To be fair to Paul/Islam, they skated (relatively) clean at last year's nationals, and they were dealing with the backlash from two major injuries at the time. Not exactly an open door, or a disaster on their part.
This year was all them, though. I was in the arena for this, and their skate was going well. I'll admit they didn't look 100% on, and had a couple of really minor bobbles early on, but it didn't seem like they were seriously rattled. If anything, it seemed like they had really settled in by that point in the program. The fall came completely out of nowhere, and it was a hard one. I was sitting on the side across from where it happened, and we heard them smack the ice. I haven't taken a second look at this, since I can't find a video of it anywhere, so all I can say is that I remember them skating fast into that sequence, and that they were skating super close together. I honestly didn't see if they caught an edge, or which one of them took the other one down. They did recover well. The end of the program was really strong, but too little to late at that point. I'm heartbroken for them. It honestly seemed like a fluke, especially since they skated so well in their senior international events this season. I just hope they don't give up. They're such a stunning team, and I do think they can have a future. I saw their SD as well, and they really have a presence in person. They certainly got the crowd during the SD. They also have deeper edges and more speed than we see on TV. There's just something about them, something I can't quite put my finger on, that gives me the impression that they are capable of great things. They're still young, and I hope they can keep fighting.
That being said, Orford/Williams deserved their medal. They're not at the same level as P/I and G/P, but they skated well, and given what happened to P/I, were definitely deserving. Their lifts in particular were impressive. I hope that they have a good outing at 4CC, and at worlds if they're going. The official announcement isn't up yet, but one would assume they'll be named as alternates (since I believe they're leaving a spot for Weaver/Poje until they get official word about her prognosis) once that announcement does come up.
I was impressed by Poulin/Servant (last year's junior champs). I had never seen them in person before, and they have much more flow over the ice than I expected. Also, their edges are crazy deep, and they seem to have dealt with the twizzle issues they had been having last year. They just left me with a really great overall impression, and I think the marks reflected that. It was nice to see.
Ralph/Hill concerned me here. They didn't make any mistakes that I saw, and they had good speed and attack. Yet, there was something lacking. The whole program just felt flat, and the marks reflected it this time around.
Gilles/Poirier were, IMO, over scored. They have a ton of speed, great lifts and are bursting with confidence, but their actual skating ability seemed lacking (well, at least Gilles'). Also, I saw a lot of tricks, flailing and jumping around, but not all that much dancing. Sorry, but I think it's easier to generate speed when you're not doing all that much between the elements. The choreography and music were a little disjointed. All of that being said, they certainly had the crowd riled up, and I can see why so many people love them. Personally, I just can't get past those weaknesses right now. I was hoping their program would grow on me, but so far it hasn't. I'm not debating their silver medal, which was well deserved, just saying that I think they're getting more hype and success than they deserve at this point.
As for Virtue/Moir, I could spend all day debating their scores, or the deductions, or what that means for their world championship prospects, but I'm not going to do that. What I will say is that I was completely and utterly captivated by the program from start to finish. The intensity, the speed and flow, the edges, the drama...well, everything about it was amazing. Their emotion was so utterly focused towards one another (as opposed to pushed out to the audience), that you could sense the electricity between them. They lived the story. I think this may very well be the best piece that they have ever done, regardless of how many medals it wins them. Wow.
Thank you!
]
