2009 BMO Canadian Figure Skating Championships

[champs]

Thanks siberia82 for answering all of my questions. Especially for writing down what I couldn't make out, now everything makes sense to me. And yeah, I misunderstood your comment on Vaughn's overall placement, thanks also for the direct link to the results page, you saved my time. Looking at the SP results, I see there was not too much difference in the scores among all the top ten in the SP, so that makes sense.

I loved Shawn's Moments in Love program last season. I love 80's electronic pop music (which quite a few people dislike) so it was for me a great combination of a favorite skater with favorite piece of music. I wished Canada had had three spots in men's event at 2008 Worlds so that.I had another chance to see his program on TV in addition to NHK and 4CC. I also think his Mozart's program this season is a great program, I hope he will land 3A without two-footing at this year's Nationals and in subsequent competitions.

 

[icedancexpert]

I hope everyone is healthy in Saskatoon and everyone skates their best. That way, we can send a team to Worlds that will be able to get us 3 spots again.

My prediction:
Patrick Chan
Fedor Andreev
Shawn Sawyer
Vaughn Chipeur

Overall, looking forward to a fantastic mens event in Saskatoon!!!!

 

[dance4u]

Vaughn is a great jumper, but he appears to have trouble holding his nerves together during competition. hwell: This is a great shame because his PCS isn't high, so he needs strong technical marks to hold him up. Sawyer doesn't have a 3-Axel (and most of the time he doesn't have a 3-lutz!), but the scores he received during the GP season were considerably higher than Vaughn's.



The grapevine said Vaughn was sick at Russia (a little bit of vertigo). He came home sick. He said he felt like he was having an out of body experience.

 

[dance4u]

Chipeur

Saw Vaughn at simulations on Saturday. He has lost some lbs and is rotating alot quicker Big difference. He looks fit. Go Vaughn

 

[Winnipeg]

Good to hear there was a reason for his poor performance at Russia GP. It left me wondering whether he would even make the sr. team. Sounds like he's back - good to hear.

 

[siberia82]

I loved Shawn's Moments in Love program last season. I love 80's electronic pop music (which quite a few people dislike) so it was for me a great combination of a favorite skater with favorite piece of music.

I also enjoy '80s "synthpop" music, and Shawn's dynamic skating style made "Moments in Love" that much more awesome!

I wished Canada had had three spots in men's event at 2008 Worlds so that.I had another chance to see his program on TV in addition to NHK and 4CC.

In a perfect universe, Canada should always get 3 spots for the men! :yes: But alas, reality being what it is, it looks doubtful that our guys can secure 3 berths for the Vancouver Olympics. However, this season has been highliy unpredictable for the male skaters, so I'm (desperately) hoping this is a sign from the mighty Skate Gods that a miracle will occur at Worlds, whereby Chan and his 2nd-highest ranked teammate will somehow make the magic number 13.

I also think his Mozart's program this season is a great program, I hope he will land 3A without two-footing at this year's Nationals and in subsequent competitions.

"Amadeus" is indeed a masterpiece! I consider myself blessed that the very first figure skating I attended live (SC) was the one where Shawn won the LP. I can't describe how high he made our hearts soar with his dazzling performance!!! ♥ ♥ ♥ There's something magical and beautiful about the fact that he skated as free as a bird during "Amadeus", and none of the guys in the final flight could catch him afterwards...

It frustrates Sawyer fans to no end that he always UR/2-foots the 3-Axel and frequently messes up the 3-lutz. :banging: Based on his latest comments on his site (http://www.skatetoday.com/shawnsawyer/), I sincerely hope his newfound confidence will help him deliver 2 solid programs. It's great that he can fight back with his wondrous LP, but he's gotta break the habit of always putting himself in that position if he wants to move up in the rankings.

The grapevine said Vaughn was sick at Russia (a little bit of vertigo). He came home sick. He said he felt like he was having an out of body experience.

Thanks for the info. His last place finish certainly left a lot of fans scratching their heads. :scratch: I wonder why Vaughn didn't disclose his illness during his post-LP CoR interview on CBC. The Canadian commentators did mention that Weir suffered from a nasty cold during the NHK broadcast, so I find it strange that they would omit this important detail about one of their own skaters.

 

[fumie_fumie]

so what did Chipeur have to say in the post-CoR interview with CBC?

As long as Vaughn comes back strong for the nationals and shows Canadians what he is really made of (good stuff, yes), canuck fans are all happy, especially Rod Black on CTV.

Rod Black quote, "Doesn't he remind us of another Canadian jumping jock, the guy in the name of Elvis Stojko? ohohoooo"

 

[herios]

so what did Chipeur have to say in the post-CoR interview with CBC?


Rod Black quote, "Doesn't he remind us of another Canadian jumping jock, the guy in the name of Elvis Stojko? ohohoooo"

Just barely. Jock yes, Elvis Stojko... not so much. What made Elvis a great champion was his ability to lay it down, when it counts, until he was healthy. Vaughn is still lacking this skill.

When he is competing against good artistical skaters, like Chan, Sawyer, and now Andreev, he has at least to land his jumps, because he always will come short on the second mark.

 

[siberia82]

so what did Chipeur have to say in the post-CoR interview with CBC?

Interviewer: "What have you learned from your two events, Cup of China and this one?"

Vaughn: "Well, it's been a great learning experience. You know in China we had good success with the short, and kinda a similar situation with the long, I guess, so it's back to the drawing board for that. Definitely the long program needs to be looked at, where the errors are happening. It's been great in training, so it's just transferring that on to the competition venue."

So by his own admission, he has trouble keeping his head together when the pressure is on. Also, there was nothing to suggest from his appearance or behaviour during the interview, his performance, the Kiss & Cry, or the backstage clip of him that he was ill. Vaughn seemed fine, which just adds to my confusion. :think: It is just some sort of macho thing that he hid his sickness to the point where even the CBC commentators failed to noticed it?

Just barely. Jock yes, Elvis Stojko... not so much. What made Elvis a great champion was his ability to lay it down, when it counts, until he was healthy. Vaughn is still lacking this skill.

When he is competing against good artistical skaters, like Chan, Sawyer, and now Andreev, he has at least to land his jumps, because he always will come short on the second mark.

Well said.


EDIT: Oh, and in case anyone missed it, this is Andreev's new SP : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIocs2SL_wE

 

[Kypma]

I can't seem to find the guidelines about posting links, so hopefully this is allowed:

IFS Magazine has posted an interview with Tessa and Scott, about their preparation time for nationals, how the fall season went, etc.

When Virtue resumed training at the beginning of December she knew she had her work cut out for her. “You should have all seen Scott do our programs by himself because he is fabulous,” Virtue said. “So, not only did I need to get back up to speed, I had to amp it up. Knowing that I had so far to go was tough but Scott was such a great support and we did it together.”

 

[dance4u]

Vaughn

A good athlete doesn't make excuses for their performance. Vaughn was sick, I doubt he would blame his performance on being ill.Two events so close together, we forget that he doesn't have the same competitve experience as most. Let's give Vaughn a chance, he's an exciting skater too watch. Good luck.

 

[bems]

Let's stop the gossip! Sick or not, head case or not, the sport of figure skating is laying two back to backs when it counts! Some may choose to hide their problems, other talk to their shrink on their cell phone seconds before hitting the ice. It is whatever works!

On any given day it comes down to laying it down. No skater is immune to being off their game. A lifetime of training comes down to the marathon of the long program.

Our top Canadians are ready to skate. We wait to be taken away by their performances. Sadly, with CBC we watch on the small screen and not in prime time. Still cheer on all support where you can. Enjoy!

 

[siberia82]

Chan tackles tough triple Axel: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090109.WBGoFigure20090109182249/WBStory/WBGoFigure

 

[fumie_fumie]

Maybe it would be better for Patrick to lose his title and take the load off his mind? That is a heck of a lot of pressure on our precious baby Patrick. Would it be possible for Patrick to take one triple axel (the combo one) out and replace it with 3sal-2toe for the nationals, while he is working on 3A?

anywho, thanks siberia82 for giving me such a detailed answer on my question. Happy Nationals to you..

 

[PolymerBob]

All you Canadians will be glad to hear the panel of judges has been selected.

http://gallery.photo.net/photo/618755-lg.jpg

 

[Medusa]

All you Canadians will be glad to hear the panel of judges has been selected.

http://gallery.photo.net/photo/618755-lg.jpg

^^

That is soooo cute! I love bats...

 

[CanSkate_Rules]

Junior Competitors

well all and all is good about the seniors....but what about the juniors.

 

[skatingfan04]

I'll try junior predictions for dance, since that's the only set I really follow...

Dance
1. Karen Routheir & Eric Saucke-Lacelle (After a mediocre showing at Thronhill, they've been unbeatable all season. They're also last year's runners up, so it's theirs to win.)
2. Alexandra Paul & Jason Cheperdak ( I know these two haven't been in juniors for long, but they've been impressive all season, and I think they can make it to junior worlds. Ralph and Hill did it last year, and I think they can do the same.)
3. Sophie Knippel & Andrew Britten or Tarrah Harvey & Keith Gagnon (Both teams have been performing well all season, so my guess is that it will be between them.)

 

[Pikachuusb]

All you Canadians will be glad to hear the panel of judges has been selected.

http://gallery.photo.net/photo/618755-lg.jpg

:chorus: OMG that was hilarious!!! Im glad noone was around to hear me laugh out loud at that one. My sides are hurting from that. Too funny!! I cant wait to show my boyfriend this. LOL

Ok my predictions/hopes/guesses/whatever:

Mens:

1) Patrick Chan
2) Shawn Sawyer (please, please, please)
3) Vaughn Chipeur
4) Fedor Andreev

Ladies:

1) Joannie Rochette
2) Cynthia Phaneuff (please, please, please)
3) Mira Leung

Pairs:

1) Dube & Davison
2) Duhamel & Buntin
3) now that Langlois & Hay withdrew, ???

Dance

1) Virtue & Moir
2) Crone & Poirier
3) Weaver & Poje

obviously the please, please, pleases are hopes for me since Im going to Worlds and I am hoping to see them skate there live.

 

[rain]

Just barely. Jock yes, Elvis Stojko... not so much. What made Elvis a great champion was his ability to lay it down, when it counts, until he was healthy. Vaughn is still lacking this skill.

When he is competing against good artistical skaters, like Chan, Sawyer, and now Andreev, he has at least to land his jumps, because he always will come short on the second mark.

I agree with this, also, though Stojko was not the most artistic of skaters, he did have huge stage presence. He was charismatic on the ice, even though he did not have the traditional dance-based style. While I like Chipeur, he does not (yet, at least) exude this quality.