Reviewed by starting order.
Kim/Kim (KOR)
Mid steps: She really struggled with these, he was fine.
Dance Spin: Weak and slow, but better than in practice when she kept falling on the transition.
Straightline lift: Had a catch foot position, but slow and his edges sloppy.
Diagonal steps: Very weak with shallow edges.
Rotational lift: Bad split position by her.
Notes: Would not have qualified for Juniors at US Nationals.
Tech: 13.49; Comp: 12.05; Deductions: -3.00; Total: 22.54/43.08
Borounov/Borounov (AUS)
Midsteps: First half on 1 foot, but she struggled. His steps were good.
Spin: Slow and looked like they were just trying to get it done (looked like a pile of flesh and sequins spinning)
Curve Lift: Very shallow with easy position.
Diagonal Steps: Very easy.
Rotational Lift: No ice coverage with weak edges.
Notes: He is significantly better than her. Are they married or related?
Tech: 16.57; Comp: 10.66; Deductions: -1.00; Total: 26.23/44.41
Buck/Nelson-Bond (AUS)
Midsteps: Nice twizzzles, but all in one direction.
Spin: Much better than the others to this point.
Rotational lift: Nice position but went over the max # of revs.
Diagonal steps: Slow, but still better than the others.
Curve lift: Catch foot position, NICE!
NOTES: I expected them to be worse than what they were. He is a hottie, but she was wearing way too much eye makeup!
Tech: 22.55; Comp: 16.03; Deductions: -1.00; Total: 37.58/61.43
Allapach/Kogkasem (THA)
Diagonal steps: Nice handholds, easyish steps that were scratchy.
Rotational lift: Nice speed with catch foot position.
Curve lift: Ok.
Spin: Nice entry with catch foot position in the spin.
Midsteps: Nice, but she was much faster.
NOTES: Both are America, and they look well trained. They don’t look like a couple competing for the first time together.
Tech: 20.17; Comp: 15.16; Deductions: -1.00; Toatl: 34.53/54.94
Huang/Zheng (CHN)
Spin: Nice.
Midsteps: Nice edges.
Curve lift: Nice.
Rotational lift: Ok, but slow.
Diagonal steps: Ok.
NOTES: Sorry that the notes are brief here. There wasn’t anything significant to mention.
Tech: 24.04; Comp: 16.41; Deductions: -1.00; Total: 39.45/62.29.
Lefevbre/Markov (CAN)
Midline steps: Very difficlt and executed nicely.
Straightline lift: Nice.
Spin: Ok.
Diagonal steps: Ok, but this is their weakest element.
Rotational lift: Nice with a 1 arm hold by him.
NOTES: She needs a makeover to make her appear less harsh under the lights. She needs some softening of her features.
Tech: 26.19; Comp: 22.75; Total: 48.94/79.60
Virtue/Moir (CAN)
Spin: Nice positions.
Curve lift: Nice variations.
Midline steps: Nice, but his twizzles are cleaner.
Diagonal steps: Nice and difficult. She is noticably weaker.
Rotational lift: Nice with a lot of speed.
Notes: She needs some packaging help. If he doesn’t grow, they may have match issues quite soon.
Tech: 8.03; Comp: 24.47; Total: 52.50/83.29.
Akimova/Shakalov (UZB)
Midline steps: He missed first 1/3 of the pattern. She was good.
Spin: Okay, but catch foot position was too tight.
Curve lift: Ok, but again, catch foot position was too tight. Needs some stretch.
Diagonal steps: Ok, but easy.
Rotational lift: Another stretchless catch foot.
NOTES: She needs a new partner.
Tech: 19.96; Comp: 16.86; Deductions: -1.00; Total: 35.82/61.54.
Tsuzuki/Miyamoto (JPN)
Midline steps: Nice and crisp.
Rotational lift: Nice catch foot position.
Spin: Ugly positions and slow.
Curve lift: Catch foot position (I am fast tiring of the catch foot syndrome).
Diagonal steps: Ok, but her leg was in the air too often.
NOTES: Nice to see her back after a “career-ending” back injury! He seems to be very arrogant.
Tech: 23.16; Comp: 19.09; Total: 42.25/68.03.
Silverstein/O’Meara (USA)
Diagonal steps: Crisp and fast.
Curve lift: Nice with upside down Jamie.
Spin: Nice with catch foot position.
Midline steps: Jamie fell. Weak element overall.
Rotational lift: Nice with catch foot spin.
Tech: 23.60; Comp: 22.78; Deductions: -1.00; Total: 45.38/75.36.
Yu/Wang (CHN)
Midline steps: Mostly on 1 foot, and nice!
Spin: With catch foot, of course.
Straightline lift: Ok.
Rotational lift: Ok.
Diagonal steps: Ok.
NOTES: The Chinese dancers do everything by the book, but nothing has personality. It is so hard to write about them!
Tech: 24.15; Comp: 19.01; Total: 43.16/68.67.
Girard/Yeager (CAN)
Diagonal steps: A lot of scratchy blades.
Curve lift: 2 positions with fast transitions so that we could appreciate both of them!
Spin: They missed their hold in the transition between feet, and she showed the audience that there was a mistake with a huge look of surprise.
Midline steps: Ok, but out of synch.
She almost went down on a transition move.
Rotational lift: Ok.
NOTES: Not what I thought they would be with all of the hype.
Tech: 24.75; Comp: 20.80; Total: 45.55/72.85.
Belbin/Agosto (USA)
Diagonal steps: Nice and clearly the class of the field.
Curve lift: He struggled with this as his blades were very shaky.
Spin: Nice positions and very fast!
Midline steps: 1 foot until center ice; nice speed and difficulty overall.
Rotational lift: Nice and fast.
NOTES: Not their best performance. Building for the Olympics?
Tech: 30.19; Comp: 30.09; Deductions: -1.00 (but why?); Total: 59.28/97.51.
Mathews/Zavozin (USA)
Midline steps: Difficult with 1 foot skating to center ice.
Curve lift: Very nice.
Spin: Nice with variations.
Diagonal steps: Nice connection between the two!
Rotational lift: Catch foot position.
Notes: She is the stronger skater; he is the stronger dancer. I really hope that they keep their own style because they have something special and different. Kudos to them for having such freedom in their moves!
Tech: 27.59; Comp: 24.97; Total: 52.56/83.73.
Muñana/Muñana (MEX)
Midline steps: Nice with lots of twizzles.
Diagonal steps: Ok (He sticks tongue out at Coach Klimova)
Straightline lift: Ok (Shouts “Yeah Baby” to his friends as he passes)
Spin: Ok
Rotational lift: 1 hand hold by him
NOTES: I think that they are getting scores that are too low. Should be above the Chinese. Luke told me that they are sticking around for Vancouver 2010!
Tech: 24.02; Comp: 18.33; Total: 42.35/67.08.
I will post reviews of the Ladies SP and FD tonight. Tomorrow I will post a review of the Mens FS. Sorry, but I have a meeting later this morning which will cause me to miss the first group of dance.
Kim/Kim (KOR)
Mid steps: She really struggled with these, he was fine.
Dance Spin: Weak and slow, but better than in practice when she kept falling on the transition.
Straightline lift: Had a catch foot position, but slow and his edges sloppy.
Diagonal steps: Very weak with shallow edges.
Rotational lift: Bad split position by her.
Notes: Would not have qualified for Juniors at US Nationals.
Tech: 13.49; Comp: 12.05; Deductions: -3.00; Total: 22.54/43.08
Borounov/Borounov (AUS)
Midsteps: First half on 1 foot, but she struggled. His steps were good.
Spin: Slow and looked like they were just trying to get it done (looked like a pile of flesh and sequins spinning)
Curve Lift: Very shallow with easy position.
Diagonal Steps: Very easy.
Rotational Lift: No ice coverage with weak edges.
Notes: He is significantly better than her. Are they married or related?
Tech: 16.57; Comp: 10.66; Deductions: -1.00; Total: 26.23/44.41
Buck/Nelson-Bond (AUS)
Midsteps: Nice twizzzles, but all in one direction.
Spin: Much better than the others to this point.
Rotational lift: Nice position but went over the max # of revs.
Diagonal steps: Slow, but still better than the others.
Curve lift: Catch foot position, NICE!
NOTES: I expected them to be worse than what they were. He is a hottie, but she was wearing way too much eye makeup!
Tech: 22.55; Comp: 16.03; Deductions: -1.00; Total: 37.58/61.43
Allapach/Kogkasem (THA)
Diagonal steps: Nice handholds, easyish steps that were scratchy.
Rotational lift: Nice speed with catch foot position.
Curve lift: Ok.
Spin: Nice entry with catch foot position in the spin.
Midsteps: Nice, but she was much faster.
NOTES: Both are America, and they look well trained. They don’t look like a couple competing for the first time together.
Tech: 20.17; Comp: 15.16; Deductions: -1.00; Toatl: 34.53/54.94
Huang/Zheng (CHN)
Spin: Nice.
Midsteps: Nice edges.
Curve lift: Nice.
Rotational lift: Ok, but slow.
Diagonal steps: Ok.
NOTES: Sorry that the notes are brief here. There wasn’t anything significant to mention.
Tech: 24.04; Comp: 16.41; Deductions: -1.00; Total: 39.45/62.29.
Lefevbre/Markov (CAN)
Midline steps: Very difficlt and executed nicely.
Straightline lift: Nice.
Spin: Ok.
Diagonal steps: Ok, but this is their weakest element.
Rotational lift: Nice with a 1 arm hold by him.
NOTES: She needs a makeover to make her appear less harsh under the lights. She needs some softening of her features.
Tech: 26.19; Comp: 22.75; Total: 48.94/79.60
Virtue/Moir (CAN)
Spin: Nice positions.
Curve lift: Nice variations.
Midline steps: Nice, but his twizzles are cleaner.
Diagonal steps: Nice and difficult. She is noticably weaker.
Rotational lift: Nice with a lot of speed.
Notes: She needs some packaging help. If he doesn’t grow, they may have match issues quite soon.
Tech: 8.03; Comp: 24.47; Total: 52.50/83.29.
Akimova/Shakalov (UZB)
Midline steps: He missed first 1/3 of the pattern. She was good.
Spin: Okay, but catch foot position was too tight.
Curve lift: Ok, but again, catch foot position was too tight. Needs some stretch.
Diagonal steps: Ok, but easy.
Rotational lift: Another stretchless catch foot.
NOTES: She needs a new partner.
Tech: 19.96; Comp: 16.86; Deductions: -1.00; Total: 35.82/61.54.
Tsuzuki/Miyamoto (JPN)
Midline steps: Nice and crisp.
Rotational lift: Nice catch foot position.
Spin: Ugly positions and slow.
Curve lift: Catch foot position (I am fast tiring of the catch foot syndrome).
Diagonal steps: Ok, but her leg was in the air too often.
NOTES: Nice to see her back after a “career-ending” back injury! He seems to be very arrogant.
Tech: 23.16; Comp: 19.09; Total: 42.25/68.03.
Silverstein/O’Meara (USA)
Diagonal steps: Crisp and fast.
Curve lift: Nice with upside down Jamie.
Spin: Nice with catch foot position.
Midline steps: Jamie fell. Weak element overall.
Rotational lift: Nice with catch foot spin.
Tech: 23.60; Comp: 22.78; Deductions: -1.00; Total: 45.38/75.36.
Yu/Wang (CHN)
Midline steps: Mostly on 1 foot, and nice!
Spin: With catch foot, of course.
Straightline lift: Ok.
Rotational lift: Ok.
Diagonal steps: Ok.
NOTES: The Chinese dancers do everything by the book, but nothing has personality. It is so hard to write about them!
Tech: 24.15; Comp: 19.01; Total: 43.16/68.67.
Girard/Yeager (CAN)
Diagonal steps: A lot of scratchy blades.
Curve lift: 2 positions with fast transitions so that we could appreciate both of them!
Spin: They missed their hold in the transition between feet, and she showed the audience that there was a mistake with a huge look of surprise.
Midline steps: Ok, but out of synch.
She almost went down on a transition move.
Rotational lift: Ok.
NOTES: Not what I thought they would be with all of the hype.
Tech: 24.75; Comp: 20.80; Total: 45.55/72.85.
Belbin/Agosto (USA)
Diagonal steps: Nice and clearly the class of the field.
Curve lift: He struggled with this as his blades were very shaky.
Spin: Nice positions and very fast!
Midline steps: 1 foot until center ice; nice speed and difficulty overall.
Rotational lift: Nice and fast.
NOTES: Not their best performance. Building for the Olympics?
Tech: 30.19; Comp: 30.09; Deductions: -1.00 (but why?); Total: 59.28/97.51.
Mathews/Zavozin (USA)
Midline steps: Difficult with 1 foot skating to center ice.
Curve lift: Very nice.
Spin: Nice with variations.
Diagonal steps: Nice connection between the two!
Rotational lift: Catch foot position.
Notes: She is the stronger skater; he is the stronger dancer. I really hope that they keep their own style because they have something special and different. Kudos to them for having such freedom in their moves!
Tech: 27.59; Comp: 24.97; Total: 52.56/83.73.
Muñana/Muñana (MEX)
Midline steps: Nice with lots of twizzles.
Diagonal steps: Ok (He sticks tongue out at Coach Klimova)
Straightline lift: Ok (Shouts “Yeah Baby” to his friends as he passes)
Spin: Ok
Rotational lift: 1 hand hold by him
NOTES: I think that they are getting scores that are too low. Should be above the Chinese. Luke told me that they are sticking around for Vancouver 2010!
Tech: 24.02; Comp: 18.33; Total: 42.35/67.08.
I will post reviews of the Ladies SP and FD tonight. Tomorrow I will post a review of the Mens FS. Sorry, but I have a meeting later this morning which will cause me to miss the first group of dance.
