2003

Skate America

Pairs Event

by Maggie Doyle

The Chinese team of Qing Pang and Jian Tong were the final competitors and blew away their competition with their lovely and clean program to "Illumination by Rolf Lovland.  Highlights included a huge double twist, nice side-by-side triple toe loops and a big throw triple loop. Their spins seemed improved although there was a slight unison problem on their change foot combination spin. For their efforts they received a total element score of 35.00 and a total short program score of 67.08. Their weakest marks were for transitions where they received a 7.65 on a ten-point scale from the five judges whose marks counted. For skating skills they had 8.10, performance and execution they garnered an 8.20. For choreography they received an 8.05 and an 8.10 for interpretation with a total for Program Component scores of 32.08. 

Russia's Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov finished second at this stage with 64.94 points, which gives the Chinese a 2.14 lead going into the free skate for Saturday. The Chinese skate 9th for the free skating program and the Russians will be the final competitors. Petrova and Tikhonov had a higher transitions score of 7.90 and a higher choreography score of 8.20 and but finished behind the Chinese in the other program component aspects, skating skills (8.05), performance/execution (8.10), and interpretation (7.95). Their component total was 32.16 and their total element score was 32.78.

They skated a clean performance to untitled music by Baxter and included strong side-by-side triple toe loops, and a nice throw triple loop.

The pair's press conference was cancelled due to timing constraints since the men's competition followed so closely with Michael Weiss the first to skate. The pair draw was still going on at that point, so no skaters were available for quotes at that point. 

Canadians Utako Wakamatsu and Jean-Sebastien Fecteau continued a strong Canadian pair tradition for third place at this competition stage. Their total short program score was 56.88 with 31.12 for total elements and 25.76 for factorized total program component score. Their component scores were all in the 6.10 to 6.60 range. This team is coached by Richard Gauthie and their music was "Kirwani" by David Visan. She put her hand down on the throw triple loop and they did not have their best double twist tonight. Their lift caught people's notice with its unusual splits positions and this team has potential. 

Another Chinese team, Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang took fourth place with 56.14 in total short program points. With a total element score of 30.46 and a total program component score of 25.68, they beat out the Canadian team of Elizabeth Putnam and Sean Wirtz by a margin of 4.12 going into the freeskating programs. The Chinese, skating to "All Alone" by Joe Satriani, had a huge double twist and strong lift but did easier footwork; a mediocre death spiral and their spins were very slow. She saved her throw triple loop but bent at the waist upon landing. They need to step things up for the freeskate to move up in the standings. 

The Americans did not dazzle here in Reading at this competition stage but also could move up in the freeskate. Tiffany Scott and Philip Dulebohn sit in sixth place with 51.12 total segment score points, earning 26.32 for total element score and 24.80 for total program component score points. She fell on their side-by-side triple toe loops in the "Farandole' by G. Bizet. They are now coached by Isabelle Brasseur and Rocky Marval and will skate fourth in the freeskate.

Larissa Spielberg and Craig Joeright follow in 7th place with 50.82 for total segment points, which gives Scott and Dulebohn a slim. .3 lead over them going into the freeskate. Spielberg and Joeright had a higher total element score of 28.34 but were slightly lower with their total program component score of 22.48. This team did side-by-side double Axels instead of triple toe loops in their Tango program from the Indochine soundtrack.  This team skates sixth in the skating order for the freeskate, the last team before the top four group competes.

The third American team of Kathryn Orscher and Garrett Lucash preformed to "Still got the Blues" by G. Moore for 8th. They fell in unison on their side-by-side triple toe loops but had a very nice throw triple Salchow. Their total short program score was 46.44 with a total element score of 25.16 and a total component score of 22.28. They go into the freeskate 4.38 lower than their American teammates in 7th place. They have an early draw of second to skate for the freeskate on Saturday.

2003 Skate America Pairs Medalists