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| Elton John posing as a Russian pair coach?? Things to consider.... |
Pairs
Rostelecom Cup was a do-or-die event for Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov after they didn't even win a medal at Skate America. The reigning Olympic Silver Medalists got it together and delivered two good programs for the first time since the Grand Prix Final last December, and the judges did what they had to do to get them the gold medal and a spot in this year's Final. This is a quality team with much to admire. Their skating skills and unison are among the best in the international pair field. That said, the program components were out of control here. This team tends to leave me cold, as there is no chemistry and limited performance ability. One gets the impression that she really can't stand him, which makes their sensual short program to "I Put a Spell on You" fall flat. The weird Donald Rumsfeld free skate is dark and brooding, which is more their style, but the music is repetitive and they don't do much to elevate it. Even the technical scores got a bit ridiculous. This is not a team that has ever deserved positive grades of execution on their triple twist. Ksenia continues to struggle with side-by-side jumps, which is unsettling as those are typically solid elements for this team. Even with the hyper-inflated scoring, their long program score was well below what we've seen from the top Chinese and Canadian teams. The Russians lack the technical difficulty of their top rivals, which will make it difficult for them to win a medal at Worlds. I still live for ice queen Stolbova and the silent shade she's always throwing. I loved when the cameraman found her sitting stone-faced in the audience while the rest of the arena was losing its mind over Elena Radionova in the ladies' event.
I figured Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov would be held down in second place no matter how they skated, though they didn't do themselves any favors in the long program here. Despite both being Russian, the contrast between the top two teams here was striking. Stolbova/Klimov have the polish and precision we're used to seeing from Nina Mozer's teams. Yuko and Sasha are more artistic souls, and thus more prone to big mistakes. I have to say that I find them much more enjoyable to watch than their compatriots. As the last top team of legendary coach Tamara Moskvina, I find myself rooting for them to do well. I still love the Tchaikovsky free skate, but the two throw quads are a mistake. They missed both of them here, which really took the wind out of the sails in the middle of the program. They still gave a performance, but I think a clean throw triple loop would add to the overall power and impression of the program than a failed quad. They can keep the quad salchow, as they do land it sometimes. There is still a scratchiness to many of Yuko and Sasha's technical elements, and I would likely be very conservative on their grade of execution marks if I were a judge. Still, I'm happy to see this team sail into the Grand Prix Final, and I wish them all the best for a strong showing.
This was a better showing for Peng Cheng and Zhang Hao than they had last weekend in Bordeaux, but they're still struggling. The British commentators mentioned that they hadn't really had time to train between their two Grand Prix events, and it was evident. Peng completely wiped out on a throw quad salchow attempt in the long program, and it took them forever to recover and get back into the program. The quad twist is their money element, and they completely botched it here. Zhang caught his partner before she finished rotating, causing the element to be downgraded. I enjoy the unique long program music selection of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers, and I think that program has loads of potential. It's just not coming together in the early season going. It's unlikely this team will make the Grand Prix Final, so I hope things gel a bit more heading into Four Continents. I'm always rooting for my favorite father/daughter duo to find success.
Tarah Kayne and Danny O'Shea skated as well as they probably could have here, and I think more and more that they'll be the second U.S. pair at Worlds. They may have bargain bin packaging, but you can usually trust them to get the elements done. Tarah is a performer, and I enjoy watching her against my better judgment. She still has some serious flexed feet and a general sloppiness to her skating. I like my pair girls to be gritty and determined, but some refinement would be appreciated. Tatiana Volosozhar has taught us that we can be fierce while having perfect lines.
I'm still living for Valentina Marchei and Ondrej Hotarek, even though they didn't skate well at all here. We need to talk about this long program. What do "The Way We Were" and "Stayin' Alive" even remotely have in common? Does it matter when this program is such an amazing vehicle for Valentina to vamp it up and give us face? The side-by-side triple lutzes are their money element, and they missed them here. This season has been an unfortunate step back for a very promising new team, and I hope they can get it together by the European Championships.
Ice Dance
Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje's gold medal finish at Rostelecom Cup over the top Italians is a big win for them. After the Italians surprisingly beat the top Americans in Beijing two weeks ago, this makes the Canadians the de facto frontrunners for the World Title. As I said after Skate Canada, I find much to admire about Kaitlyn and Andrew, but I'm not invested. If you're going to do a program about drug addiction, I need 100% more drama. These two are much too safe for me, both technically and artistically. They don't attack their technical elements, and the expression is very muted and internalized. The international ice dance field is positively dull in the absence of Davis/White and Virtue/Moir. I hope the top French team can come back from injury and shake things up. Otherwise, this season will be kind of a waste.
You'd think a showdown between two potential World medalists would be at least somewhat exciting, but I took a refrigerator break during both of Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte's programs. I sometimes have a hard time accepting that these two were ever World Champions. The skating skills are just not where they should be for a dance team at this level. But really, there aren't many stronger teams who can beat them at this point. I can at least appreciate Anna and Luca's chemistry and performance quality, even if they always kind of do the same program. I don't know that they really have the artistic range to do something passionate and dramatic. Even their interpretation of Carmen two years ago was the same romantic comedy-lite schtick they always do. I can't really do much besides shrug.
The more exciting battle here was the showdown of former power team Elena Ilinykh and Nitika Katsalapov with their new partners, though the outcome was a bit predictable given how this season has gone so far. Nikita and partner Victoria Sinitsina are looking much better than they did last year, though I can't really get behind them as a team. For an off-ice romantic couple, their on-ice chemistry is bizarrely chilly. It's still the Nikita show with his partner doing her best to keep up. The gap in ability is at times jarring, particularly on twizzle sequences where he starts behind her and then zooms past her before they are even halfway done. She hits some pretty positions on lifts, but it's nothing to write home about. The programs are conventional and boring.........not what we expect from top Russian ice dancers. It is clear that Nikita and Elena would have been dominant in this empty dance field, and their split has created a power void that no one has stepped up to fill. With their bronze medal finish here, Nitika and Vika have asserted themselves as Russian team #1, and I expect them to close the gap on the top two teams from this competition going forward. They already beat the Canadians on the technical mark in the free dance, and the program components will soon follow.
I enjoy Elena Ilinkyh and Ruslan Zhiganshin more than Nikita and partner, but they shot themselves in the foot here. Ruslan completely wiped out on the short dance twizzles, which put them in a deep hole they couldn't get out of. I still really like the Frida free dance, strange though it is. We don't look to Russian ice dance for coherence. Elena is still a star, and she deserves a better partner than Ruslan. I don't know who that would be in the current Russian field. Marina Anissina went to France to find a partner who could win her the Olympic Gold Medal.........maybe Elena should broaden her horizons. I loved the subtle shade of them blatantly stealing the iconic opening lift from Elena and Nikita's Swan Lake free dance, but it didn't look as good with Ruslan. I was hoping this team could pull out the bronze, but it was not to be. Fingers crossed that they can at least come in second at Russian Nationals.
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