Pairs SP - Cup of China 2013

[dorispulaski]

Then you probably don't know dorispulaski well enough, hehe

Whereas you do? Most people on the internet don't know each other. I have never, to my knowledge, met you in real life.

But you don't know me at all, even in the shallow internet sense of acquaintance, if you think I don't watch this stuff obsessively. I have been up since 3:45 AM, first waiting to watch, and then watching all the SPs & the SD. Every competitor. I have watched a lot of CoC coverage over the years. And the camera work has always been dreadful, the audio fidelity dreadful during the actual skating, and since the overhead camera has been a constant feature of CoC the last couple of years, and it makes me both dizzy and angry.

I still watch all of it.

The camera is overhead on the spins because it is CoC, and they always do it.

Doris's comment referred to the camera work which has been terrible at this event, as far as I can remember.

Yup

Yep - it's the worst camera work I've ever seen, and it always stays like that. I remember once them doing an overhead view for a bielmann spin...

Ziggy & Macassar88 know exactly what I'm talking about.

If you don't know, I suspect you haven't watched all that much CoC coverage over the years.

 

[Mao88]

PAIRS SHORT PROGRAM - RESULT & VIDEOS

1. Qing PANG / Jian TONG (CHN) - 70.38 Short Program
2. Aliona SAVCHENKO / Robin SZOLKOWY (GER) - 69.07 Short Program
3. Cheng PENG / Hao ZHANG (CHN) - 64.24 Short Program
4. Alexa SCIMECA / Chris KNIERIM (USA) - 57.99
5. Xuehan WANG / Lei WANG (CHN) - 57.16
6. Anastasia MARTIUSHEVA / Alexei ROGONOV (RUS) - 53.02
7. Daria POPOVA / Bruno MASSOT (FRA) - 51.82
8. Felicia ZHANG / Nathan BARTHOLOMAY (USA) - 50.33

 

[Chemistry66]

wow, Peng is 29 and Zhang only 16. Huge age difference.

For a second I got really confused, then realized you switched the ages.

 

[bramweld]

Pang and Tong had me at the music. But that program needs some Russian power. Why oh why couldn't V/T skate to something like this? Too much lyrical snot!!

 

[MaiKatze]

Pang and Tong were great. Amazing after all these years together, they might get another medal at Sochi. I liked S/S's short. But I think V/T's short is more pleasing to the eye/audience. I think they were a bit slow as well, and of course, too many mistakes. For now, I guess they are fighting for Silver in Sochi. Gold seems out of reach. But I really am curious about their Nutcracker LP!

 

[hippomoomin]

wow, Peng is 29 and Zhang only 16. Huge age difference.

That's why they choose this piece of music, if you watched Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

 

[samson]

Bramweld, I loved the music choice too! So sophisticated and really well suited for them. Love the opening and closing image. For me, this program really displays Pang and Tong's maturity as a couple and as people. I'm not sure the movement and the mood they created would have felt as authentic on any other team right now. They also looked much better here than I expected.

It's funny I watched S/S first and I didn't know what music Pang and Tong were skating too, but as I was watching S/S I kept thinking how much I wish they had chosen Lady Caliph and lo and behold P/T are skating to it!

Unfortunately for me S/S sp music doesn't have the impact I want it. I appreciate the mood they are trying to create but I feel like something a little more driving would really help them build that Olympic excitement you want to see. Also, until I realized they were doing the triple axel, their set up for the jump made me think they had forgotten something in the choreography or missed an element!

Anyway, I don't mean to sound so critical or nit-picky, the quality of their other elements were really wonderful, and it is early in the season, I just... wanted more I guess.

I'm looking forward to the free skate to see what both teams have in store for us!

 

[dorispulaski]

I wish S&S wouldn't keep going for the 3ATh, since they seldom hit it, and it's not like there's any "first ever" involved, since Inoue & Baldwin already did the first in ISU & Olympic competitions.

Their 3FTh is great! They don't need the 3ATh, particularly since it is not hyper-rewarded or anything.

 

[Sara]

For a second I got really confused, then realized you switched the ages.

oh no, haha sorry for that

 

[Sara]

I wish S&S wouldn't keep going for the 3ATh, since they seldom hit it, and it's not like there's any "first ever" involved, since Inoue & Baldwin already did the first in ISU & Olympic competitions.

Their 3FTh is great! They don't need the 3ATh, particularly since it is not hyper-rewarded or anything.

Yes, you're absolutely right Doris, they should change it!

 

[sky_fly20]

I wish S&S wouldn't keep going for the 3ATh, since they seldom hit it, and it's not like there's any "first ever" involved, since Inoue & Baldwin already did the first in ISU & Olympic competitions.

This!, they'll lose a placement in the most important events, even drop to bronze or even 4th if the mistakes are too costly

 

[FSGMT]

I wish S&S wouldn't keep going for the 3ATh, since they seldom hit it, and it's not like there's any "first ever" involved, since Inoue & Baldwin already did the first in ISU & Olympic competitions.

Their 3FTh is great! They don't need the 3ATh, particularly since it is not hyper-rewarded or anything.

Their 3FTh usually earnes them more than 7 points (5.50 BV +GOE between +2 and +3), when the best they have ever scored with a 3ATh in the SP is 6.64... If they REALLY want to attempt it, they should do it only in the FS

 

[Ziggy]

I also agree. It's just not worth it. They aren't likely to land it clean and their th3flip usually gets +2 GOE at least.

I gotta admire their tenacity though. Whilst their chances of OWG gold are almost none, at least they will come down fighting. It's all or nothing.

I've finished the Pairs SP report up, btw. Link below:
http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/showthread.php?42374-Pairs-SP-Report-2013-Cup-of-China

 

[dorispulaski]

Exactly.

 

[MaiKatze]

I think so as well. Better execute "easier" elements as best as you can and get positive GOE. But I understand where they are coming from. They were on german tv some time ago, and they basically said that they were focusing in training on the axel for 2 years and really want to do it in competition. I think putting it in the LP only might be a good idea.

 

[bramweld]

I wholeheartedly agree with Doris regarding S/S. They had everything they needed to mount a serious challenge to V/T, then somebody whispered in their ears here's the shortcut to beating them. The 3A! And worse they believed it!! V/T to their credit have honed all their elements they soar on every lift, throw, I could go on. How this infuriates me..Now it looks like there will be no real challenge for the gold barring disaster, however MT/M could surprise me Couldn't they?

 

[sky_fly20]

I wholeheartedly agree with Doris regarding S/S. They had everything they needed to mount a serious challenge to V/T, then somebody whispered in their ears here's the shortcut to beating them. The 3A! And worse they believed it!! V/T to their credit have honed all their elements they soar on every lift, throw, I could go on. How this infuriates me..Now it looks like there will be no real challenge for the gold barring disaster, however MT/M could surprise me Couldn't they?

MTM can definitely sneak a silver

 

[Blades of Passion]

Unfortunately they will lose against V/T if they just do a clean SP with 3Flip, since the judges have made it clear how much they will overscore V/T. S/S want to win Gold and the only way to do it at this point is hitting the 3Axel, so that they can make the judges see them as actually being the superior team.

 

[sky_fly20]

Unfortunately they will lose against V/T if they just do a clean SP with 3Flip, since the judges have made it clear how much they will overscore V/T. S/S want to win Gold and the only way to do it at this point is hitting the 3Axel, so that they can make the judges see them as actually being the superior team.

how much will they get for a 3A ? they lose GOE anyways
the chances of landing it cleanly is close to zero without two footing the landing

 

[Blades of Passion]

And the chances of beating a clean V/T without it is 0, so...they have to do it.

They've been trying this element in competition since 2012. Hopefully by the time the Olympics rolls around, they can nail it cleanly.