Wow, sorry I missed yesterday, I got home late and was back at the rink at 7:30 this morning. Anywho.
Of the
senior women, there were so many that I concentrated on last year's National podium, and even then...
Joannie landed a nice triple lutz-triple toe in warmup, but in her short it seemed the Lutz wasn't great and she doubled the toe. Personally, I would have liked to see her go for it, seeing as the Lutz in warmup wasn't completely perfect either, but it is early in the season. Otherwise the program looked good, although the fact she was wearing her Tchaikovsky SP dress was slightly distracting. I think having a tango exhibition program helped her express this one well! She didn't compete her long program here.
Cynthia had a nice short as well, although I'm not sure if it's the same as last year's or not. The music sounds familiar, but for all I know someone else could have skated to it... in the short I really got the impression that both Cynthia and Amélie Lacoste were vying for the place behind Joannie, with an edge to Cynthia for the Olympics but maybe Worlds (depending on what happens at the Olympics, or if it's rather close between Cynthia and Amélie) or at least 4 Continents for Amélie. One thing I noticed about Cynthia is that she has very nice, high, powerful jumps, especially when she does singles just to get started. In particular, she tends to do a split Lutz, as in she picks, jumpts up, does a partial split (not 180°) and then closes, rotates, and lands. It would be a nice move to put in gala programs!
Her long program is the same as last year, and really showcases her power, so all in all I think it's a good idea for her to have kept it. She had a few falls, popped both Lutzes (it's a shame she doesn't rotate and fall), but overall the program has a majestic feel and would be very nice at the Olympics!! On the other hand, Amélie was rather underwhelming in the long, and she knew it -- she looked very disappointed at the end, but hopefully she can put this behind her and keep on improving in the next few years.
The
Senior men (both short and long, at least partially) were nice to see, although, since I don't take notes (it didn't occur to me until late this afternoon...), I can't say much.
Paul Poirier (of ice dancers Vanessa Crone and Poirier) had a good rhythmic short -- he follows his music closely on the beats, which is always nice to see. He popped the flip, quite late in the program, but otherwise it was enjoyable and I'll suppose he's concentrating on dance this year

Saw him several times yesterday and today, never had the courage to talk to him to ask for a picture and autograph, although, after siberia82's account, I'm wishing I had. There's always next time! (Maybe Skate Canada International if I can keep up with my schoolwork until the end of term).
Shawn Sawyer also looked good, although, from a quick glance at the protocols, he under-rotated his triple Axel again in the SP. It's a pity he doesn't rotate before falling, because such a deduction is rather costly, especially when chasing a second Olympic berth. He's keeping last year's gorgeous Amadeus long program, and if he can consistently put out performances like Skate Canada last year, it would put him in a good place to take the second men's Olympic spot.
In
Senior dance, Jamie Forsythe looks good with his new partner, Laurence Darveau, although she fell in the Tango Romantica. Otherwise, he looks better than last year, especially in the lifts, which I recall were quite scratchy at last year's Summer Provincials. Otherwise I didn't pay much attention, seeing as I was working backstage for the ODs and the FDs were at the same time as the Ladies' LPs. There was good variety in the ODs among senior and juniors, I must say. The costumes were really cool!
In
Senior pairs, 5 of the 8 withdrew from the short program, which caused quite a stir for the ice captains and dressing room people, who ran about until it was concluded that we couldn't change the groups and there would be 2 separate warmups for 3 pairs.
Anne-Marie Giroux and Eric Radford looked good in the short, despite the music issues, with a nice airy double twist and decent side-by-side double Axels (hers was a little tight, but otherwise clean). Their spins were very well synchronised for a new team, and better than several other teams, I'd say. Everyone was quite impressed, judging by the applause following that element! Their long was messier, with Anne-Marie missing several jumps, but whether it's chronic or just this once is hard to tell. Although she looks good with Eric, I find it's a very different look from the one he had with Rachel Kirkland, and I miss the long lines. If Anne-Marie can get her jumps under control, though, it will be nice to see how far this pair can progress.
Mylène Brodeur and John Mattatal have a very nice short program to an instrumental version (was it violin? I've forgotten) "What a Wonderful World", and I wish Canada had 4 spots in pairs for the Olympics, because everyone seems to deserving. Athletically speaking, I'd still wish we had 3. Mylène fell on the triple toe, but the worst part was a doule fall on the pair spin, where she was in an I-spin position and must have caught her toe pick. Luckily, there was no injury, but I think the fall shook them up and the rest wasn't as great as it will develop to be, I hope.
Saving the absolute best for last, I've fallen in love with Jessica and Bryce's long program. As blah as Carmen was at some point last season, this one, even with a few missteps and a fall, really impressed me and I can't wait to see it at the Olympics. The music ending is powerful and their expression of the program is wonderful -- the story was obvious to me without even knowing of the story of "The way we were" (assuming that was the music, as stated a few weeks ago in an article, seeing as I don't know the movie), and I've checked the essentials with my parents. I think this could become a masterpiece, and I'd be interested in knowing who choreographed it. David Wilson? It seems like his type of program -- something wonderful with good choreography and telling a great story. It seems to me like a couple now separated, as Jessica is moving away from Bryce in the beginning and the end, reminescing (sp?) on their love past ("the way we were"), and, from what we know of what happened to their relationship, I think the program works really well. It has the romantic feel they're so great at, and probably without the tension of always acting in love like "The Blower's Daughter". All in all, I love this program, even though today Bryce fell on the first double Axel and their last lift came down early. Bryce didn't seem to be quite over his feet today, seeing as their off-ice warmup lifts (I could see them from across the arena during the junior pairs) were wonderful, and they are known for solid lifts, and he hasn't fallen on a jump in competition in a long while. I'll attribute this to it being early and a relatively new program -- recall they originally were going to keep "Carmen" -- and after seeing this one, I'm glad they changed; frankly, I really, really think this program is a masterpiece and, if skated cleanly, is worthy of an Olympic medal. It was that impressive, even with it being the early season and all (and I saw a LOT of programs over the last 4 days!).
Yes, I was amazed, and can't wait to see Jessica and Bryce's long program in international competition

:yes:
-Kypma
(sorry for the redundancy, bad syntax and messy post, I'm quite tired now after the last 4 days at the arena!)
If there's anything else you want to ask, you can always try, although my memory is a little fuzzy. I'm not used to trying to remember details to pass them on...
PS Jessica and Bryce still had the 3Lz throw, on which she has a very soft knee to save even slightly off throws, and from the protocols it seems they did a triple twist -- it looked easy and airy enough for me to think it was just a double!