2015 Trophee Eric Bompard Half-Recap!

I hesitated with what to do about last weekend’s Trophee Eric Bompard in Bordeaux for a couple of reasons. First of all, the tragic events in Paris obviously eclipse a silly figure skating competition, and I questioned the tastefulness of snarky commentary about a competition in France that was canceled halfway through due to the terror attacks. Secondly, it is incredibly unclear what this event means in the big scheme of things, as the International Skating Union is still debating on how to count these results in Grand Prix Final qualification. Is it really fair to use short program results as the final standings? Should the Final be expanded to include more skaters in the interest of fairness? And what to do about the many top skaters who did not have good short programs here? The OCD completist in me will not allow myself to skip this event, so I will give a half recap for this half event.

Men

My adopted child Shoma Uno did me proud this weekend with a lights-out short program. The jumps are still scary, but everything else is fabulous. He reminds me of a young Daisuke Takahashi. That kind of natural performance ability can’t be taught. He flourished here while other top skaters faltered and probably punched his ticket to the Grand Prix Final. I’m obsessed.

Is Maxim Kovtun a skater who should be getting 8’s in program components? It’s fitting that he is skating to a song called “I Can’t Dance.” No performance quality. Poor posture and lots of ugly crossovers. I don’t even want to talk about the sequined guitar top. His jump technique is hit-or-miss, but it worked in the short here. I respect the man for attempting two quads in a short program. He always looks so exhausted when he’s finished skating. Do the Russian men ever practice full run-throughs?

Daisuke Murakami probably could have beaten Kovtun had he not popped the back half of his combo. When you’re not a performer, you can’t afford to give us a single toe. After Frank Carroll and Lori Nichol made Gracie skate to Phantom last year, this year they gave Dice Les Miz. I also like to turn to ‘80s mega musicals when I’m phoning in a program.   

I was surprised to see Denis Ten show up to this event, and Frank Carroll might have been too. He looked marginally better than he did at Skate America, but this was still a pretty rough performance. It doesn’t look to me like he has landed a quad toe in a while – or trained this program at all for that matter. Will he get it together in time this season? I always have my doubts, but he always pulls through. Praying.

Patrick Chan opened his short program with a double toe+double toe combination. I can’t say I have ever seen that combo performed by a top men’s skater in international competition. Patrick does not currently have a technical coach on his team. His dance coach is running the show…..or rather Patrick is running the show himself. For a skater who has never had a good triple axel (which gave him problems again here), I don’t think that’s wise. This is the second event in a row where Patrick bombed the short program, but unlike Skate Canada, other guys skated well and he didn’t get a chance to pull himself out of the hole in the long program. He can’t keep botching short programs if he wants to win Worlds in a much more competitive field than he faced in that 2010-2013 period when he was unbeatable. Question: why do straight male skaters feel so inordinately drawn to Mr. Rogers sweaters? It’s figure skating. Glam it up a little bit. Patrick’s Grand Prix Final fate in unclear. He might be secretly relieved to miss it, as he clearly has some work to do.

After shocking everyone at Skate America, Old Max Aaron came back and bombed badly in Bordeaux. Max has historically been a skater who checks out after he makes a mistake. After botching his opening combo, the program was over. Max had the dead eyes, like he had for most of last season. The perfectionist in me can relate, but a champion knows how to give a performance even when the jumps aren’t working. That’s the biggest difference between Max and the likes of Yuzuru Hanyu, or even Jason Brown. He redeemed himself later in the week at a cupcake competition in Estonia, but missing the Grand Prix Final after winning in a tough Skate America field is a big blow to Max’s international standing. It will be interesting to see how he recovers at Nationals.

Ladies

Gracie Gold proved that she’s in it to win Worlds. Gracie can be her own worst enemy in competition, but I knew she would not let herself lose after Ashley Wagner won Skate Canada. Ashley is the one skater who really has the ability to get under Gracie’s skin (and vice-versa). It’s a rivalry that is fantastic for U.S. skating, and it’s driven both ladies to be better skaters. Gracie showed up to Bordeaux in amazing shape, looked like a million dollars, and nailed that short program like she has never nailed a program in international competition. The judges rewarded her with the highest short program score of the season so far. It’s a shame Gracie didn’t get a chance to back it up in the long program, because I really believe she was ready to nail that too. Let’s hope she keeps the momentum going.

Yulia Lipnitskaya was better here than at Skate America, but she was honestly lucky she didn’t have to do a long program. Even though she landed everything, the flip and the axel were scary, and those aren’t even her worst jumps at this point. Yulia has ditched the Lisa Frank explosion dress and had much classier styling here. She still looks kind of miserable skating to that peppy Elvis music, and she looked murderous in the Kiss and Cry when her much-improved effort was still a good nine points behind what she was getting back in the Olympic season. In the days since she left France, Yulia has fired Eteri Tutberidze and is now training with Olympic Champion Alexei Urmanov. She no doubt hated getting her butt kicked by Evgenia Medvedeva every day in practice, but I question whether she’s just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic at this point.

The half-bronze medal went to someone named Roberta Rodeghiero, who I have never heard of before. I love my Italian girls, but Roberta lacks the majestic skating quality of Carolina Kostner or the flirtatiousness of Valentina Marchei. If you’re going to be portraying Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, you need to give me more than just white gloves. Still, Roberta didn’t embarrass herself, so snaps for her.

Kanako Murakami showed up with her new sassy short hair, but also her single axel and her weird mule kick jump technique. It was sadly not enough to get on the half-podium, and I was really counting on her to pull through for my fantasy team. This is probably the year she finally gets edged out of Worlds in a tough Japanese ladies’ field, though I do find her skating to be much more enjoyable than it was in the past.

There continues to be a dark cloud hanging over the head of our reigning World Champion. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva was on fire at every competition last season, but now she looks perpetually exhausted. Much like my girl Tonya Harding, Liza’s success hinges on whether or not she lands the triple axel. If she misses it, the program is over. There were zero clean jumping passes in this short program from a woman who has a reputation as the best jumper in the ladies’ field. No one has ever accused Liza of being artistic, but at least she used to be entertaining. Now she’s just kind of sleepwalking. We need to talk about the new dress. I’m all for bringing the sex to figure skating, but I do not believe nude illusion on one breast is appropriate. I mean, we used to chastise Katarina Witt and Tonya Harding because their skirts were too short. I can’t imagine why anyone thought this was a good idea. Liza’s result here probably takes her out of the Grand Prix Final barring an intervention from the Russian skating fed (not impossible). Let this girl take a nap before Russian Nationals and hope she gets it together.

Pairs

Trophee Eric Bompard saw the return of Olympic Champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov. They looked pretty rough at their one early season event, but they were much better in Bordeaux. These two are still the ideal pair team: incredible skating skills, beautiful lines, and a commanding presence on the ice. And now they're skating's favorite newlyweds! They get amazing height on their twist and throws, and she has wonderful extension on those lifts. Their programs are never as good as they are. Bollywood is not an impossible concept for a figure skating program – look at what Meryl Davis and Charlie White in Vancouver. The choreography is kind of phoned in here, and they don’t sell it enough. I can’t really fault them for lacking in presentation, as it is difficult to get the technical elements back after taking so much time off. It might have been wiser to go for something a bit more traditional. Tatiana and Max received the highest short program score of any pair this season. I don’t agree, but it shows that they’re very much in the mix for the World Title. Tatiana allegedly injured herself this week, so they might be out of their next event and the Grand Prix Final. We won’t know how they really stack up with the competitive international pairs’ field until Euros and Worlds. It should be very interesting.

The surprise half-silver medalists were the French team of Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres. I’ve always been a big fan of these two, mostly because he has an amazing body and she is always serving the sass. Their skating is very powerful, but they can be a bit sloppy. At the end of the day, they nailed it when other top pairs didn’t. The scores were higher than I would have given, but they were on home ice. I’m looking forward to seeing how they stack up in a tough field at NHK Trophy next week, and if they can keep the momentum going for a spot in the Grand Prix Final.

I was pleased that Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau backed up their great results from Skate America with a strong performance here. They have excellent performance quality, strong skating skills, and very polished technical elements. I also think they have some of the best styling of the top international pairs. With some wild results from the first several Grand Prix events, these two can conceivably sneak into the Final. I’m crossing my fingers.

This was a disappointing season debut for Peng Cheng and Zhang Hao. I secretly really like them even though they make me uncomfortable. I always call them my favorite father/daughter team because of their extreme age difference. His amazing core strength and her limber physique make for some of the best lifts in the pair field, and they have that pristine Chinese quality on their twists and throws. They normally have some intriguing and surprisingly effective programs (Lori Nichol and those Chinese pairs….), but this short program is a bit of a snooze. I’m never a fan of instrumental Beatles arrangements. It’s a bit muzak-y for my taste. Peng is an exquisite skater, but the girl can’t jump. It’s been evident for several seasons now, and she only seems to get worse. In a very strong Chinese Pairs’ field, these two need to skate much better this weekend in Russia to secure their spot at Worlds.

I figured Marissa Castelli and Mervin Tran would get buried in a tough field in Bordeaux even with a good skate. I thought they were much improved here from their performances in Skate Canada, and their program components should have been higher. It’s tough to get great international scores when you’re a new team, especially for the U.S. pairs. We don’t have the best reputation in this discipline.

My girl Evgenia Tarasova has inherited the dark mark of training mate Ksenia Stolbova. Last year, she couldn’t miss an element, and was her partner who usually screwed up. This year, she’s made errors in every single program at every international competition. It’s becoming a bit disconcerting. Maybe the return of Volosozhar and Trankov has sent the Nina Mozer camp into disarray. Tarasova and Morozov don’t have the programs to fall back on when the technical elements aren’t going well. This was the lowest energy interpretation of “Lord of the Dance” I’ve ever seen. With a dismal 7th place finish here, the Grand Prix Final is likely out of the question.

Ice Dance

We were destined to get weird results here when reigning World Champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillame Cizeron withdrew due to injury. I’m just happy the half-gold medal went to my low-key sometimes favorites Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue. Madison and Zach have always been a little behind the curve due to Madison’s chronic injuries. Their skating skills are excellent and they have good chemistry, but the technical elements are not always sharp. They looked very strong and polished here. The move to new power coaches Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon was a positive one. Their packaging is very sophisticated where they've had some real mess programs in the past (thinking of last year's Great Gatsby disaster). With this half-gold medal, Madison and Zach are in the running for the Grand Prix Final for the first time, which means we could have three U.S. teams at that event. When did ice dance become our discipline??

I really thought this would be a win for Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, but international judges are not responding to that short dance. I appreciate their uniqueness, but really....where is the connection between "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and Mozart? The neon Sgt. Pepper suits are a little too Halloween for me. The whole thing is just bizarre and not in a fun way.

I'm always surprised that international judges don't have more love for Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin. They're attractive and Russian. What more do you want? She has legs for days and knows how to use them. I also appreciate their innovative sitting twizzle position. Their styling is very classy and distinctly un-tacky - a rarity for Russians in ice dance. It's probably time for them to leave their coach and find someone with more political power so they can move up the standings. I'd have had them in 2nd here.

Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland will always look like a pair team to me. The height difference is way too much for ice dance, and their dance holds look very awkward. I found it interesting that this team went for a very traditional waltz, when they usually go a bit more out of the box due to their strange look. It didn't really work for me.

2015 Cup of China! Pairs! Ice Dance! Oh My!

The on-ice death: an essential feature of any good Russian pair program.

Pairs

 
The surprise winners of this event were Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov, who have been around the top tier of the pairs' field since I was 18. I admire the skaters who push through to their mid-30's, but these two scare me. They always skate like they're teetering on the edge of disaster, like when she dislocated (and then relocated!) her shoulder on a throw fall in Vancouver, or when he almost dropped her into the audience on a lift at 2013 Worlds. Their technical elements never feel secure to me. And yet they keep increasing their technical content, and I will probably need some Xanax to make it through their long program all the way through Worlds. Their throw quad salchow has always been hit or miss (usually miss), and now they are adding a throw quad loop to the mix. The salchow was good here, but the loop was questionable, though she did kind of land it. I'm obsessed with their long program. Yuko is always giving me maybe a little bit too much (believe it or not, it is possible), but she is well-suited to the dark, plodding drama of Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony. It is an intricate program with lots of real moments. I believe she dies at least three times during this program, which is a shortcut into my heart. Sasha, for his part, projects much more here than he usually does, and I live for the part where he stomps angrily and skates after Yuko. I usually frown upon skaters who repeat programs across seasons, but I will give Yuko and Sasha a free pass because I love this one so much. Still, the quality of most of their elements is so scratchy that I don't think I'd have put them in 1st place. You really never know what these two are going to do, but they proved that they're in the mix for the Worlds podium if they skate relatively well.

This was a disappointing result for Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, though they did improve upon their scores from Skate America in both programs. They omitted their throw quad salchow because Sui tweaked her ankle in practice earlier in the week. The gap in base value (along with Sui suffering a fluke fall on nothing in the long program) caused them to just barely lose to the Russians. Even with the watered down technical content, Sui and Han do almost everything with much higher quality than Kavaguti and Smirnov. The twist is higher and cleaner, the throws have better height and distance, the lift positions are more attractive and difficult, and their skating is much smoother and more pleasing to the eye. The Russians have better side-by-side jumps, but overall I don't think the gap in quality on the other elements was accurately captured by the judges. Sui is a competitive girl, and she was visibly unhappy with losing at home. She is a total star, and I love watching her skate. Despite the loss, the top Chinese team sailed into the Grand Prix Final, and will no doubt be prepared to showcase their full technical difficulty. They'll be in contention for the gold medal.

Cup of China is always the chance for the host country to show off its insane depth in pair skating. If Sui/Han are contenders for the gold in 2018, then China has already found a team to replace them once they retire. Yu Xiaoyu and Jin Yang, the reigning World Junior Champions, are an already remarkably polished team for their young age, and they have that pristine Chinese quality to all of their technical elements. Unlike the other top Chinese pairs, even their side-by-side jumps are good. I do have to throw a little side eye for them keeping BOTH of their programs from last year, as though they were masterpieces or something. This team does need better packaging, as their long program is a total snooze. It's time to let Lori Nichol work with them now that they are seniors. At least the costumes are nice. They missed their first throw quad salchow attempt in competition, but I think they'll start landing it consistently. Their technical scores were through the roof here. If they can skate cleanly at Worlds, they're in the mix for a medal despite being kind of robotic. The talent is undeniable.

Much like at Skate America, Wang Xuehan and Wang Lei had an excellent short program followed by a really rough free skate. She has lovely expression, but she cannot land the side-by-side jumps to save her life. They'll probably miss out on Worlds in a packed Chinese pair field. We'll gladly take them in the USA.

Kristina Astakhova and Alexei Rogonov are decidedly not my favorite Russians. They lost me in the short program. Just in case you didn't know what The Artist was about, he is literally wearing film strips on his pants and a sequined clapboard on his vest. The long program is a variation on a classic Russian pair/dance theme: one partner is "broken" and the other one tries to fix them. This time, there are gears on both costumes and a giant keyhole on her back for him to "wind her up." They skate the program to actual dubstep music. It's all a bit much. There is a certain sloppiness about this team that I don't appreciate. Russian pair skating is all about those beautiful lines and a powerful, commanding presence on the ice. This team is a little too extra for me.

This was a pretty terrible showing for Lubov Iliushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch, which is a shame as I really like them. They're a really striking pair, and they're definitely two skaters who seem to naturally fit together. Luba has that dream flexibility and wonderful performance quality. Dylan's incredible core strength makes him an ideal partner for a girl who can hit some stunning lift positions. I love the passion they throw into their Led Zeppelin short program, and they clean up nicely for the more traditional Rachmaninoff free skate. Luba in particular looks like a million dollars in that long program dress. She can't get the side-by-side jumps, and I'm not sure if it's ever going to happen. She had a fall on a triple salchow in the long program that looked like she had never landed that jump in her life. They also completely bailed on a lift in the long program, which is inexcusable as the lifts are their selling point. Program components were lower than I thought they should have been, but that happens when you're inconsistent. Luba and Dylan really need to have great skates at their next event in order to keep up with a Canadian pairs' field that is leaving them in the dust.

Ice Dance

One does not typically see upsets happen in ice dance at Grand Prix events, but former World Champions Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte made some serious moves last weekend in their quest to regain their form and their title. I've always liked Anna and Luca. They're very attractive people, and they're naturally engaging performers. Their styling is always impeccable, though Anna's hair was a bit wild in the free dance here. They've always been pleasant, but even at their best they don't leave much of an impression. They don't get much power out of their edges, and I'm left yelling "PUSH! FASTER!" during their step sequences. Like a good Italian couple, they're skating to music from a variety of Fellini films in the free dance. It's well-done, but it's all a bit one-note. All of their programs tend to run together over time. I was a bit mystified by their win over the Americans here. There could be politics at play. My favorite French dance diva Nathalie Pechalat let it be known that there was an Italian on the technical panel, which could have swung some close calls in Anna and Luca's favor. One must also be wary of the power of their coach Marina Zoueva, though she was notably absent from this event. It's not like Marina to leave her top teams to fend for themselves at major international events, and it's tempting to read into how much she is really invested in this team. After a disappointing 2015 season, Anna and Luca are at least on the right track this year.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates should be worried. When you're gunning for the World Title in ice dance, you can't go losing to teams you beat last year. Madison is an absolute star, but she is prone to mistakes when the stakes are high. She had issues with the short dance twizzle sequence, which caused the team to only receive a level 1. I really thought they had done enough to win over the Italians in the free dance, but they only received level 2s on each of their step sequences. Technical calls are subjective, and this is usually a team that maximizes levels on technical elements. The big shocker to me was that they lost to the Italians on program components. Coach Igor Shpiliband is a political mastermind, and Madison Chock is his girl. He looked very puzzled by the scores in both segments in the Kiss and Cry. Is he getting outmaneuvered by his old coaching partner Marina? Or do the judges not want to see this team on top of the Worlds podium? For their part, Madison and Evan are a good team, but they're not undeniable. I made my thoughts about their programs clear after Skate America, and my opinion hasn't really improved. I imagine we'll be seeing some major changes between now and the Grand Prix Final as they try to figure out what went wrong in Beijing.

The bronze medal was probably a disappointing finish for Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Zhiganshin. Elena Ilinykh is my single favorite person in figure skating. She will serve you face and body for days while giving you picture perfect extension. She has the shades of Pasha Grishuk/Maya Usova crazy that we crave from our ice dance divas. We were ready for Elena to dominate ice dance after Sochi, but she and Nikita Katsalapov tragically split, leaving a massive void in the dance power rankings. I enjoy Elena and her new partner much more than Nikita and his, but the magic isn't really there. Ruslan is a bit stiff and awkward, and his sub-par skating skills are really dragging my girl down. This short dance....is anyone really buying "Somebody to Love" as a waltz? Apparently Ruslan's refusal to match Elena's leg line in the waltz pattern is a choreographic choice. This is an absolute crime in my book. The Frida free dance is a lot of fun even if it doesn't make any sense. The British Eurosport commentators were really scratching their heads over it. Elena told us earlier in the season that she worried she was too sexy to play Frida Kahlo. She might have been right, but I was living for it. Ruslan really struggled here. The program basically came to a dead stop on several occasions coming into and out of difficult elements. I just don't think this partnership is strong enough to ascend to the very top of the dance world, though I am always rooting for my girl.

There wasn't much to discuss after that. Any competition where 3 of the 8 ice dance teams are from China is going to be a little rough. I thought Kaitlyn Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker looked stronger in the short dance than they did at Skate America. Unfortunately, Kaitlyn came down with a stomach bug and they had to withdraw from the free dance. She still needs to cut some fabric from that tutu!

2015 Cup of China Recap! The Men! And Ladies!

Legend.

Men

As expected, the gold medal at Cup of China went to our reigning World Champion, Javier Fernandez. However, it maybe wasn’t the cakewalk he expected considering the comparative weakness of this men’s field compared to the last two Grand Prix events. It was nice to see one of the top men really come out and nail a short program after Patrick Chan and Yuzuru Hanyu both had issues last weekend. Javi embraced his Spanish roots and gave us a memorable short to “Malaguena.” It was a bit predictable, but nevertheless well done. The home crowd should eat it up at the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona. Javi can be kind of schtick-y, but I enjoyed the maturity of his presentation here, matador costume and all.

Let’s be real. Javier Fernandez is never going to give us a perfect long program. Training alongside Yuzuru Hanyu has undoubtedly done wonders for Javi’s discipline in the rink, but focus is an issue in performances. He wasn’t even clean when he won Worlds – he was just lucky that Yuzuru Hanyu and Denis Ten made bigger mistakes. I’m always white-knuckling through these three-quad long programs. You know he’s going to pop something, fall, or both. He fell on his solo quad salchow in what turned out to be a fairly rough free skate. At the end of the day, I consider Javi to be the weakest of the men who are realistically in contention for the World gold medal. He doesn’t have the otherworldly skating skills of Patrick Chan, the polish and refinement of Denis Ten, or the virtuosic technical ability of Yuzuru Hanyu. What he does have is charisma and star quality, and that gets him a long way in program components. The Guys and Dolls long program plays to Javi’s strengths, and he sold it even when the jumps were failing him.  Program components ultimately (and I think rightly) gave Javi the win over an unexpectedly strong challenge from jumping prodigy Jin Boyang. I enjoyed his very open shirt. It looks like Javi knows he is figure skating’s resident sex symbol, and he is embracing it. I’m sure the thirstier judges on the panel gave him some bonus tenths in interpretation and performance/execution.

Cup of China was a massive coming out party for 18-year-old boy wonder Jin Boyang. In the short program, he became the first skater to land a quad lutz + triple toe combination in international competition. And he did it cleanly and with positive grade of execution marks to boot. I literally spit my drink out. That one element earned him nearly 20 points, and he did everything else in that program very well too. He suddenly found himself within three points of a clean short program by the reigning World Champion. When the pressure was on in the long program, he faltered a bit. He nailed the quad lutz again, but the other three (!) quads gave him issues. Still, this kid clearly has incredible jump technique, and the other top men should be sweating. I’m even seeing drastic improvements in performance quality compared to his days a junior jumping machine. There is still work to be done, particularly on step sequences and expression. Still, I find it truly amazing that this scrawny boy is laying down the hardest jump content we have ever seen in figure skating history. Look out for him through the next Olympics.

Though Yan Han pulled out the bronze medal here, this has to be considered a disappointment. China’s leading man and biggest men’s skating star ever found himself completely upstaged by the young upstart in front of a home crowd that was primarily there to see him. There is a night and day difference here in maturity, which is especially evident in Yan’s long program. I noticed improved attention to detail and connection to the music from what he presented at Skate America. It really is a lovely program. However, you have to land the jumps to get the points. Yan has some of the best jump technique in the world, but he can never put it all together when it counts. A friend of mine who sat in on Skate America practice sessions reported that Yan did not do any run-throughs with jumps. Perhaps discipline is the issue here. Not sure, but clearly something has to change.

This surprise fourth place finish was a nice personal victory for Grant Hochstein, who skated at his first senior Grand Prix competition in five years. Grant is an artist at heart, and he will give you the performance no matter how the jumps are going. The quad toe is basically a planned fall or pop for Grant in both programs. I don’t remember ever seeing it landed cleanly. But he is lovely to watch. Les Miz has been done to death, and Grant made us listen to Russell Crowe sing for far longer than is ever appropriate. But he felt that music and was serving us a lot of face. This is the same boy who gave us a Michelle Kwan tribute program in 2014, but he fell so much at Nationals that a snarky Twitter user wondered if it was actually a tribute to Sasha Cohen. I will always have a soft spot for him, and I would love for him to skate well at Nationals.

Sergei Voronov…..I don’t have much to say. He’ll give you the quads until he doesn’t. It’s always up-and-down for one of Russia’s many chronically underachieving senior men who came up in the wake of Evgeny Plushenko’s first retirement. Sergei can kind of sell a program, but the skating quality is lacking for someone at this level, and there isn’t much happening in the way of real choreography or transitions. When he isn’t landing the jumps – and he certainly did not in the long program – he has nothing to fall back on. The costume…..half tuxedo, half strait jacket? I give up.

Michael Christian Martinez is one of my secret faves, even if I’m usually screaming at him through the screen. There are moments of fabulosity happening here. That flexibility is enviable, and you can tell he is really feeling his fantasy out there on the ice through his interpretation. Everything could just be a little more finished off. Extend those limbs. Hold those positions. Sell those landings. I wish he could get a real coach, but it’s hard out here for a boy from the Philippines.

The struggle continues for Ricky Dornbush. Ricky really should be one of the top men in the world. His skating skills are superb, and his jumps are huge and impressive when things are going well. He came out so strong when he was a young senior, but he’s struggled immensely with consistency since then. His short program here was fairly abysmal, with a complete waxel (an axel attempt that does not come close to leaving the ground) and a hard fall on a quad toe attempt. The long program was better, but still full of mistakes. Ricky can do these jumps in his sleep, and he is a hard worker. I question what happens in the rink. Tammy Gambill is a coach with tons of talented skaters, and she teaches good jump technique. They almost uniformly cannot deliver when it counts. Ricky needs an intervention, but it might be too late.

This was also a rough competition for Misha Ge, another one of my faves. Misha is really feeling the pressure of his out-of-nowhere 6^th place finish at Worlds last year. Misha is an artistic soul who until recently was struggling to even land triple axels. He is a fantastic performer with superb skating quality, but he’s not a technician. I used to think he didn’t really care about how he scored, but he seems very concerned about moving up the international standings these days. I was stunned to see him attempt a quad toe in the long program, and it was not really close to rotation. I wonder if he has ever landed it cleanly. Fans love the reckless abandon with which Misha skates, but he seemed positively stilted here. I’m not a huge fan of subdued Misha, and I don’t love the Chopin long program on him. I cherish my memories of him flailing like a madman to “Tutti Frutti” at the Olympics, and I would like to see some form of that Misha back.

I don’t have much to say about 12^th place finisher Moris Kvitelashvili except that he managed to skate to “I Believe I Can Fly” AND “What Is Love?” in the same short program. Sometimes it’s the little things that make skating a worthwhile sport to follow….

Ladies

After a year of learning to accept a ladies’ champion who cannot perform an acceptable layback spin, skating fans have been salivating over the triumphant return of 3X World Champion Mao Asada. Though she did not skate perfectly, Mao-chan proved to be a lady among girls at this event. Her effortless flow across the ice is completely unrivaled by anyone in the current ladies’ field, and she has such a wonderful, natural ability to interpret music. I appreciate that Mao took an artistic risk in her short program to “Bei Mir Bistu Shein.” Flirty and fun is not really in her wheelhouse. She needs to give more face to really make it work. We need to talk about this short program jump layout. The triple axel is looking very secure these days, so it can stay. The triple flip + triple loop combo…..gurlfriend, you are never going to get full credit for that. International technical panels are very strict on triple loops as the back half of combinations, and Mao has a history of underrotations. And the decision to do a triple lutz as her solo jump is unwise. Mao has had a pronounced flutz (a lutz that does not take off on the correct edge) since she was a junior, and years of working to correct her technique have failed to break her bad habits. She’s leaving points on the table, and a thirsty technical panel could potentially penalize her on all three jumping passes. She lost significant points on her lutz and the combo here even though she landed them well to the untrained eye.

Mao’s long program to Madama Butterfly is more what we expect from her, and it fits her like a glove. I love her flowy purple kimono. This is just pure, majestic, mature, polished skating. She gave us one of the best triple axels of her career at the top of the program, but then the wheels kind of came off. Mao can be a little hot and cold, especially at the beginning of the season. Still, the performance quality did not drop even as the technical elements failed. Program components were deservedly very high. Mao could afford mistakes in this field, but her effort this weekend would have placed her behind what we’ve seen so far from Evgenia Medvedeva, Gracie Gold, and even Ashley Wagner. Still, it’s great to have Mao-chan back, and I still have high hopes for the rest of the season.

This was a strong outing for Rika Hongo. If I’m being very honest, she is not my favorite. She’ll land the jumps, but there is not much else going on here. Her shoulders are very rounded, giving her a bit of a hunchback quality on the ice. She doesn’t really fill out the ice, and the spins are nothing to write home about. I see improvement in her expression, no doubt the product of working with my gurl Akiko Suzuki over the summer. I cast a little side-eye to Rika once I learned she was skating to Riverdance, but it kind of works for her. She is definitely getting her life when she does those toe pick steps a la Shae-Lynn Bourne in 1998. The audience was feeling it, and I almost liked it too. Like I’ve said before, you have to land the jumps to get the points. The more you do that, the more those program components tend to creep up. Rika Hongo has forced herself into the conversation as one of the top international ladies through consistent performances despite lacking any memorable or exceptional qualities. I can’t really fault her for that.

Our World Bronze Medalist Elena Radionova had a disappointing outing here, but I can’t say I didn’t see it coming. Elena is discovering that, much like Olympic star Yulia Lipnitskaya, her jump technique doesn’t really work anymore now that she’s gone through puberty. Unlike Yulia, Elena is a fighter, and she is going to battle gravity to land those jumps. She has a way of landing jumps that look way-off axis in the air, even if the end result is kind of terrifying. I was frankly shocked to see her completely miss a triple lutz in the long program, and she looked shocked too. Elena does not have much refinement, but she does have pizzazz. She may skate completely hunched over with arms flailing everywhere, but by God she is going to give you a PERFORMANCE. Elena is a divisive skater. Dick Button has been out of the commentary game for over a decade, and he still let it be known in his memoirs that he does not care for this girl. Against my better judgment, I embrace the tackiness and appreciate her star quality. This Titanic long program is pure gold. Has she seen the movie? She looks a little too exuberant while we are literally hearing “I’ll never let go!” in the background.  She doesn’t care, she is going to give you FACE when the Celine Dion vocals kick in. Elena skates like she believes she is the best in the world, and I’m always rooting for her even though I know I shouldn’t be.

Anna Pogorilaya is one of those skaters who looks like she hates her life when she’s on the ice. The talent is certainly there, but there is zero performance quality. She is a gorgeous girl, and you want her to be a gorgeous skater. She never extends all the way to her fingers, and her free leg usually flops around like a dead fish during spins. The jumps are very big, but she is also prone to big, hard falls, which were very much on display here. I do see some improvements, particularly to her skating skills. I notice that she fills the ice out more during step sequences, when I’m used to yelling “PUSH! FASTER!” like a demented Russian coach when she is skating. I like the dress….you can’t do tasteful and reserved when you’re skating to Scheherazade. Give me all the fake jewels you can throw at me. In a crowded Russian ladies’ field, I don’t see her making it back to Worlds this year….or ever again really.

Karen Chen wrapped up a solid debut Grand Prix season in Beijing, though she did not exactly set the world on fire. When I compare her skating quality to the Russian girls here who have been achieving high results on the senior level from a very young age, the contrast is striking. Karen clearly had someone teaching her to extend those limbs and present up to the audience from a young age. I believe that Jesus Christ Himself taught her how to perform a layback spin before she was born. So why isn’t she up there with them in the standings? It’s a question I often ask. She has the jumps, but she can’t perform all of them under pressure. Karen is by all accounts a very hard worker. Like Ricky Dornbush, Karen is a Tammy Gambill skater with loads of talent and without the strong results to back it up. Hmm…

Courtney Hicks capitalized on mistakes from top contenders in the short program to unexpectedly put herself in bronze medal position. I have a lot of respect for Courtney. Her jumps are Tonya Harding-esque in their height and power, and she has wonderful spins. Courtney will never be an artist, but she has really improved her expression and skating quality. The driving, pulsating music of “The Feeling Begins” is a great vehicle for her in the short, and she looked like a million dollars. The long program was a disaster. I think she collapsed under the pressure of finishing too high in the short. Courtney is not a skater who typically falls, but she is very prone to popping out of her jumps, which is even more costly.  Her approach can often be too fast and wild, especially when she is nervous. There is a lot of natural athletic talent and not a lot of technique. She might need a new set of eyes on her. We also need an intervention on that long program dress. Bright yellow does not read well on television. The mind goes to urine or Big Bird, and you don’t want either of those things associated with your skating. The cut is nice. Buy it in white.

Li Zijun is another heartbreaker who skating fans are always praying will get it together. She is a naturally graceful skater with lovely lines and flow across the ice. At her best, she reminds one of the great Chinese star Chen Lu.  She even skated to “Clair de Lune,” a signature Lulu piece, in the short program to beautifully drive the comparison home. Jump technique is an issue, and I’m not sure what can be done at this point. You always know she’s going to fall apart in the long program.  Performance quality goes out the window when the jumps fail. The frantic, bubbly score to The Artist made Li look especially lost at sea. It was a difficult performance to watch. It’s a shame, because she has the talent to be one of the top ladies in the world. I don’t think it’s ever going to come together.