2021 Worlds: FD "Thoughts and Observations"

[gsk8]

Sinitsina and Katsalapov strike gold in Stockholm

The Ice Dance event concluded on Saturday night with the Free Dance at the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov (FSR) maintained their overnight […]

www.goldenskate.com

Quick observations:

- Great job for Sinitsina/Katsalapov and Hubbell/Donohue!
- Gilles and Poirier were mesmerizing! So happy for them!
- Feel really bad for Chock and Bates....there was no room for any errors in this event
- Good job on Stepanova and Bukin - no mistakes!
- Really love Fear and Gibson's stationary-rotational lift

 

[Corwin]

S/B, I guess they'll never get the marks they deserve...What a pity(

 

[NAOTMAA]

S/B, I guess they'll never get the marks they deserve...What a pity(

There was a short period of time the season right after the Olympics were S/B were clearly being marked as the new Russian #1 but then suddenly at the GPF the judges chose S/K instead and then it was over.

It was weird cause they definitely had the full support of TAT and other powers in the fed. Did the judges simply just make their choice on their own or did Zhulin somehow just outmaneuver everyone behind the scenes?

 

[Colonel Green]

There was a short period of time the season right after the Olympics were S/B were clearly being marked as the new Russian #1 but then suddenly at the GPF the judges chose S/K instead and then it was over.

It was weird cause they definitely had the full support of TAT and other powers in the fed. Did the judges simply just make their choice on their own or did Zhulin somehow just outmaneuver everyone behind the scenes?

A lot of it seemed to be that S/K were one of the only teams that season that consistently got good levels on the Tango Romantica.

I found it a bit odd that S/B were very obviously held up in the RD through mistakes only to get the hammer dropped on them in the free dance, which they skated fine.

 

[4everchan]

Piper and Paul stole the show of this entire worlds championships. Their performance was pure refinement and beauty. Thank you P and P and Carol Lane.

 

[Dreamer57]

I'm so happy for G/P!!

For ice dance, the scores were not as wild as I might have expected. S/Ks PCS in the free dance was only about 1 point away from G/P.

It wasn't a great event for Gadbois other than F/G. I know H/D came second but mainly because of the RD lead they had.
Keeps us all guessing for the olympics!

 

[happycamper2554]

There was a short period of time the season right after the Olympics were S/B were clearly being marked as the new Russian #1 but then suddenly at the GPF the judges chose S/K instead and then it was over.

It was weird cause they definitely had the full support of TAT and other powers in the fed. Did the judges simply just make their choice on their own or did Zhulin somehow just outmaneuver everyone behind the scenes?

S/B struggled at their GP events that year and then bombed the GPF free. They were ahead after the RD at GPF. Plus S/K were great at both GP events. They beat H/D in the FD at Skate Canada and looked good in France.

 

[Osmond4gold]

All and all, a well skated event. Piper & Paul were BREATHTAKING! I can only wonder how this program would have been received @ Worlds in Montreal, 2020. Nice to finally see them rewarded for their brilliance on the ice and for creating for me, the moment of the event!. Congrats to all Dance teams for an exceptional competition. Given the current realities and the lack of major comps. this season, this event was AMAZING!

 

[fzztsimmons]

PIPER AND PAUL BRONZE!!! I actually cried at their performance (and then again when Piper cried lol) - it was completely mesmerising and I was captivated by it. I actually can't believe that for once the standings actually changed to reflect a great performance on the ice. I would have actually thought they could have been in silver had they had slightly better (and deserved) PCS scoring in the RD. It was also great to hear Mark Hanretty wax lyrical about them in the commentary - for so long it has often felt that their talent was going unrecognised so it was great to hear someone who really understands skating praise them so. Just incredible!!

Also a big shout out to my Disco Brits Fear/Gibson for moving up to seventh place, and provisionally getting a second spot at the Olympics (likely for Lilah's sister). I really saw big improvements in Lilah's skating in particular since before the pandemic, and they hit a new PB in the FD. I'm still not tired of that Vogue performance either!!

 

[Koatterce]

PIPER AND PAUL!! An amazing performance and so glad they skated super well technically as well. Loved their reaction to the scores and how they gave each other their medals like officials at the medal ceremony! I wasn't actually able to watch the skaters after them, but having seen their score, I knew it would put pressure on the next few and that they'd have an opportunity to move up, so I was super happy that they managed to do it when I checked the results later!

 

[Bluediamonds09]

Kaitlin Hawayek was shaking her head at the scores in the kiss-and-cry. I don't know ice dance well, so was she right, were they underscored?

 

[Colonel Green]

Kaitlin Hawayek was shaking her head at the scores in the kiss-and-cry. I don't know ice dance well, so was she right, were they underscored?

The scoring for the teams that skated before the Disco Brits was noticeably lower than last season. The spacing of the teams was overall right, I'd say, but one got the sense that the judges were consciously reining in some of the scores that you saw handed out at Euros and 4CC last year (where, e.g., Lajoie/Lagha and Wang/Liu were 8-10 points higher -- though one should note that both of those teams were rougher here than they were there).

 

[Flying Feijoa]

Piper and Paul moving up to claim a bronze (pretty surprising to actually have surprises in ice dance scoring!)
Also I love Charlene and Marco and it's nice to see them get 6th. There were some levels lost, so I'm sure they're capable of an even higher placement next time

 

[purplecat]

Congrats to the medalists!

I'm so sad for Chock and Bates - the loss of last year's Worlds probably hurt them the most as they were poised to regain the podium after being off for several years which is not an easy feat to do. Then the pandemic hit and then they lost training due to a concussion (I believe). Feels like they could have used another month or two to be peak shape. Hoping they can get their confidence in the twizzles back - I used to always worry about them and then the last couple years they were always so solid, now I gotta worry about them again. Also hoping they come up with some great programs next year - gonna be hard to top the snake dance though!

 

[readernick]

Most happy for G/P without a doubt the best performance of this event and they got a medal!! Just beautiful.

I like C/B because they seem like genuinely good people but their placement off the podium here was fair because of the mistakes. Perhaps it will motivate them for next year.

S/B were overscored so much in the RD but their FD wasn't overscored at all. I liked it but the judges didn't. I guess Russian federation has decided to use all their power for S/K.

S/K I just don't like it. I mean I like her. She is a great ice dancer and seems like a nice person too. But, as a team I don't get what the judges are seeing. They make me want to sleep. The SD was nice and I can justify their placement in first there but I would have put them 4th in the FD. I guess I just don't see what the judges do, or maybe it is just political power. They are trying to be make them competitors for the French but their skating just isn't at that level.

Overall good competition for H/D. I don't like the RD but the FD is quite nice. I hope they get better material next year. In terms of pure skating, they are the class of the field. In terms of program choices, sometimes they have no class.

 

[moonvine]

Kaitlin Hawayek was shaking her head at the scores in the kiss-and-cry. I don't know ice dance well, so was she right, were they underscored?

They are literally almost always underscored. You won’t hear me crying “wuzrobbed” this time because they didn’t skate their FD perfectly. There were errors. That being said I do think they were lowballed. But they skated perfectly at US Nationals and were robbed there, with C/B making obvious errors. IMHO they should be slugging it out with C/B every year for second. But it’s been decided they are US #3 and barring C/B falling that’s where they will stay. You want to see a heartbreaking face from Kaitlyn, go back and watch 2019 GP. The judges weren’t having any of their FD and they went back and worked and worked on it between GP assignments, costume changes, everything. The judges still weren’t having it.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

So thrilled for G/P!!!!!!

Also I know Nikita has a ton of haters that said he was nothing without Ilinykh, so this was a statement to all of them. Congrats to him and Vika!

 

[anonymoose_au]

So thrilled for G/P!!!!!!

I was so excited when I checked the standings (haven't actually caught up on it yet). Finally! What a game changer for them!

Now if only Kaitlin and Jean Luc could get the respect they deserve too!

Also I know Nikita has a ton of haters that said he was nothing without Ilinykh, so this was a statement to all of them. Congrats to him and Vika!

Figure skating fans are unforgiving...Elena I was a favourite, so obviously Nikita leaving the partnership deserves punishment and Vika gets caught in the he crossfire as well.

I enjoy Vika and Nika's skating (even if he can't Twizzle right ) so good on them indeed!

 

[GoneWithTheWind]

Firstly, congratulations to the medalists, and especially Piper and Paul for their lovely free dance and first Worlds medal! I enjoyed Madi and Zach's new free dance too, it suits their style. I wonder if they are planning to keep it for next season?
As for the rest of the field:

• I wasn't a big fan of Madi and Evan's snake dance to begin with (sorry to those who love it!) and here, to me, it felt a bit flat. Sadly, I think their chance to medal with it was last season. I do wonder what they are going to do next season.
• Sasha and Ivan's scores were odd to me: over-scored in the RD where they had a mistake, but conservatively scored in the FD for a cleaner performance
• Charlene and Marco's free dance was beautiful, they were so happy with their performance and excited about their scores (and were clearly having a lovely time in the kiss and cry, shoving each other and joking around ) which makes me a very happy fan! Personally, I'd have put them 5th over S/B, but I'm biased so....
• Lilah and Lewis skated well to grab the 7th spot, still racking up massive GOE on the choreographic elements. I do wonder what will happen next season for them. Do they stick with the fun/disco idea which is clearly working for them and risk being seen as one trick ponies? Or do they go with a different theme, and potentially find themselves sliding down the rankings?
• Laurence and Nik's new free is... a bit odd, I guess? The new lifts are great, but the program overall felt a little bit sloppy. I feel like I really need to re-watch the whole program to grasp what its intention is. I wonder if they plan to keep it for next season?
• Kaitlin and Jean-Luc were not happy with their scores at all. Theirs is another program I feel I need to re-watch to 'get it'. Their skating was beautifully smooth, but the music was, to me, a little bit off-putting.
• Rounding out the top ten, Tiffani and Jonathan. I like their free dance a lot and I'm impressed they still kept the energy levels up, despite the lack of audience. I think the more dynamic, dramatic programs suit them more than soft, lyrical ones.
• Outside of the top ten, I enjoyed both French teams. Such a shame we won't see either of them at the Olympics, but they're all young enough to go another quad, so I look forward to seeing more of them in the future.

 

[readernick]

Figure skating fans are unforgiving...Elena I was a favourite, so obviously Nikita leaving the partnership deserves punishment and Vika gets caught in the he crossfire as well.

To be fair, I don't think it is because of the way he treated Elena. It has a lot to do with how he treated his current partner when they first teamed up. Really shouldn't go into that but I will never be his fan. However, my feelings about this team's skating are really only related to their skating. It bores me so much... If you like them, I am glad. We all like different things. I just don't get it. Artistic preferences can differ.