2019 Canadian Nationals Junior Ice Dance

[SnowWhite]

Big loss for them to be behind D'Alessandro/Waddell.

 

[jillredhand]

I'm on board the Orihara/Royer train. Choo Choo! They were just lovely. Great twizzles, and I don't know why I didn't think Yuka was a standout yesterday, she was all star power all the time this whole FD. Fast, well matched, precise in their turns. Good program, good lifts, good everything.

 

[SnowWhite]

I saw them at Minto in July and they really stood out. I think this is a better match for Lee than when he was with Ashlynne, even though I liked them.

 

[LaArdilla]

They really have been skating together for just 6 months?!

 

[SnowWhite]

This has been a very strong event so far. A lot of great teams with good skates tonight.

 

[tabsy]

Yuka Orihara / Lee Royer

'Tis an Ed Sheeran medley. She in pink flowy dress, he in grey.

Nice stationery lift. Getting good ice coverage and flow

Nice footwork sequence

Wonderful first twizzles, though second set a little far apart

Nice speed in spin, but a little bit of travel in first bit

Song changes.

Great rotating spin.

Great entry into transition movements.

Very impressed by these guys! Wish we'd had the chance to see them on the JGP.

Ted says: "I'm so impressed with just six months of skating as a team. Skated with a comfort, as if they had skated for years. Beautiful dynamic performances by all these teams."

Score: 91.41 - 151.82 total into 3rd

 

[SnowWhite]

They really have been skating together for just 6 months?!

A bit longer I believe. They were at Minto in late July, which was almost 6 months ago. So they probably teamed up at least a couple months before that. Maybe 8 months.

 

[tabsy]

Alicia Fabbri / Paul Ayer

Missed the opening. She in long pink dress, he in black shirt.

Solid twizzles

Wifi cut out :dev2:

Wifi back to see a very happy Alicia! Aw!

Ted says: "This is the best junior ice dance competition (I presume Nats) that I've seen and I've been around a while. Paul gave such a stable base to work with."

Score: - 96.37 158.7 total into 1st with one to go!

 

[SnowWhite]

That should send them to Junior Worlds.

 

[LaArdilla]

Skate the lights out, Marjorie and Zach!

 

[LaArdilla]

Gosh, aren’t they fast...

 

[Colonel Green]

So...how big will their margin of victory be?

 

[LaArdilla]

“No matter how warm it is at the rink I get chills”. Really, Ted? What rinks do you frequent?

 

[tabsy]

Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha

And our winners...She in flowy green sparkly dress, Zach in Scott Moir top

Music is big and bold from the start.

Fast tight frantic twizzle to open movements.

First twizzle a little far apart and off, second fine

Spin a little bit slow (for them)

Stationery lift wonderful.

Ooh great rotating lift!

Well, they skated all out. And they skated great. I definitely can see them getting the bronze at JW, but somehow the program is a little too out-of-control to me to get the silver...but I may very well be wrong...

Ted says: "It's rare that I am at a loss for words. I've seen that like three or four times, and no matter how warm it is in the rink it gives me chills."

Score: 108.84 - 179.91 total into...wait for it...1st! by 21 points...I like them and they are very good but I feel like that score difference does a little but of injustice to the other amazing teams...

 

[moon]

They are both such powerful skaters. He is quite elegant as well which prevents them from looking like they are in a race.

 

[SnowWhite]

Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha

And our winners...She in flowy green sparkly dress, Zach in Scott Moir top

Music is big and bold from the start.

Fast tight frantic twizzle to open movements.

First twizzle a little far apart and off, second fine

Spin a little bit slow (for them)

Stationery lift wonderful.

Ooh great rotating lift!

Well, the skated all out. And they skated great. I definitely can see them getting the bronze at JW, but somehow the program is a little too out-of-control to me to get the silver...but I may very well be wrong...

Ted says: "It's rare that I am at a loss for words. I've seen that like three or four times, and no matter how warm it is in the rink it gives me chills."

Score: - 108.84 179.91 total into...wait for it...1st! by 21 points...I like them and they are very good but I feel like that score difference does a little but of injustice to the other amazing teams...

Their SB is 166.52. The next Canadian team's is F/MP at 152.46 (more than 14 point difference) and that was at the Armenian JGP which I know some people found quite inflated. F/MP's first JGP score was 141.60 (~25 points behind L/L). The next Canadian team after them Bronsard/Bouaraguia was 140.67 (~26 points behind). Now, Fabbri/Ayer skated much better here than on the JGP, but still - Lajoie/Lagha have a huge gap on the others internationally. This is pretty realistic.

 

[tabsy]

Their SB is 166.52. The next Canadian team's is F/MP at 152.46 (more than 14 point difference) and that was at the Armenian JGP which I know some people found quite inflated. F/MP's first JGP score was 141.60 (~25 points behind L/L). The next Canadian team after them Bronsard/Bouaraguia was 140.67 (~26 points behind). Now, Fabbri/Ayer skated much better here than on the JGP, but still - Lajoie/Lagha have a huge gap on the others internationally. This is pretty realistic.

Ah interesting stats. But I could see lots improvements in all teams (that were on JGP) from then til hear, and so I would have thought that gap would have closed slightly. But still very good job to L/L

 

[Baron Vladimir]

This has been a very strong event so far. A lot of great teams with good skates tonight.

I watched just the last group and i agree with you, there is so many positive things to say about those teams...But for me personally, those positives are somehow minified with the fact that all those teams looked totally the same with their type of skating, elements and aestetics, so when we came to the best team of the night - Lajoie/Lagha, i became a little bit bored... Its probably not the problem with the skaters themselves, but with the coaching teams and their choices, but it would be much better if someone tried something original/unique, or at least different, a la Gilles/Poirier style. Then the whole last group of skaters would look even better :thumbsup:

 

[SnowWhite]

I watched just the last group and i agree with you, there is so much positive things to say about those teams...But for me personally, those positives are somehow minified with the fact that all those teams looked totally the same with their type of skating, elements and aestetics, so when we came to the best team of the night - Lajoie/Lagha, i became a little bit bored... Its probably not the problem with the skaters themselves, but with the coaching teams, but it would be much better if someone tried something original/unique, or at least different, a la Gilles/Poirier style. Then the whole last group would look even better :thumbsup:

There was actually a lot of variety, just not as much among the last few. But in the top ten we also had Bashynska/Beaumont and their story-telling, character-based Cinderella FD, D'Alessandro/Waddell's Carmen/Malaguena Spanish FD, McIsaac/Circelli's open, folky FD to There Will Be Time by Mumford & Sons and Baaba Maal, Bronsard/Bouaraguia's high energy character-based Greatest Showman FD...

But actually, I would say that Galiyanova/Lochhead, Fabbri/Ayer and Orihara/Royer had similar types of FDs, but less so Lajoie/Lagha. L/L's feels less contemporary and more dramatic to me - not just romance-focused.

Also keep in mind that of the top ten, a lot of these teams are in their first season together (G/L, F/A, O/R, M/C). And then Bronsard/Bouaraguia just got back together for this season after splitting and skating singles last year.

 

[SnowWhite]

If people are interested, the top ten by coaches:

Scarboro (Carol Lane's team)
- Galiyanova/Lochhead
- Bashynka/Beaumont

Gadbois
- Lajoie/Lagha
- Fisher/Malette-Paquette
- Bronsard/Bouaraguia

Vancouver Ice Dance Academy (Megan Wing, Aaron Lowe)
- Orihara/Royer
- Makita/Gunara

The Cricket Club (Andrew Hallam)
- D'Alessandro/Waddell
- McIsaac/Circelli

Julien Lalonde
- Fabbri/Ayer