2014 Skate America Pairs FS 10/26

[Meoima]

I feel more for Peng actually. He might very well be the better skater but he also look like he could be her dad.

Or more like uncle.
Still wonder why the hell they let her wear that dress. I mean...seriously...

 

[Skater Boy]

Scimeca/Knierim, Denney/Frazier, and Peng/Zhang are all in the top ten rankings-wise. P/Z were 5th at Worlds and 8th at Olympics last year.

I meant at worlds

 

[Alba]

Or more like uncle.
Still wonder why the hell they let her wear that dress. I mean...seriously...

Call it uncle if that sounds better. Still they have a creepy look as a couple.
It's like that Russian pair, I don't remember their names now.

 

[Mao88]

PAIRS FREE SKATE - VIDEOS & RESULT - updated

1. Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV (RUS) - 209.16 Free Skate, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy, 4th Copy
2. Haven DENNEY / Brandon FRAZIER (USA) - 183.84 Free Skate, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy, 4th Copy
3. Cheng PENG / Hao ZHANG (CHN) - 182.43 Free Skate, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy
4. Alexa SCIMECA / Chris KNIERIM (USA) - 168.62 Free Skate, 2nd Copy
5. Madeline AARON / Max SETTLAGE (USA) - 160.04 Free Skate, 2nd Copy, 3rd Copy
6. Vanessa GRENIER / Maxime DESCHAMPS (CAN) - 143.59 Free Skate, 2nd Copy
7. Annabelle PRÖLSS / Ruben BLOMMAERT (GER) - 136.35 Free Skate
8. Miriam ZIEGLER / Severin KIEFER (AUT) - 135.83 Free Skate

Adding in the British Eurosport videos uploaded by Frida

 

[mousepotato]

Mozer is not a choreographer, like Moskvina. I'm not sure she does even coach. She is more like a manager and she does a great job.
The two are not to be compared, IMO. Completely two different things.

Just to clarify.....Moskvina does not choreograph for the team. In 8 years she choreographed only one program, Pagliacci free skate from 2008-2009. Peter Tchernyshev is their choreographer.

 

[Alba]

Just to clarify.....Moskvina does not choreograph for the team. In 8 years she choreographed only one program, Pagliacci free skate from 2008-2009. Peter Tchernyshev is their choreographer.

I didn't know that. I thought their programs were done by Moskvina. It does still look very Moskvina to me, tbh.
Maybe she had put her hands there. Anyway, even better, Peter is a choreographer while Mozer is something else entirely.
My point was that you can't compare the two woman. As I said, I'm not even sure Mozer does coach actually.


In anycase, Peter Chernyshev is also the guy who choreo. Adelina's SP and LP the last season and many people (not me) thought they were ugly.
So, as we say here, not all donuts come with a hole.

 

[gotoschool]

I tuned in early to watch the women's free and was pleasantly overwhelmed by the performance of Yuko KAVAGUTI / Alexander SMIRNOV. I hardly ever watch pairs, but their program totally captivated me with their intricately synchronized spins and jumps, a wide variety of acrobatic lifts, the throw quad, and so much drama. I really didn't know pairs skating could be this good.

 

[[email protected]]

K/S are mesmerising. The question that I have, though, is how they could get closer to V/T's 236 from their current 209? 25 points is way too many. Another quad throw plus a quad twist?

 

[Alba]

K/S are mesmerising. The question that I have, though, is how they could get closer to V/T's 236 from their current 209? 25 points is way too many. Another quad throw plus a quad twist?

They can hardly manage a triple twist. Can't see a quad happening.

 

[samson]

Just wanted to say if it hasn't been noted yet, Haven and Brandon scored higher in the free skate here then Marissa and Simon or John and Caydee ever did on the international scene. They've got a lot of room to grow, but that's an exciting start for them this year!

 

[3T3T]

That was an outstanding performance from K/S and it throws down a very strong marker to their fellow competitiors. I thought at best this year they would be fighting for 3rd place on the Russian team but skating like this they can really challenge V/T. I would rate this performance well above V/T's JCS in Sochi. Can you imagine how that performance would have scored in Sochi and gone down with a Russian audience.

I really have enjoed their Clar de lune and February programmes but I found this a bit different and it threw me slightly. After yesterday, I love it, what impressed me most was their total committment to the programme, the intensity, the emotions. Their jumps look better than in years, the quad salchow looked easy. I was slightly worried when he done a single leg entry into one of the lifts, but obvioulsy he is 100% back.

I enjoyed the US couples in second and fifth, I was a bit disappointed wiht S/K. I guess D/F have put themselves as the US leaders at this early stage. Are D/C out injured or retired? It would be interesting to see two sisters battling for the pairs title.

 

[gold12345]

K/S are mesmerising. The question that I have, though, is how they could get closer to V/T's 236 from their current 209? 25 points is way too many. Another quad throw plus a quad twist?

Maybe they could hope that V/T don't show up in as good of shape after their somewhat lengthy break? It's not like V/T score 236 every time, but a bigger and cleaner triple twist would be a good start to help close the gap. That would probably take major retooling of their technique on that element though. V/T also separate themselves with really big, powerful throws. I saw the recent video of their throw triple flip, and that looks just as explosive and well landed as the throws they've already competed, so it's very possible they may get even better in the throw department. K/S didn't get good GOE on the throw quad here, which is unfortunate given its level of difficulty. But he doesn't launch her high into the air, she's just rotating super fast to get it around enough to pull off the landing. Kavaguti is very light and lithe, whereas Volosozhar has a stronger-looking build, so maybe that's part of the reason for the differences in how they execute throws and some of the other elements? I'm no expert there.

And this is more of an opinion, but I think V/T relate a little better to each other on the ice than K/S do. Yuko sometimes seems as if she's in her own little world, with almost a blank look on her face. Her stone-faced expression seems to work for their dramatic LP this year (she's showing more intensity here than she usually shows) , but I don't know if they show as much of a true connection as V/T do. It's not like Volosozhar is very expressive in her face either, but she just seems to acknowledge Trankov's existence on the ice better than Kavaguti acknowledges Smirnov's, IMO.

But I don't think K/S should worry about V/T right now. I think this was the best competition they've ever competed. Can anyone think of a better one for them, at least in recent memory? They're normally more messy than this, and this skate even included a decently landed (albeit not a very big) quad. And their SBS jumps looked crisper than they have in a while. It was wonderful to see. There are still some things they could try to smooth out. SBS spins were out of sync, she was a bit tentative in the first lift, etc.

 

[mskater93]

I feel so bad for her. I think it got hoiked up when he caught her on the 4Tw.

Nope, it was hiked up before she even started

 

[skateluver]

I thought K/S were wonderful in this competition. I prefer their short program, but I like them both far better than V/T programs last season. I am so happy to see them back in top form. PS am I the only one who finds Sasha Smirnov quite handsome?? I much prefer him over Maxim Trankov.

 

[Meoima]

I thought K/S were wonderful in this competition. I prefer their short program, but I like them both far better than V/T programs last season. I am so happy to see them back in top form. PS am I the only one who finds Sasha Smirnov quite handsome?? I much prefer him over Maxim Trankov.

Yeah Maxim sometimes has scary look.

 

[Alba]

Except for the choreography and interpretation (the later thanks to Smirnov) there is no other element that K&S can beat V&T, and neither S&K of the Olympic, in terms of quality IMO.

PS am I the only one who finds Sasha Smirnov quite handsome??

Sasha is quite handsome indeed, but that tanning effect on his face is horrible.

 

[Kitt]

I preferred K/S's FS to V/T's last year. (But I preferred a lot of programs to V/T's last year.) Very dramatic.

I enjoyed most of the FSs. Alexa's looks at the end of that program were hilarious. She looked like she wanted to kill him in the kiss and cry after their scores. D/F were really good. Nice start to the grand prix series.

I was there in the rink and thought she was pulling a Fusar-Poli....it was hilarious.

So happy for Kavaguti/Smirnov. Loved the over the top acting by Smirnov! best program of the whole event for me.

 

[mousepotato]

K/S are mesmerising. The question that I have, though, is how they could get closer to V/T's 236 from their current 209? 25 points is way too many. Another quad throw plus a quad twist?

V/T have been over marked on many occasions, I don't see any pair coming close to those scores unless the points on certain elements are changed.

K/S didn't perform this program as good as they could have, the jumps, spins, etc were ok but they can do much better. So if if the stars align they can get probably another 3 or 4 points. I just hope they aren't peaking too early, they have been working on this program for over a year. They will for sure win either a gold or silver in Japan and then melt down at the GPF like they always do. Hopefully they can keep it together and have a season they can be proud of, win or lose.

 

[cptnhastings]

K/S don't have a shot against V/T this year if V/T don't fall a couple of times. S/S barely beat them at the GPF with two major errors in the LP. Those PCS scores will prop them up regardless, and, considering that whole "let's stand in the middle of the rink for 20 seconds" thing didn't ding V/T on any scores last year, they could probably top their personal best with a long to the Rugrats theme song.

I can just hear some of the comments: "Max just embodies the character of Tommy. Look at his daring costume with the diaper. And Tatiana's playful interpretation of his bully of an older sister is simply magnificent. Look at her pulling on his long locks. I don't know how they keep coming up with these marvelous programs all the time. Look at him sit on the ice at the half-way point and fake drinking from a bottle! That'll give them some energy for the second half. It just is so sad that they are playing siblings since we can't imagine them kissing now."

I love V/T's Masquerade and Black Swan by the way. Just hated those scores for JCS.

 

[Alba]

I love V/T's Masquerade and Black Swan by the way. Just hated those scores for JCS.

I agree.

However, you make it sound like K&S don't have a chance because they are overscored, only.
K&S with the skate they had in SA do not have a chance against V&T because V&T are way better.
The quality of K&S is no way near V&T. Let's be honest about it.

They have a great program. Most probably the best program among pairs (Bazarova&Deputat have a great Free program as well) this year, but that isn't enough, IMO.