Pairs Free Skate | Page 28 | Golden Skate

Pairs Free Skate

Moxie

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
Oh that Dick Button!
He was going on about how much catchfoot K&S had (which is why he didn't really care for them). And thanks to him....I noticed that Yuko does do the catchfoot thing way too much.

It's COP-friendly but also unsightly. However, it's a smart strategy because K&S aren't as polished as the other teams. Too bad the choreography really prevents me from enjoying their programs. I wonder what Moksvina could do with M&T.
 

colleen o'neill

Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2006
/\ I hope we never find out what Moskvina could do with M/T.. I like that they have their own look. Particularly fond of their SP this year. Wouldn't want to see them emulating anyone else.
 

Moxie

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
/\ I hope we never find out what Moskvina could do with M/T.. I like that they have their own look. Particularly fond of their SP this year. Wouldn't want to see them emulating anyone else.

I feel like M&T have better fundamentals so Moskvina wouldn't have to resort to tacking on catchfoot to half the program.
 

colleen o'neill

Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2006
:)Yes. You could be right about the catchfoot business, but Moskvina has such a distinct choreographic signature that I'm soon craving something different from her skaters. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised one day. It is a bit hard to judge, what with Yuko , herself ,wanting to look just like Elena...but you can look back farther and see the Moskvina choreographic stamp..sometimes wonderful , sometimes WTF?

E.G. I think it was either the "Dream of Love" year for M/D (when Moskvin was quoted as saying it wasn't his dream of love ) ..or maybe the year after,that they originated that limbo death spiral thing..crotch display to the audience all the way around..maybe it was different, or difficult, but who cared ? It was ugly as sin. Really broke the spell of all the beautiful stuff, for me.

David Pelletier expressed it well the other night , when Rod asked if something had gone wrong in one of K/S 's lifts . He said no, it's just that they're always pushing so hard for originality, and sometimes they wind up in an awkward position. It's a Moskvina earmark.
 

rtureck

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I have no problem with S/Z's OGM, but I also think P/T are equally worthy. Pang is a bit "robotic ans stiff", but IMO so is Hongbo Zhao. I love P and T's throw jumps, her exit edge covers 1/3 of the rink distance, IMO better than any pairs. Overall it was a very good competition. S./Z got their gold, and P / T got the skate of their life. I wonder who will show up at worlds???
 

Moxie

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 22, 2009
David Pelletier expressed it well the other night , when Rod asked if something had gone wrong in one of K/S 's lifts . He said no, it's just that they're always pushing so hard for originality, and sometimes they wind up in an awkward position. It's a Moskvina earmark.

Haha, that's awesome. There are many moments when I don't like Pelletier, but he certainly has a way with words.
 

kyla2

Final Flight
Joined
Jan 24, 2004
The results were right. Gracefulswan I totally agree with you. While Pang and Tong were wonderful, they lacked the polish and grace of Shen and Zhao, who finish every move like they were members of the Bolshoi. Believe me, I thought P/T were great but there is a noticeable difference in artistry, which more than made up for the few flaws of Shen and Zhao.

The Germans, S/Z, had a beautiful program and apart from their problems, they skated it equally as beautifully. They should be proud of their bronze medal. More than a few skaters would be thrilled to have them. How you handle disappointment says alot about who you are. So they need to be happy and look to the future.
I loved the joy and pride Pang and Tong took in their silver medals. It made my heart glad to see that. They have their priorities right.They were very happy for Shen and Zhao, that also gladdened my heart.
To the poster who mentioned the Protopopovs as being the greatest pairs skaters ever, I disagree but only slightly. I remember them very well and they were gorgeous skaters, even into their older years, but Shen and Zhao turned in some programs that will stand the test of time as poetry on ice. Their athleticism is perfection on ice. It just doesn't get any better when they are on. Yao Bin should be very proud of himself and his skaters.
 

yqs100

On the Ice
Joined
May 21, 2009
it was a beautiful program ,,, but I still think S/S were overscored,,,,,

with two major mistakes, they still got 134+,,,which is not acceptable
 

yqs100

On the Ice
Joined
May 21, 2009
did u see spanish dancing before?

Pang is supposed to dance like that,,,and she did it so well with lots lots emotion,,,

See the reaction from the audience? They are just amazing
 

Buzzz

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
There is an article on NBC where Yuko is not sure she wants to stay in skating. She sounds heartbroken and wants to go home. I hope she gets over her disappointment and contines until 2014. :)
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I missed the medal ceremony, so I'm reassured to hear that Pang and Tong expressed happiness with their silver. They did indeed have the skate of their lives, and that's something they'll always be able to remember. As for Shen and Zhao, I'm sure they'd rather have had a perfect skate, but I agree with those of you who said that even with the flaws, their skating is smoother and sharper and all-around better than Pang and Tong. Whether they had placed first or second, they would have remained one of the world's greatest pairs ever, and at this moment Pang and Tong are not on that level, and they wouldn't have been even with a gold. There's something that Shen and Zhao do that lifts skating out of the average. Few other pairs have that.
 

lcd

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
The results and overall judging seemed "right" in my opinion. Must be especially tough for the Russians to not only have the dynasty end but to be completely shut out from the podium as well. The political implications of this on the dance event will be "interesting"
 

evenstar

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 6, 2006
I think K/S should've gone for the quad... I think they opted to do a triple salchow, but if they were hoping to win a quad would've been a beneficial factor towards achieving that goal. I think Kavaguti's timing was way off for the triple, she overrotated it quite a bit. I think she was prepared for the quad.
 

hongligl

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 18, 2004
In K/S's case, I admire her courage but nerver like this pair, and definitely don't agree that they belong to the top 3 at all. Very cheesy and superfacial, from the second their names are anounced, and don't even mention the ripping and heart exposure. All I can remember them are her legs and arms everywhere, now plus pop back her shoulder, poor girl. She has very good flexibility, yes for sure, but come on, don't overuse it. Flexibility usually would add beauty to the performance, think about Arakawa's spiral and Iner Beaul (?) , but very often not so in K/S's case. She has good jumps. She really should have done the throw quad sal. That would have been something to remember with. Last minute change of plan proved to be a bad idea. They could have done better, not placement, but performance. They should not be placed 4th here.

I like S/S's Out of Africa a lot. Very beautiful. But have they ever skated it clean? I guess S/S get used to getting huge scores with two or more big mistakes and still win in the past seasons. They still got huge score this time, but thank goodness P/T skated clean and wonderfully. Otherwise I could not imaging what would happen. I read from a source that the medal presenter was switched from a German official to an offical with Chinese heritage after P/T secured the Gold for China. But Savchencho at least came to the sense later that she felt lucky to have got the Bronze, I applaud for her for realising that. S/S will be a great pair if they can improve their consistency. And I wish them good luck in the World.

I think the judges did a great job with S/Z and P/T, P/T won the LP but S/Z skated good enough to win the Gold. I'm happy for both of them. Both very deserved, not by their stories, but by their performances in both SP and LP.

I feel a bit pity for Z/Z. They did very well in the olympics and IMO should have been placed at least before K/S and much closer to S/S if not... But I don't blame the judges for this, Z/Z had not been doing well until four continents. The impression could have been therestill. But I did see the fire is back to the girl and they skated fairly well this time.

D/D, what can I say. They need that 3sal to be there and they didn't deliver. Wish them good luck in the World.
For L/H, the second Canadian pair, I felt they were a bit robbed in the SP, but come on, go work on a triple twist! It's a shame doing a double twist as a top ten in the olympics. She's so tiny and he's so tall, how come they couldn't work it out, the three revolutions? they must have about 40cm difference in height.

I love the two ameriaca pairs and the french pair! Wish them all good luck in the World!

M/T has beautiful lines and great speed. But I don't think Love story is a good choice and the choreography does not fit the pace of the music. I look forward to seeing them to improve in the next cycle. It was sweet to see M comforting him in the K&C.

Love the young Russian team! They are so beautiful to watch and I'm sure they have great future ahead of them.
 
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colleen o'neill

Medalist
Joined
Nov 3, 2006
:think: I think that may have been a bit of a miscalculation on L/H's part , but please,..:eek: lighten up ..

They do a triple twist , but the catch isn't always pretty. Maybe at world's.They've not had a lot of training time this year. With all the mentions of D/D' s terrible accident a couple of years ago, there's been almost no mention of the fact that with the terrible fracture Annabelle had, they missed almost all of last year's training .I don't know how many pieces of hardware are holding her leg together. It was touch and go if she'd even be ready for Canadian championships.She's a champion in my book.

Snarkiness is pretty unwarranted.
 
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