This February, I got to go to an ice dance weekend not as a skater, but as media. I went to the Toronto Ice Dance Weekend at the Cricket Club as media for my Television broadcasting class. These videos are the result.
Lubov Iliushechkina/Dylan Moscovitch Short Program
(I missed a couple of things, but overall it's pretty good, and for now the music is still working)
(I apologize for the not stellar camera work on the exhibition programs, I'm still working on my camera skills.)
Keep an eye out for another video in the next week!
Duhamel and Radford have not been at their best all season, and that streak continued at nationals. That's not at all to say they didn't skate well, but we were spoiled by the excellent skating and nearly perfect consistency last season, and that's missing a little this year. For the second time this season, I've seen Meagan double the side by side lutzes (first at the Autumn Classic), which is a jump we all know she can do with no problem, which makes me wonder if this program just isn't working for them. They don't look as comfortable with this program still as they did with the program last year. With the competition they'll be seeing at Worlds, if I were them, I might just be switching back to the old short for the end of the season.
It's no secret that Seguin and Bilodeau are one of my favourite teams right now. They're more consistent than just about anybody, and they commit 100% to the performance, which are probably the two things I like most in my favourite skaters. I will take skaters with quality in the technical elements and the transitions, performance, and skating skills with a lower technical base value over just technical base value any day. I find them fun to watch, I'm not nervous watching them, and even though they were not at the top of their game here, they were still pretty spectacular. Even though they got into the Grand Prix Final this season largely based on what others didn't do (and who didn't go), I would say they're going to be there pretty regularly in the coming years, and then once they get a quad, watch out Meagan and Eric, they'll be one of the best teams in the world for sure. They had some pretty spectacular elements, notably the huge triple twist in the short and I genuinely love watching them.
Ilyushechkinaand Moscovitch had two very good skates for them here. She didn't struggle as much as she usually does on the side by side jumps, and as per usual the lifts were amazing. Their other elements were strong, and they're starting to come together as a coherent team in a way they weren't entirely last season. They seem to fit well together naturally, which is making the transition for them smoother than for some of the other new teams we saw at nationals. They still need to work on their synchronization on their side by side elements and the step sequence, they tend to lose each other just a little, but as far as relatively new teams go, that's a pretty small critique. As long as she can nail the side by side jumps going forward, they'll soon be climbing the world ranks.
Moore-Towers and Marinaro were unfortunately the most memorable team of the event in the worst way. I have never seen a twist go that wrong, and I hope it never happens to anyone again. But, if I'm being frank, Michael has made me nervous on every twist and lift (especially lift) since Kirsten has partnered with him. There is a significant inherent risk in pairs skating, but his bad posture and general shakiness in the lifts only increases that risk. I'm glad that they're both okay, and were able to skate both programs (surprisingly well, considering the intensity of that fall), but it's unsurprising they weren't given any assignments for the rest of the season, the question now is what happens for them going forward? This is the second year in a row they've missed worlds, and it's not looking like Duhamel and Radford or Seguin and Bilodeau are going anywhere any time soon. They're going to have to make a lot of ground if they want a chance to skate in the next Olympics.
Grenier and Deschemps seemed to really struggle with the twist in both programs, though not nearly as much as Moore-Towers and Marinaro. In general, I like these two well enough, but they aren't the most exciting or memorable team, especially in a field where there are so many memorable teams (for good or bad).
Bell and Sweigers have made significant improvements since the beginning of the season, but they still have a long way to go. They seem to have a lot of trouble with the pair spin, it was pretty rough in both programs here, and the setup seems to take forever. I'm sure over time that as well as the twist will come, they're a new team, and so they're going to struggle with some of those elements. They definitely had some trouble on the side by side jumps, but that's unsurprising, most teams new or not, struggle with the side by side jumps.
Jones and Regan are a team I like, in general. But they looked a little rough at nationals. They both looked a little stiff in the short, and so they were a little shaky. They mostly need some tidying on their big elements, like the catch on the twist and the landings of the side by side jumps and throws. I also don't know how they don't have issues with the judging on their death spiral, because her head always ends up on the ice. You can see when they finish that element that there is snow on her head. Her blade should be the only thing touching the ice, from the second her head touches the ice, the element should be considered over the issue without having the technical panel's ability to review elements is telling when her head touched the ice. The other main critique I have of them is that she skates with her head down, which removes the connection with the audience from the performance, it is especially obvious in the free, since they already don't seem that committed to some of their choreography.
Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford continue their winning streak. With only one major competition left in the season, there is a good chance that they will finish off the season undefeated. However, if they have any technical mistakes, that will not happen. Though the mistake on the side-by-side triple lutzes in the free didn't have much of an impact here, Worlds will be a different story. The competition will be too close for them to have any mistakes.
They are playing to their strengths this year, and as long as there are no technical errors, it should be enough to win them the world title.
Cheng Peng and Hao Zhang finished in second place overall, but the competition overall was not particularly strong. Just about every team had errors on at least one set of side by side jumps in the freeskate Peng and Zhang were no exception. They had two mistakes on their side-by-side jumps, first a fall and then only a single jump on the end of the combination. Like many of the other teams, the timing on their side-by-side spins was not consistently good.
These little details will become more important at Worlds than they are here. However the choreography in their programs is interesting and the music choice is very different from the other teams.
Qing Pang and Jian Tong have come back for the end of the season, and no one knew quite what to expect from them, but they did not disappoint. Though their throws were excellent, some of the side-by-side elements were not so perfect. Both sets of side-by-side jumps in the freeskate were popped, which is one of the greatest differences between them and some of the Russian teams. The style is similar, but having just come back, they are not as consistent as they will need to be to really compete at Worlds. If they skate the way they did here, they simply won't be able to make it onto the podium at Worlds.
Lubov Iliushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch are a brand new team, and doing quite well. They're working on difficult elements, and Dylan is always so comfortable in lifts. Their overall comfort together is what separates them from Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro.
A lot of their elements are not as clean as the other teams at the Four Continents Championships, but it is clear they both have the ability to be one of the best teams in the world. However, some of the choreography is a little too cheesy for my tastes, especially the opening pose of the freeskate.
Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro are doing well enough for a new team, but they haven't necessarily made the best choices for them this season.
The short program music choice doesn't necessarily suit them. They don't have the power for the music yet, and the disposition she needs for the Cell Block Tango isn't in her personality as a performer.
Chess is a better music choice, but some of the elements, though comfortable for Kirsten, don't seem to be natural for Michael. One lift in particualr requires him to push her up above his head, and he always struggles with that lift. Between that lift being too difficult and his bad posture in lifts, they don't have the ease they should. Most of the other elements are still rough around the edges, but over time they will improve.
The Pairs event at Canadian Nationals was less about the winners, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, who we all knew were going to dominate the competition, and more about the rivalry between Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch. Kirsten and Dylan split following the Sochi Olympics, and the discussions surrounding their split all season have been controversial. This is the first time this season that both pairs competed against each other.
Moscovitch and his new partner Lubov Ilyushechkina took the silver medal behind the Grand Prix champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford. Because Lubov has been in Canada such a short time, they have not received funding to train and were limited in the competitions they were able to attend. Despite the drama at the beginning of the season, and the questions about whether or not they would even be able to compete this season, they skated well. The greatest issues within their programs was simply issues with timing, which will improve as time goes on.
Kirsten and her new partner, Michael had less trouble getting started with competitions at the beginning of the season, but had less luck at nationals. They finished in fourth place, a solid spot for a first year team, however they will not be attending the World Championships. For Kirsten, though Michael has improved over the course of the season, the reality is that Dylan is the better partner. Over time, both teams will certainly improve tremenously, but at the moment, Kirsten and Michael are not as strong a team as Lubov and Dylan.
Finishing in third place was a junior Canadian team, Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau. They will be attending both the junior and senior World Championships this year. Though not necessarily in the running for a top spot at the Senior World Championships, their chances at medaling at the Junior Worlds are strong. The future of pairs skating in Canada is strong with these two.
Finally, the top team, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford. They remain undefeated in the 2014-2015 season, and with strong skates at Four Continents and the World Championships, they stand a good chance at remaining undefeated. Their technical superiority and consistency more than make up for any discrepancies within their PCSs. Their programs this season suit their style and now that they have embraced the skaters that they are, they stand a good chance at winning the World Championships this year.
