2023 U.S. Nationals Sr. Free Dance

[moonvine]

Amazing skate but really - American home cooking. THe score was gratutiouts and unnecessary especially in light their biggest threat is injured and the Italians are too boring to be a real threat and Gibson and FEar too far down and the Danadians are likely to make a mistake. The scoring here is ridiculous. Chock and Bate are not PC, are not Davis and White and not V and M or even Klimova and Ponomarenko or Usova and Zhulin or Krylova and Oksiankov or ... Scoring over 135 is just uncalled for, unwarranted and undeserved.

Honestly….who cares what the score was? Everyone knows Nationals scores are overinflated. They do not count for anything at all. They do not count for world standings points, they don’t even count for assignments or byes for next year. Placements do. So let them get 500, who cares?

I feel your..irritation? Anger? I just don’t understand it. Everyone knows that nationals scores of all nations don’t have much if any grounding in reality.

 

[moonvine]

My favorite part was the snake stuffie. Now that’s how you stuffie. I saw Evan pointing it out to her. That and my new babies getting 4th!! Adoption papers!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

They hotness .was missing, especially from Pom

Then we were seeing two completely different things. I was totally feeling sensual H/D and V/M vibes from them and rightfully so.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Man, we have had some brief conversations with a few judges this week. They want to see what they want to see. There is a level of execution that the top skaters have that everyone else is judged by. They seek a level of physicality that is top-tier. Even a rotational spin that you think is in enough of a split position may not be enough for top levels. It was really eye-opening.

Absolutely this. And when I come here and try to explain these things and how strict it is everyone thinks I'm crazy LOL!

Now you all know. The judges want what they want and we have to give it to them at that level.

 

[IceDancingQueen]

Honestly….who cares what the score was? Everyone knows Nationals scores are overinflated. They do not count for anything at all. They do not count for world standings points, they don’t even count for assignments or byes for next year. Placements do. So let them get 500, who cares?

I feel your..irritation? Anger? I just don’t understand it. Everyone knows that nationals scores of all nations don’t have much if any grounding in reality.

Well to be fair, not every nation inflates scores this much!! I love C/B but that score was crazy inflation. People here complain a lot about Russian nationals inflation so I think it’s fair to call it out when others are bordering on THAT scale of inflation! I have no issue with the scores for the other teams, as you said, there is always a certain amount of inflation in nationals but the GOEs for C/B were near perfect for every element? This is P/C level of scoring and I think all of us know how unrealistic that is - it makes the score seem kind of like a joke which I don’t think is helpful to the team nor the competition.

 

[IceDancingQueen]

Just caught up- G/P were great and I’m so glad C/P made the podium after the tough year they have had with Anthony’s surgery. I much preferred Z/K today than in their RD - such a promising team. Flores/Desyatov not as sharp is in the RD but again super promising. C/B were great but commented above that the score was crazy - not consistent at all with what they have been scoring internationally so not sure how that level of inflation is helpful to them, but hey ho.

 

[sworddance21]

I'm so happy this morning to see that Kaitlyn and Jean-Luc are on the world team!!

 

[Seven Sisters]

I'm so happy this morning to see that Kaitlyn and Jean-Luc are on the world team!!

I think that this must be a good sign that their recovery is on track and that they expect to be back to their usual form before long!

 

[moonvine]

I'm so happy this morning to see that Kaitlyn and Jean-Luc are on the world team!!

Yay!!!!

 

[skatemd1]

I really liked this program! I thought it was fun and classic musical theatre-y.

I loved this too from G/P. Really improved all season and it showed off their musicality, speed and polish very well. Loved it, loved it, loved it! Thought they were underscored in fact.

 

[skatemd1]

Caroline & Michael make everything look so easy.

I agree with this, including their speed, which while looking effortless, is always impressive. They cover so much ice in their elements and have edges to die for. Loved this performance and C/B best of any of them this week. Clearly the two best in USA right now. Judges seemed to agree.

 

[Cindy1983]

Watching the Free Dance playback. I saw Chock and Bates, costume —YIKES!

 

[GGFan]

Finally got to watch Green/Parsons. I love Rhapsody in Blue and I think they look gorgeous. They have great skating skills. Having said that, in the world of ice dance where you have to make yourself stand out I do not think it was the smartest move. They moved their career forward by being avant garde and I thought they would keep pushing things in that direction. Hopefully Tanith and Charlie allow them to be more creative next year.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I want to like them as much as others do, but honestly I get Emily and Emilia confused

LOL. The names or the ice dancers? IMO, they don't look alike. Emily is taller than Emilia. And they skate with different partners.

Well, I suppose Vadym/ Emilia are officially the 'New Kids on the Block,' with bragging rights. Despite their obvious talent, it's unusual for a brand new, young team to vault over more established skaters. The NBC broadcast booth were very definite about Emilia/ Vadym being 'wuzrobbed' of third place. At the same time, Ben and Johnny had praised Christina/ Anthony's FD performance, which was better than their RD.

I'm not surprised that C/P's well-executed FD moved them into third though. They are well-liked politically and they had been in line to move up for awhile, but were often foiled by the young Maryland ice dance teams. C/P do show a lot of improvement from last season. In the long run, they may be passed by Emilia/ Vadym and perhaps by others too. The depth of talent is huge in NA ice dance!

I enjoy Bella/ Vanya. They are so well-suited. They were bound to be passed in the FD by Wolfk/ Chen. The Browns also have pecking order prestige over B&V, so with the costume mistake, inevitable they would drop. Johnny and Terry said the same mishap occurred during a practice session. It should have been taken seriously and managed for competition by taking whatever precaution was necessary. I hope they will regroup, take the mishap in stride, learn from it, and continue working hard. They have made a good impression, and the way forward for them is promising. One challenge will be not having a politically well-established coach looking out for them. B&V's coach also trains Neset/ Markelov, who won junior ice dance.


ETA:
Correction: Emilia's name is spelled with an 'e'. Emilea. She's American (born in Michigan), with paternal grandparents who were born in Cyprus. So she's a dual citizen, she used to skate singles for Cyprus.

I imagine she was recruited by Shpilband, as she trained at the rink and she's the perfect size for Vadym. They must have trained her extensively in ice dance, and she caught on quickly. E&V's talent is obvious, but still somewhat surprising how high they landed out of the gate. I'm sure Vadym's talent is prized, and much was expected of him with Avonley. Their split was so surprising on the face of it, but I guess not so surprising when details are known.

For me, Avonley/ Vadym possessed an elusive, indefinable magic quality, which is rare. While I don't feel the same magic in Vadym with Emilea, their talent together is very definable, palpable, and busting out all over.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Well to be fair, not every nation inflates scores this much!! I love C/B but that score was crazy inflation. People here complain a lot about Russian nationals inflation so I think it’s fair to call it out when others are bordering on THAT scale of inflation! I have no issue with the scores for the other teams, as you said, there is always a certain amount of inflation in nationals but the GOEs for C/B were near perfect for every element? This is P/C level of scoring and I think all of us know how unrealistic that is - it makes the score seem kind of like a joke which I don’t think is helpful to the team nor the competition.

But why all the complaining? What's the big deal? If you notice, the skaters react with laughs and knowing smiles. The skaters totally get when homecooked scores are unrealistic. It doesn't hurt any of your fave international skaters. As usual, U.S. fed makes a loud and clear statement with these scores. "These are our number 1s!" It would be great if the U.S. was as good at political clout politicking, as they are at inflating the scores of favored champs. In any case, all countries do a version of inflation, but some fans become overly peeved when it's done in the U.S.

Why not whine about Japan and Italy prepping to flex their political muscles at Worlds in several disciplines? Oh, I get it. When the U.S. has skaters who threaten for major podiums, they become a big target to complain about.

 

[peepsquick]

Watching the Free Dance playback. I saw Chock and Bates, costume —YIKES!

I find her dress gorgeous and totally in synch with the theme of their FD. Could may be use a few sparkles to add to the depiction of flames.
I love both of her outfits this season.

 

[labgoat]

LOL. The names or the ice dancers? IMO, they don't look alike. Emily is taller than Emilia. And they skate with different partners.

Well, I suppose Vadym/ Emilia are officially the 'New Kids on the Block,' with bragging rights. Despite their obvious talent, it's unusual for a brand new, young team to vault over more established skaters. The NBC broadcast booth were very definite about Emilia/ Vadym being 'wuzrobbed' of third place. At the same time, Ben and Johnny had praised Christina/ Anthony's FD performance, which was better than their RD.

I'm not surprised that C/P's well-executed FD moved them into third though. They are well-liked politically and they had been in line to move up for awhile, but were often foiled by the young Maryland ice dance teams. C/P do show a lot of improvement from last season. In the long run, they may be passed by Emilia/ Vadym and perhaps by others too. The depth of talent is huge in NA ice dance!

I enjoy Bella/ Vanya. They are so well-suited. They were bound to be passed in the FD by Wolfk/ Chen. The Browns also have pecking order prestige over B&V, so with the costume mistake, inevitable they would drop. Johnny and Terry said the same mishap occurred during a practice session. It should have been taken seriously and managed for competition by taking whatever precaution was necessary. I hope they will regroup, take the mishap in stride, learn from it, and continue working hard. They have made a good impression, and the way forward for them is promising. One challenge will be not having a politically well-established coach looking out for them. B&V's coach also trains Neset/ Markelov, who won junior ice dance.


ETA:
Correction: Emilia's name is spelled with an 'e'. Emilea. She's American (born in Michigan), with paternal grandparents who were born in Cyprus. So she's a dual citizen, she used to skate singles for Cyprus.

I imagine she was recruited by Shpilband, as she trained at the rink and she's the perfect size for Vadym. They must have trained her extensively in ice dance, and she caught on quickly. E&V's talent is obvious, but still somewhat surprising how high they landed out of the gate. I'm sure Vadym's talent is prized, and much was expected of him with Avonley. Their split was so surprising on the face of it, but I guess not so surprising when details are known.

For me, Avonley/ Vadym possessed an elusive, indefinable magic quality, which is rare. While I don't feel the same magic in Vadym with Emilea, their talent together is very definable, palpable, and busting out all over.

Thanks for all the background info and news from the NBC hosts - I watched the silent world feed.. I have not seen the two girls side by side to recognize them that well yet. I was very impressed by Neset/Markelov in junior and that Tessa Virtue look alike Helena Carhartt as well.

 

[ucrgirl]

LOL. The names or the ice dancers? IMO, they don't look alike. Emily is taller than Emilia. And they skate with different partners.

Well, I suppose Vadym/ Emilia are officially the 'New Kids on the Block,' with bragging rights. Despite their obvious talent, it's unusual for a brand new, young team to vault over more established skaters. The NBC broadcast booth were very definite about Emilia/ Vadym being 'wuzrobbed' of third place. At the same time, Ben and Johnny had praised Christina/ Anthony's FD performance, which was better than their RD.

I'm not surprised that C/P's well-executed FD moved them into third though. They are well-liked politically and they had been in line to move up for awhile, but were often foiled by the young Maryland ice dance teams. C/P do show a lot of improvement from last season. In the long run, they may be passed by Emilia/ Vadym and perhaps by others too. The depth of talent is huge in NA ice dance!

I enjoy Bella/ Vanya. They are so well-suited. They were bound to be passed in the FD by Wolfk/ Chen. The Browns also have pecking order prestige over B&V, so with the costume mistake, inevitable they would drop. Johnny and Terry said the same mishap occurred during a practice session. It should have been taken seriously and managed for competition by taking whatever precaution was necessary. I hope they will regroup, take the mishap in stride, learn from it, and continue working hard. They have made a good impression, and the way forward for them is promising. One challenge will be not having a politically well-established coach looking out for them. B&V's coach also trains Neset/ Markelov, who won junior ice dance.


ETA:
Correction: Emilia's name is spelled with an 'e'. Emilea. She's American (born in Michigan), with paternal grandparents who were born in Cyprus. So she's a dual citizen, she used to skate singles for Cyprus.

I imagine she was recruited by Shpilband, as she trained at the rink and she's the perfect size for Vadym. They must have trained her extensively in ice dance, and she caught on quickly. E&V's talent is obvious, but still somewhat surprising how high they landed out of the gate. I'm sure Vadym's talent is prized, and much was expected of him with Avonley. Their split was so surprising on the face of it, but I guess not so surprising when details are known.

For me, Avonley/ Vadym possessed an elusive, indefinable magic quality, which is rare. While I don't feel the same magic in Vadym with Emilea, their talent together is very definable, palpable, and busting out all over.

Thanks for the spelling tip. I think Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik will go far so I need to get this spelling figured out. (They had my favorite free dance of this event.)

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

Finally got to watch Green/Parsons. I love Rhapsody in Blue and I think they look gorgeous. They have great skating skills. Having said that, in the world of ice dance where you have to make yourself stand out I do not think it was the smartest move. They moved their career forward by being avant garde and I thought they would keep pushing things in that direction. Hopefully Tanith and Charlie allow them to be more creative next year.

Yeah, I totally agree with you. Rhapsody in Blue music composition is quite lovely, but I was not expecting this traditional selection for Green/ Parsons. I think most fans were eager to see G/P continue pushing in the avant garde direction. Obviously, they tweaked their choreo & presentation as most ice dance teams do over the course of the season. It's especially necessary to tweak when selections and choreo don't seem to hit all the right notes, and a program isn't being received well by judges.

What I'm most impressed by with G/P is their passion and their professionalism. Similar to Jason Brown when he moved to the Cricket Club and his Old Friends fp went over like a lead balloon, there was never any panicking by G/P. Like Jason ( who had actually expressed uncertainty about that music but agreed to explore it anyway), G/P placed trust and faith in their new caretakers. They didn't second guess, but pushed forward with belief in their own abilities and with trust in the guidance of their new caretakers.

That doesn't mean this RIB choice was not a bit of a misstep for G/P. But how you handle adversity is defining and important. Clearly, their team made some choreo and presentation tweaks.

I love how Rachel changed her dress and her hairstyle. She came out with a much more distinctive flapper look in deep pink or coral, with her hair in the flapper era style as well! It looked so good on her, plus that style also references the 1924 era during which Rhapsody in Blue was composed. That shows Rachel's (and their coaches') thoughtfulness and attention to detail. I love, love how Johnny Weir exclaimed and fawned over Rachel wearing deep raspberry pink instead of blue, which is what actually focused my attention moreso on the intentional changes to their presentation! At the start of the season, Rachel was wearing this generic blue frilly dress, and Michael had also been wearing a traditional suit jacket and pants. They both flipped their costumes to 1920s edgy style. And it works much better, along with some quirky choreo tweaks. We ended up seeing G/P better. They had kinda receded into the background at first with their costumes and the overly traditional approach.

I had surmised that perhaps Tanith was trying to show G/P had range in all genres. Still, the way they presented at the beginning of the season made them appear too generic. The choices did not enhance or forefront who they are, and as a result, they did not stand out in the way they usually have. I'm happy with their reboot of this music choice. But I want to see them forefront who they are when they push forward next season. What worked so well from the beginning of G/P's partnership was getting to see and feel their personalities come together in exciting ways!

As well, Ben & Johnny are the absolute bomb with the important insights they provide in their ice dance coverage! More of Ben & Johnny please! And I ain't talkin' about ice cream either. Hmmm, but ice dance with B&J coverage while partaking of creamy Kitehill yogurt and real cherries on top, with shortbread cookies sounds about right. LOL! Or maybe with blondie brownies made with coconut strips and chocolate chips. Yum!

 

[moonvine]

Thanks for the spelling tip. I think Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik will go far so I need to get this spelling figured out. (They had my favorite free dance of this event.)

I love them but it’ll have to be Z/K for me.