2001

Skate America

Dance Event

Shae-Lynn Bourne & Victor Kraatz skated to a convincing victory in the compulsory dance.  They were placed first by six of the seven judges with only the judge from Lithuania placing Margarita Drobiazko & Povilas Vanagas first.  Except for the Lithuanian judge, the Canadians earned marks three to seven tenths higher than Drobizko & Vanagas and rightly so.  The Lithuanian judge tied the two teams in total marks and then broke the tie by placing his countrymen higher than the Canadians in the first mark.

Third in the compulsory dance were the Israeli team of Galit Chait & Sergei Sakhnovsky.  Fifth in the World in 2000 and sixth in 2001, they would like to establish themselves as contenders for the Olympic bronze but that appears to be an uphill battle at this point.

Naomi Lang & Peter Tchernyshev had been scheduled to compete here but have withdrawn from all their Grand Prix events due to Tchernyshev being side-lined by shinsplints.  Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto who are the reigning U.S. silver medalists placed fifth in the dance while Jessica Joseph & Brandon Forsyth, the 2001 National bronze medalists were eighth.

Said Bourne after their performance, "The great thing about the program is that it's very difficult, a very technical and very intricate dance.  It was a great start for the first competition of the season.  I think we performed it very well and certainly when we go back home we want to make it even better.  I believe it's always a little nerve-wracking when it's the first event and no one's seen your program.  You don't know what people will expect from your performance."

Margarita Drobiazko  & Povilas Vanagas skated a program with more traditional Latin choreography opening with a Paso Doble rhythm and ending with a Flamenco.  It was well done with interesting choreography and a pleasant presentation.  Two of the seven judges placed them first above the Candaians, the Lithuanian judge and the French judge.

Holding third place were Galit Chait & Sergei Sakhnovsky who skated a Flamenco, Paso Doble and Tango.

All of the couples received deductions in he OD except for the U.S. team of Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto who did a nice job with Flamenco and Tango rhythms.  The second American team of Jessica Joseph & Brandon Forsyth had a difficult skate with Forsyth stumbling twice in their opening side-by-side footwork sequence.

Skating to a medley of Michael Jackson songs, Shae-Lynn Bourne & Victor Kraatz were the unanimous pick of the the judges in the free dance.  It was a controvertial result, with the majority of observers feeling that the Lithuanian team should have been first and the Israeli team second.  The first third of the Canadian's dance was well skated with decent speed but the remainder of the dance slowed considerably and lacked flow is several long footwork sequences.  Nevertheless, the panel saw it otherwise, and it was an important win for the couple since a victory over the Lithuanians and Israelis here was essential to maintaining their position as contenders for the bronze medal at the Olympics.

The Israeli team of Galit Chait & Sergei Sakhnovski moved up a place to win the silver medal.  They skated a medley of Jewish folk melodies with good speed.  The new rule banning crotch lifts in dance this season has served them well.   In being forced to omit the grotesque maneuvers that characterized much of their Paganini routine last season, they have produced a free dance where the emphasis is on ice dancing and the quality of their skating.

Margarita Drobiazko & Povilas Vanagas skated a very passionate and powerful routine that was the favorite of the spectators.  They dropped one spot in the standings, however, in a 4-3 split of the panel with the Israeli team.  It was stinging defeat for the 2000 World bronze medalists and a sign that there quest for an Olympic medal may be a long-shot.

Tatiana Navka & Roman Kostomarov skated to a medley of Michael Jackson songs, with an emphasis on Latin rhythms.  Overall they did a nice job, though Kostomarov fell at 2:40 into the program at the entry to a circular step sequence.  A new requirement this season is that the couples must do a circular step sequence in the clockwise direction.  This is the opposite direction the couples normally skate and has proven to be a challenge for many teams.

Tanith Belbin & Benjamin Agosto skated a themed routine on the plight of Sarajevo, and is a throwback to the themed routines of the early 1990's.  It was well skated at good speed with decent footwork and lifting.  Given the quality of their performance and the fall by Navka & Kostomarov many thought they would move up a place to fourth, but they lost out to the Russians on a 4-3 split of the panel.

Jessica Joseph & Brandon Forsyth had a decent skate but lacked the speed and difficulty needed to be competitive with the higher placed couples.

2001 Skate America Dance Medalists