2010 Skate America

Pairs Event

Jet-lagged Germans taxi into first place

Eight pairs from six countries including two-time former World Champions. and current World and silver medallists and Olympic bronze medallists. Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy are competing in the Pairs event. The German team holds a 2.35 point lead over Canadians Kristen Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch.

Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy opened with a strong throw triple flip, followed by a big triple twist, though with a so-so catch.  On attempted triple toe loops Savchenko doubled the jump which cost the team the lead in TES.  Strong skating skills and a solid performance to "Korobushko" gave them the lead in component scores, with marks in the mid to upper sevens.  At this point in the season, however, the team is still off from their peak of 12-18 months ago when they were rock solid in all elements and getting component scores in the eights and nines.  A long trip from Germany may also have contributed to the team's performance coming across as a bit flat.   The story behind their music can be found at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korobushko

The Short Program was another strong performance from Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch.  The team, who has been together only since spring of 2009, placed second in the Short Program, just 2.35 points back.  They were fifth in the short at Skate Canada, and then won the Free Skate their to place second overall.  They continue in excellent form here.  They had the highest Total Element Score and were second in components, skating to "Zorba's Dance" from Zorba the Greek.  They opened with a strong triple twist which one judge scored at +3.  Their closing -side by side spin, called at level 4, was also well done with seven marks of +2.  The unison on this spin was particularly well done, except for a brief moment during the change of foot.  Their performance was fairly quick with better expression of this often used piece of music than one usually sees.

Americans Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett sit in third, 5.5 points behind the leaders.  It was a well skated, generally clean performance. The opening triple twist was the weakest element, being slightly under-rotated with some shoulder contact on the catch.  Four judges of nine went to negative GoEs for this element.  Throw triple Lutz, on the other hand, was particularly well done as was the side-by-side spin which had very good unison.  The performance had better than average speed expression and choreography, with marks mainly in the mid-sixes.  Like so many American teams before them, the challenge for this team is to move up a notch to components in the sevens and eights.

Wenjing Sui & Cong Han, from China, gave a delightful performance to "Country Dance" by Josh Turner and placed fourth in the short.  The team is the reigning World Junior Champions and Junior Grand Prix final champions.  They are also the reigning Chinese national pairs champions.  They opened with clean double Axels, followed by a superb triple twist, called level 2; and the subsequent throw triple flip was huge and securely landed.  Their side-by-side spins and the group five lift had minor errors and receive several negative GoE marks.  Dressed in gingham and chaps the performance was fast and lively, with both skaters showing off abundant personality in a well expressed and skated performance.  Their components were in the mid sixes.

The Russian team of Ksenia Stolbova & Fedor Klimov placed fifth in the short, and also broke 50 points, and are 10.26 points behind the leaders.  This young team has been together since the spring of 2009 and are the reigning Russian Junior National Champions.  They skated a clean program, but of somewhat reduced difficulty compared to the leaders.  Their components were in the upper fives, with mediocre speed and some sloppy moments in the performance.

Felicia Zhang & Taylor Toth had a few pretty moments in their performance, skating to "Claire de Lune" and their elements were generally clean, except for obvious chest contact on the catch.    The team is the reigning U.S. Junior National Champion.  While their elements are on track for moving up into the Senior ranks, the components is the area where their work lies ahead.  Their components in the Short Program averaged in the low fives, with some marks as low as 4.00 but others as high as 6.25.

Marrisa Castelli & Simon Shnapir had a difficult skate, with Castelli falling on triple Salchow and again throw triple Salchow.  Their best element was a strong triple twist, called level 2.  Skating to "Money" by Pink Floyd, it was a sloppy performance with mediocre speed.  Their components averaged in the high fours, with one judge going into the threes.

Rested Germans take flight in free skate and win Gold in gem of a performance.

In the Short Program Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy won that segment by just 2.35 points as they slept-skated though their performance.  The team was competing after a long trip from Germany which included a three hour delay in Chicago as they were apparently put through the wringer clearing U.S. customs.  In the Free Skate the team appeared much better rested and energetic, wining the segment by nearly 20 points, and were scored best in both TES and PCS.

The German team opened with a huge, outstanding throw triple flip that received six marks of +3 from the judges and three +2s.  This was followed by the only element with a clear error, a triple toe loop - triple toe loop sequence which was poorly landed, but with both jumps all the way around.  Though executed correctly, their second jump element was a double Salchow for which a triple had been planned.  Their second throw element was also a Salchow, this time a triple, which was well executed and received GoEs of 1 through 3.  Their lifts were all well done and the best of these was their group five Axel lasso lift with carry that was scored with eight 2s and a 3.  Bottom line -- except for the two jump elements the team was technically on their game for this performance.

Skating to "The Pink Panther" they moved through the program with better speed and energy than their somnambulistic performance in the Short Program.  It was a well constructed program that was well presented, though a bit juvenile, perhaps, to the tastes of some.  With Savchenko dressed in the most blindingly bright pink body suite seen in a long time, it is a thoroughly frivolous exercise in meeting the component requirements of IJS.  If it gets the job done, all well and good, but this team is capable of artistically more sophisticated efforts.  But one tends to see these more often in their exhibition programs than in competition -- their exhibition program this year ("The Mission") being a case in point.  The judges were as divided in their artistic impression of the program as anyone.  The component marks ranged from a low of 6.75 to high of 9.00.  In Interpretation alone they ranged from 7.75 to 9.00.

Canadians Kirsten Moore-Towers & Dylan Moscovitch repeated their second place result from Skate Canada with a second place finish here in both the Free Skate and overall.  They opened with a strong triple Lutz twist that was called level 3 and received 1s and 2s for GoEs.  Level 3 triple twists are few and far between and theirs was well done.  It was the only one of the competition in the short and long together.

The twist was followed by a double toe loop - double Axel sequence with several steps in between that generated an odd range of marks from the judges.  One went to -3 and three others went to -1s and -2, but four judges also went to +1 and one was at 0.  So let's see, that element was a) a complete disaster, or b) really well done!  The judges also went negative on throw triple loop (five -1s) and triple Salcow which had a near fall.  The remaining elements were well done with GoEs mainly +1 with a few 0s and a few +2s.  Their back inside death spiral was one of these, but was only level 1, otherwise their lifts and spins were all level 4.

Their program to "Les Miserables" was pretty standard fare for this often used piece of music.  The performance was fairly engaging for cookie cutter choreography and their component scores averaged just below 7.00.

Wenjing Sui & Cong Han, from China, moved up to third place in the Free Skate to place third overall.  The team skated a technically ambitious program, opening with a double Axel - double Axel sequence and then an attempt at throw quad Salchow.  The throw was all the way around but not cleanly landed.  All but one judge (at 0) scored it at -1 or -2.  Still, it was a spectacular effort, that earned 6.43 points even with the error.  Following that element, side-by-side triple toe loops were called under-rotated and received -1s and 2s for GoEs.

The team's second throw, triple flip, was also spectacular, and that one was cleanly landed with GoEs of +2 with one +3.  On a triple Lutz twist they were scored from -1 through +3.  It appeared there may have been some body contact on the catch, but only two judges went negative.  Their lifts and spins were called level 4, while a back outside death spiral was called level 2.

Skating to "City Lights,"  the team gave an enthusiastic performance, with charm and personality, particularly the 15-year-old Sui, who is a charmer.  Several judges saw it that way with marks going to 7.25, only to be offset by the sourpusses who went as low as 4.75.  Their component scores averaged just above 6.25.

Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett dropped to fourth in the Free Skate to fourth overall due to errors on two elements, their side-by-side triple toe loops and throw triple loop.  The toe loops were called under-rotated and were scored at -1, while the throw was all the way around, but lost over three points due to a fall on the landing.  Triple Lutz twist was respectably executed but only level 1.  Likewise their forward inside death spiral (with an unattractive entry, as well).  Triple Lutz throw was nicely done, as was a level 3 flying change foot combination spin with very good unison.  Their lifts were also strong with two of them level 4 and one level 3.  They were scored by the judges with GoEs spanning 0 to +2.

Their performance to "Rhapsody in Blue" was capably done with good speed and secure skating, but like the Canadians, fell into the realm of cookie cutter choreography for a thoroughly over used piece of music.  Their component marks averaged just below 6.75, with fairly good agreement among the judges with marks ranging from 6.00 to 7.25.

Marissa Castelli & Simon Shnapir placed fifth in the Free Skate to move up to sixth overall, after placing seventh in the Short Program.  The team had some strong elements, but came up short on presentation, with an 8.37 point difference between TES and PCS.  The majority of their GoE scores were 1s and 2s, with only three elements scored negative.  Side-by-side triple Salchows were poorly landed and there was a near fall on throw triple Axel, but the jump was all the way around and gained the team 5.07 points.  Throw triple Axel is one of those difficult elements, where if you can get all the way around and stay on your feet it is worth throwing no matter how bad the execution.  A level 4 flying change foot combination spin had poor control and unison and received six -1s.

The team skated to Dances with Smurfs.  The intent was "Avatar" but the realization seemed more evocative of the South Park send-up than the movie.  Their components were just above 6.00, with Transition thin and scored significantly below their highest component, Performance/Execution.  The team was scored fourth best in TES, just 0.21 behind Ksenia Stolbova & Fedor Klimov, but sixth in PCS.

Felicia Zhang & Taylor Toth dropped to seventh in the Free Skate and ended up seventh overall in the event.  It is understandable that the 2010 U.S. National Junior Champions would want to move up to Seniors this year, but the team is clearly in over their heads for now.

On the technical side Zhang & Toth were scored negative on six of twelve elements and their pair combination spin received no points, the skaters having fallen out of the spin during the initial rotations.  Add to all that a deduction for a fall and their TES ended up the lowest of the group.  For component scores the team averaged 5s with one judge going into the threes, averaging 3.75.  Skating to music from "Miss Saigon" it was a Junior level performance and a weak one at that.  The only saving grace for the four minutes was that Zhang is a pleasure to watch, no matter the limitations of the team.

2010 Skate America Pairs Medalists