I enjoyed M/C's free dance too and thought in both events L/D were significantly overscored (esp. in the SD). Yes they are good, but they are not THAT good. True, M/C did not have their best skate in the SD, but I really like their FD and thought their score was a bit low. I would have put the two American teams 1 and 2, with L/D in 3rd in the FD, and YES the Parsons definitely should have won the SD. If you go back and look at the videos, why they didn't is a mystery. Their edges, posture, skating skills, power, closeness etc. are just so much better and their programs are more interesting and emotive this year IMO at least. Glad to see P/P finally come out on top - they've deserved it for a while.
2016-17 JGPF Free Dance
- Thread starter dorispulaski
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I enjoyed M/C's free dance too and thought in both events L/D were significantly overscored (esp. in the SD). Yes they are good, but they are not THAT good. True, M/C did not have their best skate in the SD, but I really like their FD and thought their score was a bit low. I would have put the two American teams 1 and 2, with L/D in 3rd in the FD, and YES the Parsons definitely should have won the SD. If you go back and look at the videos, why they didn't is a mystery. Their edges, posture, skating skills, power, closeness etc. are just so much better and their programs are more interesting and emotive this year IMO at least. Glad to see P/P finally come out on top - they've deserved it for a while.
Parsons have never won a world title, closest they've gotten is 2nd all these years in Nationals and worlds, so to them it means a lot. M/C not so much. I totally get why they stayed Jr.
And L/D were only close because of a friendly judging panel. Seriously, look at the tape and tell me they had higher skating skills than P/P in the short and deserved 3s in GOE on some of those elements. Really? Yes it does get a little political at times, most often in favor of Russian teams, but I don't think its "mainly" about politics, just partly about politics. More than it should be? Yes. But how they skate matters too, perhaps more than it used to, and in this case I thought the technical side was about right - P/P ARE that good, and when they skate clean, powerful programs like this they should be on top. Same can be said of M/C but they were not quite as clean this time. No system is perfect but I don't know how this one could be improved much. There will always be a subjective element to this sport.
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I agree that one of the reasons the Parsons stayed Junior is that they are hungry to win Junior Worlds...they are tired of playing second fiddle. Like many others, I don't think it is clear whether their current coaches will make the move to Senior with these two teams. With Lorraine in high school, I have to wonder if she and her family decided staying put and finishing school was in her best personal interests.
I watched the livestreamed practices and so was utterly unsurprised by the placements here(although I could probably argue some of the scores). The rankings seemed fairly obvious at the time assuming no one made huge mistakes.
Parsons were very crisp and polished and looked very confident. Loboda/Drozd are faster and more powerful, but can be more than a little wild. The Junior World title definitely looks like it'll be between them, and it'll come down to the skates on the day. Parsons are a little more reliable while L/D have been known to make mistakes, as well as be a little sloppy, but it'll be an exciting battle, and both of these teams are looking at their last chance to win.
McNamara/Carpenter are bound to be more than a little disappointed. More than a few people questioned their decision to stay junior and so their season so far hasn't changed any minds. I feel they've stagnated somewhat while their fellow competitors have improved. Meanwhile, Pogrebinsky/Benoit had a solid senior debut and are likely to finish top 5 at Nationals. Still, M/C are very talented, but their lack of polish really showed, especially if you compare their SD to the Parsons. They're the real wild cards of the season. They could rally in the second half of the season, hang in for bronze, or flail themselves right off the podium.
Carreira/Ponomarenko came in as the youngest team, with the shortest partnership(they're only in they're third season!) and the most inexperienced as the only team here not to have competed at Junior Worlds. I felt they more than held their own and really established themselves as a dark horse for the podium if any of the the above three teams has a bad day at worlds. They're developing very nicely, both technically as well as in terms of their emotional connection. Their programs are nothing special, but stretch them as performers and showcase their musicality and interpretation as well as their improved technical ability. They're definitely going to be a strong contender for the world title next season.
Abachkina/Thauron are faster and cover more ice than Shpilevaya/Smirnov, but are much less polished, her limbs especially were a little all over the place. I thought their connection seemed a little weak, they could stand to look at each other more, and have a tendency to connect with the audience and not each other. They'll age out after this season and will be contending against Lauriault/Le Gac once they do. It'll definitely be interesting to see which wins the battle for French #2.
Shpilevaya/Smirnov are very talented but they need another season to cook, and they came off kind of young in their presentation at times, in addition to having smaller ice coverage and less speed than the teams that placed ahead of them. They also need to be crisper in getting their levels. Still, they're very promising, and should be a top contender for the Junior World title next season against Carreira/Ponomarenko, along with some other teams that missed the cut for JGPF this year.
Parsons were very crisp and polished and looked very confident. Loboda/Drozd are faster and more powerful, but can be more than a little wild. The Junior World title definitely looks like it'll be between them, and it'll come down to the skates on the day. Parsons are a little more reliable while L/D have been known to make mistakes, as well as be a little sloppy, but it'll be an exciting battle, and both of these teams are looking at their last chance to win.
McNamara/Carpenter are bound to be more than a little disappointed. More than a few people questioned their decision to stay junior and so their season so far hasn't changed any minds. I feel they've stagnated somewhat while their fellow competitors have improved. Meanwhile, Pogrebinsky/Benoit had a solid senior debut and are likely to finish top 5 at Nationals. Still, M/C are very talented, but their lack of polish really showed, especially if you compare their SD to the Parsons. They're the real wild cards of the season. They could rally in the second half of the season, hang in for bronze, or flail themselves right off the podium.
Carreira/Ponomarenko came in as the youngest team, with the shortest partnership(they're only in they're third season!) and the most inexperienced as the only team here not to have competed at Junior Worlds. I felt they more than held their own and really established themselves as a dark horse for the podium if any of the the above three teams has a bad day at worlds. They're developing very nicely, both technically as well as in terms of their emotional connection. Their programs are nothing special, but stretch them as performers and showcase their musicality and interpretation as well as their improved technical ability. They're definitely going to be a strong contender for the world title next season.
Abachkina/Thauron are faster and cover more ice than Shpilevaya/Smirnov, but are much less polished, her limbs especially were a little all over the place. I thought their connection seemed a little weak, they could stand to look at each other more, and have a tendency to connect with the audience and not each other. They'll age out after this season and will be contending against Lauriault/Le Gac once they do. It'll definitely be interesting to see which wins the battle for French #2.
Shpilevaya/Smirnov are very talented but they need another season to cook, and they came off kind of young in their presentation at times, in addition to having smaller ice coverage and less speed than the teams that placed ahead of them. They also need to be crisper in getting their levels. Still, they're very promising, and should be a top contender for the Junior World title next season against Carreira/Ponomarenko, along with some other teams that missed the cut for JGPF this year.
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