2008 Skate Canada

Pairs Event

Russian Pair Glides into the Lead

The Russian team Yuko Kawaguchi & Alexander Smirnov lead after the Short Program with a score of 65.02 points, skating to "The Swan" from Camille Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals.  It was an unusual choice of music, as the piece is most often used by singles skaters, and the theme of the music is a single swan gliding through the water.  The Swan was the only part of The Carnival of the Animals (one of fourteen) that Saint-Saens thought was serious enough to merit publication in his lifetime.

 The team flowed through the program effortlessly, with only one technical error in the program -- a shoulder bump on the triple twist catch.  Their Program Components averaged around 7.00, with Skating Skills judges their greatest strength, and Transitions the weakest, nearly 1/2 point below the rest.  One judge had them in the fives, which seems a bit low, but then that judge marked most of the teams lower than the rest of the panel.  It was a well executed lyrical program, but Smirnov is so buff and so towers over his partner, that at times the contrast harms the visual impression.

Americans Keauna McLaughlin & Rockne Brubaker are in second 4.36 points back.  It was a fairly clean performance, technically superior to Skate America.  Two elements were marked negative -- triple Salchows where Brubaker had a poor landing edge, and a side-by-side combination spin, that was called level two (as oppose to level four at Skate America).  Their Program Components were mostly in the mid-sixes, about one-half point lower than Skate America. 

Just 0.52 points behind the Americans are the Canadian Champions Jessica Dube & Bryce Davison.  Errors in two elements pulled down their element scores, but they made up for it in components, with the second highest Program Component scores, 0.56 behind the Russians in PCS.  On triple twist there was a significant shoulder bump on the catch, with GoEs of minus two.  Putting a foot down on throw triple loop resulted in GoEs of minus one and two.  Skating to "Fix You" by Coldplay their component marks averaged around 7.00, with Transitions scored 1/2 point below the others.

Tiffany Vise & Derek Trent were a distant fourth in the Short Program, more than 11 points behind the leaders.  Their double twist was well done.  Triple toe loops were scored slightly negative, but throw triple loop had a very poor landing and received GoEs of minus two and three.

Skating to "Sweet Remembrance of You", their component scores averaged around 5.75, though one judge had them in the sevens.  The program was capably presented, but was devoid of passion.  As for so many of the teams, the lack of sufficient transitions, pulls down not only the Transitions score, but also the artistic scores, since it is largely through the transitions that the artistic characteristics of the program are developed.

The third American team, Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig placed eighth, looking mostly like a decent Junior team, but in over their heads at Senior.  On triple Salchow, Evora under-rotated and two-footed the jump, and fell.  Their flying combination spin was also scored negative.  Program Components were mediocre, ranging from 4.00 to 5.50.  They also received a time deduction. With 47.04 points in the Short Program and the teams in fifth through seventh place essentially ties with about 50 points, the team has a chance to move up if they put together a decent Free Skate. 

Kawaguchi & Smirnov

McLaughlin & Brubaker

Yuko Kawaguchi & Alexander Smirnov placed second in the Free Skate, but held on to win the gold by 0.43 points. Kawaguchi and Keauna McLaughlin collided in the warmup.  Kawaguchi seemed none the worse for it, and after the event she said it did not influence their performance.  Their performance was fairly clean but not commanding.  On a triple toe loop - triple toe loop sequence Smirnov doubled the jump, resulting in the element scored with negative GoEs.  Double Axels were also executed poorly and were scored negative for quality.  The GoEs for the remaining elements received GoEs of mainly zeros and plus ones.

The performance to "I Pagliacci" was also capable but not commanding.  The character development was not clear, and the program lacked continuity.  Their component marks were mainly in the low sevens, with Transitions a bit lower, in the high sixes.

Skating to (God help us) "Carmen," Jessica Dube & Bryce Davison won the Free Skate and pulled up to second overall, after placing third in the Short Program.  Triple twist had a poor catch and was scored with mostly minus twos for GoEs.  Throw triple loop had a big reach on the landing and was also scored negative.  Overall, though, the elements were well done, with a majority of the GoEs plus one.

The program was capably performed and the choreography better than most, but what the program was about was not clear.  OK, so she was Carmen, and he was? Don Jose? Escamillio?  Couldn't tell.  And why was he the dominant one in the relation?  And why was she costumed more like a toreador than a Gypsy?  Those artistic details aside, their Program Components were in the high sixes and low sevens, averaging about 7.00.

McLaughlin & Brubaker had a rough skate, being scored negative on three elements, and their pair spin called no-level.  Placing third in the Free Skate, the Americans ended up third overall.  Now they get to wait for a month to see if a second and third place finish in their two events will be enough to make the final.

McLaughlin appeared more affected by the collision in the warmup, but after the event, she declined to blame anything on the warmup saying, "I don't want to blame outside factors for anything that happened today."  She also added, however, that her back was a little sore from the collision.

On triple Salchows McLaughlin singled the jump, and on triple toe loops she double the jump.  On their pair spin they both put their foot down before enough rotations had been completed to count as a spin and the element received no value.  Despite the technical errors, they fought their way through the performance and their Program Components did not suffer to greatly.  Their component marks were mainly in the mid-sixes, with Skating Skills near seven.  They were very similar to the marks they received at Skate Amerce, the main difference between the two competition in the total element score.

Tiffany Vise & Derek Trent dropped to fifth on the Free Skate to fifth overall.  Most of their elements were adequately executed, at best.  Triple toe loops were marked down slightly, and a double Lutz - double toe loop combination was also marked down due to Vise stepping out of the toe loop.  They attempted throw quad Salchow, but the jump was extremely under-rotated.  Their strongest element was their opening double twist which is high and precisely executed.  Skating to "Heroes, Return with Honor" the performance was slow and ponderous, with component marks mainly in the high fives.

Amanda Evora & Mark Ladwig placed seventh in the Free Skate and climbed out of last place to finish seventh overall.  Half of their elements (six) were scored negative for quality.  There rendition of Tchaikovski's "The Nutcracker" was pretty standard fare, very thin on transitions which were scored below five.  The remaining component marks were mainly in the low fives, except for Skating Skill in the mid-fives.

Dube & Davison

2008 Skate Canada Pairs Medalists