There seems to be a concerted campaign to promote this team from the start. From certain parts of the audience, the assertive attitude, and the whole energy around them in Barrie. I can understand why, since he is last season's champion, been on the international scene for awhile, and funding is attached to the top 3 and top 5 finishers at Canadians. Not to mention future international assignments. The issue is that it takes a long time to develop a connection as a team....unison, line, posture together, etc. They have speed and confidence for sure. But they just need time at the rink together to develop the subtle things that will bring them the success they are looking for. I don't think there are short-cuts in ice dance. And they are absolutetly over-scored. There is no way this is close to Weaver/Poje. I think Ralph/Hill could beat them as well on a good day. I do think Piper and Paul are a top 5 team, I'm just don't think they are top 3, and definitely not in the short dance. Today, I expect them to have an audience pleasing program full of speed and great tricks. They have very cool lifts, so no worries there, chuckm. All this will mask the skating basics they are missing as a team. To me its a great show program, and not a competition program. But since they are not able to travel internationally this year, maybe that's the best strategy: make a good impression, get out in competition as much as possible, please the crowds, place somewhere in the top 5 at Canadians, while they work on gelling together as a team.
To be honest, the whole Senior event was a little underwhelming. Maybe I'm just grumpy. Or maybe it's this year's short dance, which I am really starting to loath. Beyond Gilles/Poirier, I think Orford/Williams had a solid start, but I think they are an unevenly matched team. It's becoming very obvious. She is very strong, but he looks like he struggles to keep up. His lines are just awful. Again, they have speed and flow, but they are missing a lot of basics together. And I don't see a connection really between them. I'm not sure how this works politically in the rink in BC, but I really think maybe Orford and Gagnon are a better idea. I'm not sure if their body types will match better, but I think they could really be an interesting team.
I found Van As/Shindle very underwhelming. I was expecting a whole lot more from them after the results from BC Sectionals. Their music is definitely not very latin. Ugh. Ritchie-Herveux/Masse are a much improved team, and they did very well for them. This is especially good when you consider they had to skate right after Gilles/Poirier. Good for them! In terms of skating to potential at this point in time, Gilles/Poirer and Ritchie-Herveux/Masse won the night for me. Laporte/Laliberte are missing a whole lot of skating skills. They seem to have arrived at their placement by element levels, but the skating itself is a work in progress. A lot of skating on 2-feet, missing complexity, and he especially can hardly make some of those turns in the foot-work sequence. To be honest, I thought they were overscored. Except for a couple of exceptions, there were way too many cross-cuts and 2-foot skating across the event. I'm beginning to detect a pattern with Lioudvinevitch/Mulder. When they compete only with themselves (Isabelle Henderson, Sectionals), they skate with more confidence and speed. When they skate with others, they look careful and tentative and a little overwhelmed, which then sets them up for errors. And it was a bad day at the office for them, since they were hit not only on the levels, but also with a long lift. It's unfortunate, since their skating skills, lines, unison, connection, diversity within the choreography (not a lot of 2 foot skating here), original music choices are all very, very good. Maybe good enough even for 2nd or 3rd. But they have to bring it. I get the sense this is not about skill, but mental frame of mind. They need to be infused with some of Gilles/Poirer chutzpah. They could move up tonight with a good skate. Dumas/Mackay Perry have made good improvements over the course of the season, but they really are a work in progress yet. Smyl Joly/Jesionek are a brand new team as well, and are also a work in progress. They'll get some good experience this year, make a trip to Moncton, and then do a whole lot better next year. I think they are just too new yet to have the pieces together.
