Serving it.
Men
This was the marquee event of Skate Canada, as 3X World
Champion Patrick Chan returned to major international competition for the first
time since Sochi and had to take on reigning Olympic Champion and arch rival Yuzuru
Hanyu. Patrick has never been a fan favorite. At his peak, he had a habit of
winning major titles with visible errors over cleaner performances, and he
refused to apologize for it. Patrick’s otherworldly skating skills were usually
enough for the judges to give him the marks he needed to win no matter how he
skated. He was the poster child of the “new” system that often seemed to reward
what judges wanted to see over what actually happened on the ice.
Watching Patrick this weekend, I was surprised by how much I
had missed him. His pure blade-to-ice ability is unmatched by perhaps anyone in
the history of figure skating. The way he effortlessly glides across the ice at
breakneck speed is jaw-dropping. Despite the quality and refinement, Patrick is
not a natural artist. He presents well, but it’s very surface level, and he
often looks forced and uncomfortable. The “Mack the Knife” short program
captures the worst of Patrick’s performance qualities. Too much winking and
nudging for my taste – like his 2011 short program in which he portrayed a
drunken night on the town. The Chopin long program is more suited to Patrick’s
strengths. The simplicity of the music and the costuming accentuates the purity
of Patrick’s skating quality. I find it interesting that Patrick’s one-quad
long program soundly defeated Yuzuru Hanyu’s three-quad skate. The six point
gap in program components is a bit of a head scratcher. One judge even found it
appropriate to award Patrick a perfect 10 in four of the five component
categories. I could justify giving Patrick a 10 in skating skills, but he does
not deserve to beat Hanyu in choreography and interpretation in my humble
opinion. The triple axel remains a problematic jump for Patrick, and he missed
it entirely in the short. This is clearly a strong start to Patrick’s season,
and he is on track for a great showing at the Grand Prix Final and Worlds. The
judges are already back in his corner.
This has to be considered a disappointing competition for
Yuzuru Hanyu. After Patrick Chan fell on a triple axel in the short program,
the door was open for Yuzu to build an insurmountable lead heading into the
long program. He proceeded to double out of his quad toe and the back half of
his lutz+toe combination. It was a disaster of a short program, forcing the
judges to scramble to give him enough points to even come in sixth place. Yuzu
is by all accounts an exceptionally hard worker, but focus is an issue when the
big lights are on. I can’t remember the last time he delivered two clean
performances in the same competition. He was on track to having the performance
of a lifetime in the free skate after nailing three quads, only to miss a
triple lutz at the very end of the program.
Yuzu does not have the refinement of Patrick Chan. There are
often bizarre lapses in posture that are odd to see from an Olympic Champion.
But Yuzu has star quality in spades, and his pure passion is a striking
contrast to Patrick’s calculated attempts at artistry. The “Seimei” long
program is powerful and has the potential to be a signature piece for Yuzu. I
often worry for his well-being. He looked positively exhausted at the end of
his long program here. It is not unusual to see the Olympic Champion huffing,
puffing, and collapsing at the end of a competitive program. Stamina will never
be a strong suit for Yuzu, and it does have an impact on performance quality in
comparison to Patrick Chan. I am happy to see this rivalry renewed, and it will
really drive the rest of the top men to up their game heading into Worlds.
Daisuke Murakami put in solid performances here to take the
bronze medal. He actually led after the short program by virtue of not
embarrassing himself on a day when almost everyone fell. Daisuke can do the
quads, but his skating is not particularly memorable. Literally any music could
be playing in the background of that long program, and it wouldn’t matter. It
is strange to see a Frank Carroll skater with absolutely no sense of interpretation.
His extreme display of emotion after a fairly clean long program was comical in
contrast to how stone-faced he was for the previous four minutes. I kind of
loved how salty he got in the Kiss and Cry when his marks came up. Like….he
skated well, but did he really think he was going to beat Patrick Chan and
Yuzuru Hanyu?? I do love my slightly delusional skaters who aren’t as good as
they think they are. In a crowded Japanese men’s field with only two spots
available for Worlds, Daisuke is going to have to create more of an impression
to contend with the likes of Shoma Uno. This boy used to skate in America, and
I don’t know why we let him go. We could use some more men who consistently
land quads. The Japanese have enough of those.
My extreme love of Adam Rippon is not a secret. I live for
his beautiful lines, killer spins, and lovely interpretation. The jumps are
always a nailbiter, but he does have the best triple lutz in the world. I don’t
know who he thinks he’s kidding with these quad lutz attempts. I don’t think I
have ever seen that jump come close to complete rotation. I know Adam thinks he
needs a quad to be taken seriously, and his triple axel has never been
reliable. Still, I think he’d be better off owning his lack of quad and playing
up the artistry. He is getting almost no points for the quad lutz attempts. We
need to talk about the long program. Adam is an artistic soul. Why is he doing
a Beatles medley? The music edits make no sense and do not coalesce into a coherent
program. The choreography is hokey, and Adam doesn’t have the charisma to sell
it. You can’t give me blue hair and gay fantasia costuming and then do a Scott
Hamilton in Stars on Ice program. I’d love to see Adam do something more
avant-garde, like his gorgeous “Afternoon of a Faun” program from the Olympic
season. Adam is now officially out and proud, and we need something 100% more
fabulous than what he is currently serving. Still, this was a solid early
season outing for Adam, and it keeps him in the conversation for the Worlds
team. I’m always rooting for him. NOTE: all videos of Adam's long program have been taken down due to copyright claims. The Beatles ruin everything!
Nam Nguyen is always a solid “B” pick for fantasy figure
skating. You know he’s going to deliver those quads, and he will get through
the programs without major mistakes. Frankly, I was stunned that he stumbled on
a triple axel in the short program, but I knew he wasn’t going to make the same
mistake in the free skate. Nam is focused and determined. Despite a very good
long program on home ice, Nam got lowballed here, and he seemed confused by his
scores. Program components were low for a skater who just came in 5th
at the World Championships. Nam is very slow across the ice compared to the
other top men. Less speed means lower skating skills scores, and judges tend to
anchor the other four components to the skating skills mark. Nam has improved
his expression, but he is not in the same league as Yuzuru Hanyu, or even Adam
Rippon. Spins are still a weakness, and I have not seen any improvement on that
front. Nam is likeable and easy to root for, but Brian Orser and co. really
need to work on the details. Landing the jumps won’t be enough. I appreciate
the attempts to make Nam look more mature, but the sheer oversized top in the
long program has to go. It’s a little too ‘90s boy band for me and not in a
good way.
Color me pleasantly surprised by the 7th place
finish for Tim Dolensky. Tim has long been an unsung favorite of mine on the
U.S. circuit, and this is his first Grand Prix appearance. He bombed the short
program, but nailed the free skate. Tim has gorgeous spins and nice lines. He
needs to up the technical content and get a bit more power across the ice to
really contend at this level. I very much enjoy his deep-vee tops. Our boy is
not shy about showing off his body.
This was a bit of a disaster for Michal Brezina, but what
else is new? My favorite Czech skater has amazing natural jumping ability, but
he can’t keep the focus up for a whole long program. He looked ready to
dominate after Vancouver, but it just never happened for him. In true Czech
fashion, Michal’s team always succeeds in making him look as ridiculous as
possible. I found it difficult to concentrate on his skating when I was too
distracted by his billowing hip sash and red tights stretched over his boots.
Ladies
If you heard screaming and crying from Oakland, CA this
Halloween, that was me losing my mind over Ashley Wagner winning her first
Grand Prix event in two years. My girl showed up to Skate Canada in amazing
shape and ready to serve some sass. After many seasons of searching for a style
that works, Ashley has found the perfect short program in “Hip Hip Chin Chin.”
It’s flirty, fun, and believable. It feels like an exhibition program in a good
way. The jumps are just an afterthought. Miss Wagner often gets accused of
skating empty programs and serving a lot of face in place of actual
choreography. No such criticism could stand this weekend. That short program had
transitions galore. Ashley Wagner, the “almost girl,” actually outscored the
reigning World Champion in program components in both programs, and it was 100% deserved. Ashley
talks a big game, but her on-ice performances are often plagued with
self-doubt. That short program convinced me that she really believed and owned
her hype, and it was perfect. Even the spins were good. It was a living room
standing ovation moment.
I was initially not thrilled with Ashley’s decision to keep
the Moulin Rouge! long program. It
suits her well, but repeated programs can get stale. It didn’t work for
Michelle in 2002. Ashley is at least keeping it fresh with a new (gorgeous)
dress and beefed-up transitions and choreography. She put in a strong
performance here, but it lacked the magic of last year’s U.S. Nationals tour de
force. Jump rotations continue to be an issue for Ashley, and underrotation
calls kept her from winning the long program outright. I’m not sure what can be
done at this point, other than hope for a kind technical panel. Her triple
flip+triple toe was ratified in the short, but not in the long. That combo is
make or break for Ashley’s confidence, and we should all be praying for it. Ashley’s
performance quality is unmatched in the current ladies’ field. Nobody should be
outscoring her in interpretation at this point in time. Skate Canada proved
that the judges are in Ashley’s corner if she delivers, and I hope she keeps
the momentum going through Worlds in Boston. She’s already proven that she’s
not giving Gracie Gold the National Title without a fight.
This was a rough event for Elizavata Tuktamysheva. Our
reigning World Champion can be entertaining, but she is not what we want in a
ladies’ champion. Her presentation is straight-up Slutskaya with some extra
face thrown in for good measure. The posture is a bit truck driver for me, and
her spins are unacceptable for a ladies’ skater at this level. I believe that I
am capable of hitting a better layback position than the current World
Champion. However, this girl has bigger jumps than many of the top men, and I
have to respect her. The short program was a disaster. Liza usually pummels
down the ice like a runway freight train, but she was looking positively
sluggish here. The jumps were not present. After nailing the triple axel at
Worlds last year, that jump is giving her fits. She knows she needs it to win.
She chickened out in the short program and proceeded to botch her other two
jumping passes. The judges felt comfortable awarding the World Champion 7’s in
program components. I could have gone lower.
The long program was a much stronger showing, but I would
have put her behind Ashley Wagner. She at least rotated the triple axel even if
the landing was bad, and the other jumps were impressive. There was nothing
else happening in that program. Lots of crossovers and circling around the ice
until the next jump. Literally any music in the world could have been playing.
She finally started to perform in the last 30 seconds of the program, but it
was too late. I was bored. In a ladies’ field where Mao Asada is back, the
American ladies are looking fit and ready to contend, and there are a slew of talented
Russian youngsters ready to strike, it will be hard for Liza to hold on to her
World Title. This weekend did not give me much confidence in her ability to
pull it off.
The surprise bronze medalist of this event was Yuka Nagai,
one of many up-and-coming Japanese ladies with buckets of talent. Yuka had a
killer short program and found herself in a surprising 2nd place on
a day when not many ladies skated particularly well. She has a lovely, soft
quality to her skating, and she is pleasant to watch. She wilted under pressure
in the long program, but that’s to be expected from a young skater in an
unexpectedly high position at a big contest. She got negative interpretation
points from me for choosing music from August
Rush for the long program, complete with musical sirens and car horns. It
was a flashback to Shawn Johnson’s floor routine in Beijing that none of us
were asking for. I thank Yuka for skating well for the sake of my fantasy
figure skating team, though she should work on projecting more and really
selling those programs. In a deep Japanese ladies’ field, she needs to be more
memorable.
Kanako Murakami has historically not been one of my
favorites, but I think she is moving in the right direction artistically. Gone
are the memories of Kanako dressed in hot pink looking like got lost on the way
home from the Sanrio store. New short-haired Kanako is a striking, ladylike
presence on the ice with much more mature and sophisticated presentation. It is
a shame that her busted jump technique has only made her less consistent with
age. She can still survive a short program, but you know the underrotations are
coming in the free skate. Her short program here was superb until she popped
the double axel. The free skate…..I don’t feel great about the score for Memoirs of a Geisha as skating music.
Every Japanese-American skater has attempted it at least once. Now even the
Japanese ladies are succumbing to its hollow temptations. In the words of Dick
Button……it was a bit of a refrigerator break moment for me.
I am also enjoying the new, sophisticated Gabby Daleman. The
Canadian ladies’ champion had a rough short program, but her long program was
my 2nd favorite performance of the event (behind Ashley Wagner of
course). Gabby has superb skating skills, and this program is very
intelligently choreographed. Her interpretation matches the intensity of the
music, which is difficult to do in a solo tango. I am glad Brian Orser has been
called in to save the Canadian ladies from themselves – ladies’ skating has
long been a weak point for the Canadians. I am excited to see how the rest of
the season goes for Gabby.
I’m at a loss as to what’s happening with Polina Edmunds.
There were positives this weekend. The “Moonlight Sonata” short program is a
great vehicle for her. Polina often draws criticism for looking too juvenile,
and the more mature packaging suits her well. Rudy Galindo finally found a way
to use Polina’s impossibly long limbs to her advantage. She transformed from
gangly teenager to statuesque ice princess very convincingly over the summer.
The jump quality is a big problem. I have watched the short program a dozen
times, and I think the triple lutz+triple toe was fully rotated. The technical
panel disagreed. Once you have a reputation for underrotating, you don’t get
the benefit of the doubt. The double axel was clearly short of rotation, and
the triple flip was wonky. That is still a bad jump for her, and I don’t know
why she insists on keeping it in the short program. She also had a spin
invalidated. What looked like the 2nd best short program of the day
to the untrained eye was ranked fifth by the judges. Polina’s absolute
bewilderment at her low marks did not go unnoticed.
The long program is a total snooze. Skaters are inordinately
drawn to the soundtrack to Gone With the
Wind. The main theme is memorable, but the rest of that score is nothing to
write home about. This long program feels like it lasts eight minutes. Polina
tries to give us the performance, but the vehicle isn’t there for her. The
dress is silly. I almost appreciate the sequined bow on the front, but it looks
too girlish. If you are portraying Scarlett O’Hara on the ice, you need to give
me some Southern Belle realness. I need the dress to be 100x poofier, and I
need a more striking color. While Polina is looking more sophisticated, she is still slow and lacking in power. Her program components
will continue to be on the low end if she doesn’t skate faster. Grades of
execution on the jumps are still low, and deservedly so. She needs to move away
from her stage mother and get a real coach. There is too much talent to waste
on iffy jump technique and weak programs. I worry for her chances this year
with so many strong U.S. ladies gunning for that third Worlds spot.
I have to give a shout out to my girl Elizabet Tursynbaeva
for giving us some competitive grit. She totally bombed the short program, but
she clawed her way out of that hole in the free skate. Despite finishing fourth
in the free skate in a strong field, Elizabet was not impressed with her
performance. She was not happy with her program components, and she told Brian
Orser what she thought about it in the Kiss and Cry. This girl is a winner at
heart, and she is going to go far.
I continue to root for Alena Leonova for bringing us the
camp. I live for her Charlie Chaplin drag short program, even though she really
bombed here. It’s always amusing to see what Eastern Europeans think American
audiences will appreciate, and we’re getting lots of bizarre programs in
preparation for Worlds in Boston. Alena served us a medley of every single golden
oldie she could think of while dressed as a Catholic schoolgirl. The former
World Silver Medalist continues to get pushed further and further down the
Russian ranks by talented youngsters, but she refuses to give up. I’m always
here for my plucky old gals in figure skating, even if I question why they are
continuing to compete. I was actually impressed that she landed as many jumps
as she did in the long program. Alena always gives us the Russian drama in the
Kiss and Cry, and I enjoyed her pretending to blow her brains out after the
long program.
The drama of Kaetlyn Osmond continued at Skate Canada. After
taking a year off due to injury, Canada’s it-girl came back looking ready to go
at early season events. Kaetlyn is in the shape of her life, and she is looking
very strong and well-trained. She twisted her ankle in practice last week, but
she refused to withdraw from this event. After nailing her first two jumping
passes in the short program, she wiped out on a spin and missed her double
axel. She then proceeded to land almost nothing in the long program. Kaetlyn
has the talent to be the World Champion. She has great basic skating skills,
and she has so much star quality and performance ability. The jumps are huge
and impressive when she lands them. Someone needs to put this girl in a bubble.
I worry that she will never fulfill her true potential, or even make it through a
single season without getting injured.
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