to Borudulin's 3A?

Abbott - If he keeps this up the question has to be asked: Will he replace Johnny and Evan at US Nats?

I was thinking the same thing. US-Nationals is going to be a massacre. Only one bad day - and you are out. It's not just Abbott (who by the way had a consistent Quad by the end of last season - why shouldn't he have one at the end of this one?), it's also Bradley with his monster Quad and monster Triple Axels - and Carriere with his sound Triples and a possible Quad and interesting choreography. Evan got only a point more on PCS at Skate Canada than Carriere here at the COC. Abbott got more PCS than any other US skater this season so far.
The German commentators keep saying that they really want to go to the US-Nationals just to see the guys fighting it out.

 

[Bennett]

I read Tomas's protocol. He lost really a lot of points not only for the combo mistake in SP, but also for a paucity of combos in LP. He only has one combo in LP. Perhaps he had bad landings on the jumps to which he wanted to put the second (and third) jump(s)?

BTW, his LP jump layout looks a lot different from his Plan A shown in the planned element sheet. I guess it would be confusing to switch around.

 

[MissIzzy]

The German commentators keep saying that they really want to go to the US-Nationals just to see the guys fighting it out.

It's going to be crazy this year. We've gone from Johnny versus Evan to Johnny versus Evan versus Ryan versus Stephen versus Jeremy and not only of them can be certain of a spot for Worlds-but with a score like that Jeremy just might be the favorite. If he makes the Grand Prix Finale(which I think he's going to do) he could seriously make himself one.

 

[yelyoh]

Right now JA is my favorite US male skater and I would love to see him atop the podium at Nats. When I saw Abbott's LP last season I thought that if he continued to improve he would threaten to topple JW and EL this year. He is a better skater now, Carriere is a better Skater now, JW's a slower skater with jumps that have gotten less secure (and he doesn't maximize the point potential) and Evan is being zinged for his jumps not being fully rotated. Plus we have the "Bradley factor." Oh this is getting interesting.

 

[taylorfax]

I loved the start of Stephen Carriere's program, it really started off exciting. His costumes are always horribly bland for me and take away from the overall thing, but the arm movements during his jumps and the fast rotations are wonderful.
I liked Jeremy's costume, it was so blindingly sparkly. Even if I'm not going gaga over his style or programs. Overall, there are elements from both of those guys that I like. But somehow not crazy about the either overall picture. Jeremy had the skate of his life, however.
But jeez all of these guys are so inconsistent. One good comp and you never know what'll happen at another where there's more pressure. So many of them mess up their short programs at first etc. Plus there are the always unpredictable underrotations. Anything can happen. I wonder who will end up in the Grand Prix Final and how TEB will play out.
And of course, though it's impossible to compare different competitions and scoring at different events, Jeremy would've won with that score in SA too. But then, maybe he would not have gotten such high PCS compared to the rest of the field, so, hence, impossible to compare.
Jeremy and Stephen will give Evan and Johnny a run for their money at Nationals though. Which is a good thing. Can't stay too stagnant.
I thought Tomas has a lovely program as well. He looked so sure and confident and fast on the ice. Some mistakes at the end of the program but the overall feeling was nice.
And Kristoffer skated to A-Ha. XD How very Nordic of him. <3333

 

[Buttercup]

I read Tomas's protocol. He lost really a lot of points not only for the combo mistake in SP, but also for a paucity of combos in LP. He only has one combo in LP. Perhaps he had bad landings on the jumps to which he wanted to put the second (and third) jump(s)?

I think the 2A was actually supposed to be a triple with another jump on the end. The first half of the program was wonderful, so hopefully he'll build on that. A clean version of that program would be amazing.

I think with all the talk about some of the US ladies missing out on Worlds, it could be even more competetive for the men! They should all be very grateful Takahashi had that extra combo in his Worlds LP, or it would've been two spots for them as well...

I loved the start of Stephen Carriere's program, it really started off exciting. His costumes are always horribly bland for me and take away from the overall thing

Both his costumes were awful. On Eurosport they referred to his look as retro, and not in a good way. They're unflattering and I don't know why he chose something like that. Stephen, if you want to keep it simple, just go for a monochrome look like Kozuka at SA!

 

[museksk8r]

I am so happy for Jeremy! His first Grand Prix medal and IT'S A GOLD!!! He must be on cloud 9! He has been my favorite US man since seeing his LP at the 2007 Nationals in Spokane. Great to see all his hard work and talent paying off. I'd be over the moon to see him win the National title!

Also, congrats to Stephen for silver and Tomas for bronze. Can't wait to watch all these programs!

What an interesting and exciting Grand Prix it has been so far for the men and the ladies disciplines. Many unexpected results are happening to keep all of us fans on the edge of our seats. I think it's great for the sport!