2016 World Junior Free Dance

bramweld said:

What??? Why not Laboda or Parsons? :hslap:

EDIT: S/S remind me of the Shibs. I think they're better than Stepanova and Bukin or very well on their way. Russian ice dance just needs time.

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I think they are better, well, at least Shpilevaya is better than Stepanova IMO. They are young, plus had a really rough start of the season with Anastassia being injured and have been improving their scores from competition to competition. What I especially like about them is that as S/B they have complicated lifts with loads of changes in positions, but unlike their older groupmates, they make it seem so easy and effortless that the changes of position do not distract the perception of the program at all

bramweld said:

What??? Why not Laboda or Parsons? :hslap:

EDIT: S/S remind me of the Shibs. I think they're better than Stepanova and Bukin or very well on their way. Russian ice dance just needs time.

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They are! Plus "Shpielvaya" is really fun to say for some reason...

So Loboda/Drozd stated that they are staying in Juniors next season which roughly means we have for next season from Russia

Loboda/Drozd
Shpilevaya/Smirnov
Skoptsova/Aleshin
Polishuk/Vakhnov (I personally see potential in this pair, let's see what they bring next season)
Shevchenko/Eremenko

Maybe some new teams will surprise us but I think these 5 teams all are quite strong, with L/D and S/S being Russia's 1-2 for next season(most likely).

Chemistry66 said:

So there ended up being only an 0.91 difference between 1st and 2nd. One extended lift by McNamara/Carpenter and we'd have Parsons/Parsons with gold.

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Had the Parsons got a level 3 on their mid-line steps they would have won. You know they are going to be going over that in their heads for a while.

Can Betina and her slave get a GP event? I need me some Betina.

noidont said:

Can Betina and her slave get a GP event? I need me some Betina.

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Seasons Best is what matters, isn't it? At the moment P/V are 23rd there...

We still haven't gotten 100% confirmation about the French team which I brought up during the SD....lol....and I take the blame.

cheerknithanson said:

We still haven't gotten 100% confirmation about the French team which I brought up during the SD....lol....and I take the blame.

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This French-language interview would seem to confirm it: Interview Haguenauer, Lauriault, Le Gac. The citizenship issue also seems to be separate from the marriage (there are already pathways for elite athletes, and neither avenue helps with 2018).

blue eyed birds said:

This French-language interview would seem to confirm it: Interview Haguenauer, Lauriault, Le Gac. The citizenship issue also seems to be separate from the marriage (there are already pathways for elite athletes, and neither avenue helps with 2018).

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Well well well then. Then officially congrats!

blue eyed birds said:

This French-language interview would seem to confirm it: Interview Haguenauer, Lauriault, Le Gac. The citizenship issue also seems to be separate from the marriage (there are already pathways for elite athletes, and neither avenue helps with 2018).

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They are!

Translation (google translate-I know no French so this is not mine and may be wrong):

14:45 Debrecen Arena, training arena.
 
While Marie-Jade and Romain change, I want to ask their coach.
 
- Romain, your coach's view: they are easy students?
 
- Very easy! Their quality is that they are very hard workers, it makes things much easier! They are both very smart, they listen, they have an excellent perception of what they do. When I currently there is no problem, and when they are alone, they work smarter, they are not content to repeat.
 
- What do you consider they can improve?
 
- They are already among the best juniors but it's still a still a couple very recently, there was a year and a half they race together. There is a connection that comes through course work, but which improves with the years. They will spend senior next season. This is a big step that we need to cross. Last year, as they had started only in August, they were unable to compete in juniors. I had put junior in France, they were runners-up France ...
 
- That's where I saw them live for the first time in Megève in 2014!
 
- Right, it was their first season. Now the goal is to become the good dolphin Gabriella and Guillaume internationally next season, so we'll have to mature, gain amplitude to obtain good seats in the European Championship and the World .
 
The coach flees called by other obligations, and that's the skaters turn to answer my questions.
 
 
 
- How do you feel after this training?
 
Jennie: Good! We look forward to tomorrow!
 
- A drive between SD and FD is something special or it happens normally?
 
Jennie: The elements change but it was almost the same driving technique, twizzles are placed in the same way. Our short dance and free dance we really have very different music, so the goal is to get into the spirit of the FD. After the short dance and waltz for two days we tend to "stay inside", and you have to go to a rock and roll atmosphere.
 
- About rock'n roll and FD, I just saw you train and I was impressed by the port at the end of the song "While my Guitar gently Weeps". It is absolutely spectacular. It has a name?
 
(Burst of laughter)
Jennie: No!
She consults her partner confirms: No, no special name ...
Jennie: Initially it was Romain [Haguenauer] that created for Tiffany Zahorski and Alexis Miart, but Tiffany is much bigger than me. Given our size difference to Romain and I, it is much easier.
 
- How tall are you ?
- 4 feet 11. With you it's how much?
 
Romain: 1 meter 50.
 
- Yesterday at a press conference, Romain you said you wanted to live your programs rather than play. It is not given to everyone and this is usually the preserve of very talented skaters and full of sensitivity. It is in your character?
 
Roman: I would say that in fact it is the school in which we are teaching us to skate like that.
Jennie: Right, right.
Romain: All those who train as we were in Montreal this mindset. For our coaches, it is important to humanize programs. The school is that we understand what we do, what we really live our programs.
Jennie: Gabriella and Guillaume are just ambassadors of this current ice dancing. We try to emulate it.
 
- We will not spend the Eve on the fact that you are married because everyone speaks sure of that ...
 
(New laughter)
- But it makes a difference to express his emotions on the ice, to be a real couple, or not?
 
Jennie: At first it is to be together all the time that has brought us together. But the result I think it has no influence. There are great couples on the ice that never went out together. Gaby looks and William. I think we can move the emotions of a romantic comedy without being life couple.
 
- You have explained yesterday at a press conference on the one hand you are a couple in life, and on the other you work together on the ice. One does not interfere with the other.
 
Jennie: Exactly.
 
 
- In the process, you have become French?
 
Jennie: Not yet! We hope...
 
 
- I thought that marriage automatically gave French nationality ...
 
Roman: It's not so simple! I left a lot of steps to take.
 
- Because you do not live in France?
 
Romain: Among other. You must have been married four years, only three or so to prove that we lived together before. There is also the possibility of immigration for exceptional events, such sportingly represent France, reducing the two-year waiting period. We have already spoken with the Federation for the junior national championships in Poitiers.
 
- It must be possible to play this exception, many others have done.
 
Romain and Marie-Jade: We hope it'll work!
 
- Another issue, which has chosen the theme of the Beatles to the FD?
 
Romain: Basically, we had in mind a rock and roll, we wanted to do stunts. Marie-France then spoke about a Cirque du Soleil that happening right now in Las Vegas. They re-orchestrated all the music of the Beatles and work wonders on it. I saw some videos is really beautiful and the music is very beautiful.
 
Jennie: We hesitated between "Come Together" and "Get Back" to the second part of the FD. But we wanted there to be a link between the different musical parts, we do not want a medley. In "While my Guitar gently Weeps", the character observes people, wants to gather them and "Come Together" takes exactly the same theme. But there is a change in emotion. The beginning is a little nostalgic, melancholy, and then later is hopeful contrary.
 
- You prefer to fight Parsons / Parsons or McNamara / Carpenter or both?
 
(Laughs)
Jennie: In the leading group, the six or eight couples first, it is so close in terms of points, it's not a question of who is the best, but rather who skates the best when where it is necessary.
 
- You have heroes? Of the current senior skaters or those who do not skate?
 
Big smile Jennie: I admit to having a low fat to Tessa [Virtue] and Scott [Moir]! They give off something when they skate ... It catches your eye. You can not miss. And Patrick Chan with his infinite slides ... [Editor's note: the term is very nice and could not be better suited]
 
- It is very Canadian all!
 
(Laughs)
- And you Romain?
 
- I do not know if I really preferred. I love, I am inspired by many. Obviously Tessa and Scott are unavoidable, I also like the Davis / White Americans. Among Russians, I loved Ilinykh / Katsalapov, and then of course there is Nathalie and Fabian. I like to take a little from each, I try to take the best things from everyone.
 
Jennie: And there's Gaby and William ...
 
Romain: It really is the friendliest skaters I've ever seen.
 
- With the return of Tessa and Scott, there will be many people at Gadbois ... How it will happen?
 
Jennie: I think it's going very well happen. [She insists "very good"] It is already twelve couples, and that can only inspire everyone. We all get along very well.
 
Romain: In fact, it really is a family. This is the word that best describes the mood. Everyone respects everyone is good luck, we welcomed after competitions.
 
Jennie: We are always happy for others when they succeed.
 
- You have something to say?
 
Cry from the heart of Jennie: We are happy to be there !!
(Laughs)
 
- And you still smile like that? Earlier Roman [Haguenauer] and Pascal [Denis] told me so ...
 
Jennie: We try not to take the lead. Given the number of hours spent on the ice, the number of hours we spend together ... I think it's not worth the trouble to seek the details, to widen the head.
 
Romain: We like to stay positive. If something goes wrong, we say that it will pass, it will get better tomorrow.
 
Jennie: We can not change what happened, then a deep breath and go again.
 
- It's a great philosophy! I wish you good luck for tomorrow?
 
Romain: No problem, it is not superstitious!
 
Interview by Kate B. R. 03/18/2016 - © S.I.G

I like how Google somehow turns "Marie-Jade" into "Jennie"

Chemistry66 said:

I like how Google somehow turns "Marie-Jade" into "Jennie"

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IKR? Lol...

icedinn said:

mcnamara/ carpenter and parsons for 2022 olympic podium!!!

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yes!!

Ice Dance, Free Dance review

Ice Dance FD

The dominance of North American Ice Dancers, continues and wether you like it or not, the Russian dancers have quite a gap to fill, especially in the short, where they just don´t have what it takes, to be placed in the final group for the FD and this makes it so difficult, to keep up with the PC´s, as the judges always go a tad higher there, with every pair that steps on the ice, not necessarily unjustified though, if I may add.
Does this make the Russian teams less exciting to watch? No, definately not, as they have amazing programs and at least for me, super choreographies and performance skills. The base value in TES is very similar and was even superiour by 36 in the Free to 35.50 (and Mcnamara / Carpenter) 34.50 (Parsons), but they lost in execution as the GOE´s by both US American couples hardly left the two´s and three´s, while the top Russian pair, Alla and Pavel had achieved everything from 0-3.

Before, I want to take a closer look at this, let´s start with the absolute best lady on ice, Betina who is such a beast every time that I see her and together with Gracie Gold, she is someone who you can really fall in love with and if I had a million dollars, I would spend it for just one evening with either of these two.
As different they are, as fantastic their personalities come across and as for Betina, she was holding back in the short, but oh boy in that Free to "crazy in love", the wildcat was back! For me, the best story line, the best choreography and interpretation of music at the juniors this season, everything is just so spot on, from her hair cut, the pictures that both can create, like in the straight line lift, the fantastic opener with the spin – it´s just all so "crazy in love".
As a skater you always try to be what you skate and they absolutely nailed that for me. We all know sex on the beach or sex on the rock and that was sex on the ice! The elements picked, the change of tempo, - the piano solo superb interpreted, when they start their program or during the break down in the middle, when they stand back on back, it is absolutely gorgeous if you ask me and one of the reasons, why they so grab me, it´s not just her, it´s them!
Same story with the drama, when it get´s more busy with the musical arrangement, the twizzles come out or that superb rotational lift with the pitch raise in music, huge moment in their performance.

I really think, that Yuri has stepped up his game a lot this season and we must be honest here, no matter how much we want to be nice to the ladies, especially me, the mistake by her in the second twizzle of their sequence, did cost them quite a few points, but overall, the top two positions were still out of reach, due the reasons mentioned above. I so want them to become the top Russian pair in future, but they need to be perfect, not just in what they already are, performance, interpretation, but also the execution of their elements, striving for these grades of execution, that can mean so much these days.

That there was still a Russian medal, however, was because of two skaters who even missed, that so important final group, coming 6th in the short and yet, skating the third best FS! Alla Loboda and Pavel Drozd, had a very quiet and almost relaxing performance at the start, very calm and friendly facial expression, with an almost perfect twizzle sequence, perfectly aligned, not changing the distance to each other by much and good attack there, just a minor miss timing at their openings at the last turn, but we are really talking of almost perfection here!

Their timings and interpretation, towards the end with their midline stepsequence and the rotational lift, was really well done, great choreography and nicely executed, to music by the local superstar Edvin Marton with Paganini 5, music that also Plushenko likes skating to. Together with the top two Americans, they offered great skating in hold, very close and if they are able to fix the little errors, like in the serpentine where she was caught out of balance and therefore lost the connection with her partner for a second, then they have huge potential for the future and winning the junior nationals, does not come easy, great couple and I so had to laugh, how she always wanted to step on the top of the podium, during the VC. Already practicing for the future, young lady?

A bright future, Anastasia Shpilevaya and Grigory Smirnov might have, I so loved their music "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" and they came 6h in total, with a super twizzle, maybe the best of the day, super alignement and in general, their execution is really good, just trailing behind a bit with the levels on their step sequences. Interpretation wise, but also from the timings like with the straight line lift, where the changes come right on beat, great exit there, using the music wonderfully! In general, they caught the essence of the music beautifully, super smooth movements and relaxed, facial expression. But I also like how original they are, they have a very unique style, like with the stationary lift and they have a superb balance on the ice, she is so holding on to him, it just goes under your skin!

Under your skin also goes what the Parsons do, I was so hugely impressed, by their skate in hold. There is no space in between them, not even a piece of paper would fit, just super amazing and their blind understanding on ice, knowing exactly, where their partner is, every element, connects flawlessly with the other, just like these two skaters, do.
Their Tango, was greatly executed, I love that knee fall at their last twizzle, right on beat and I can´t believe, how these two are just brother and sister, so much chemistry in between them! I would say, they even top the Shibutanies with their fantastic coldplay performance, in that regard. Great ice coverage, really making sure to appear everywhere on ice which can be a bit tricky, as the ice at the boards, is a little bit dangerous for skaters, you can easily get stuck there, but they skated these passages without any trouble, super edges, greatly aligned – what a discovery these two are for me! At Cinderella they were flying and at the Tango, they were arrogant and ice cold, yet with fire – brilliant couple if you ask me, highly talented, well deserved PB of 162.74. I believe, that they never skated better in their life and if that midline would have been a three, then they would have won the competition.

That they didn´t, was due the sheer perfection, of two other Americans, Lorraine Mcnamara and Quinn Carpenter, who achieved 163.65 in total, jumping up one position, edging our the Parson family, by 0.91 points. Skating to Carmen, these two never dropped below two in GOE and how amazing are these transitions between the various phrases of music, I so love what they do there and how their expression changes over the course of their program, wonderful timings on all of their elements, so much hard work put into this program - 40 hours a week, every step, turn, move – is absolutely on beat, you can not skate it better, the essence of the music, brilliantly understood and executed. I often criticize the judging in ice dance, maybe rightfully or just because of my heart that is so close to that brilliant sport, but these two here, deserved to 100% what they received by the judges.

I would personally, favor their Free over the short as I feel that I have hardly seen Carmen executed so perfect like of these two, as the music is so hard to portrait due it´s changing and complex arrangement and as I said, the timinings are so brilliant, I really hope that they will get the credit they deserve for that in the US. You should invite these two to ice shows, interview them and spread the word, it was not from this world, what they did to Georges Bizet masterpiece and even Alexei Kiliakov was a part of the performance, that posture and look while they were performing – so fitting to the program of his skaters.

Overall, a brilliant competition with good judgement by the officials, it could had gone either way between the two Americans, both are very unique and so different to each other, it was a real joy and don´t write me of these Russian skaters or the French and Italians Sara and Giona – what a beautiful couple they are, I was really impressed with their programs, that sport is so wonderful, it is so wrong to call it the 4th competition of ice skating.
The sport and artistry is so progressing, these skaters work so hard, they push each other to the limits and even if for many it is hard to understand what happens on ice, it´s really worth it, to dig deeper into this beautiful competition, I was highly entertained and just like I analysed the top pairs, I could have done the same for all of them, there was so much beauty in these programs, but who would read all of this, so as usual my thank goes out to the skaters, coaches and choreographers – it was a super event on both days and even if I love the ladies so much, ice dance is pretty much on the same level for me these days, great work guys!

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