2016 Grand Prix Assignments

Today the ISU revealed the official entries for all of the Grand Prix assignments.

This year, Skate America will be in Chicago again. The event runs from October 21-23 2016.

Men:
Brendan Kerry (AUS), Jorik Hendrickx (BEL), Nam Nguyen (CAN), Boyang Jin (CHN), Daisuke Murakami (JPN), Shoma Uno (JPN), Denis Ten (KAZ), Maxim Kovtun (RUS), Sergei Voronov (RUS), Jason Brown (USA), Adam Rippon (USA), TBD (USA)

Ladies:
Gabrielle Daleman (CAN), Roberta Rodeghiero (ITA), Mao Asada (JPN), Mai Mihara (JPN), Kanako Murakami (JPN), Angelina Kuchvalska (LAT), So Youn Park (KOR), Yulia Lipnitskaia (RUS), Serafima Sakhanovich (RUS), Gracie Gold (USA), Ashley Wagner (USA), TBD (USA)

Pairs:
Julianne Seguin/ Charlie Bilodeau (CAN), Wenjing Sui/ Cong Han (CHN), Vanessa James/ Morgan Cipres (FRA), Kristina Astakhova/ Alexi Rogonov (RUS), Evgenia Tarasova/ Vladimir Morozov (RUS), Madeline Aaron/ Max Settlage (USA), Tarah Kayne/ Daniel O'Shea (USA), TBD (USA)

Ice Dance:
Isabella Tobias/ Illia Tkachenko (ISR), Charlene Guignard/ Marco Fabbri (ITA), Kana Muramoto/ Chris Reed (JPN), Rebeka Kim/ Kiril Minov (KOR), Ekaterina Bobrova/ Dimitri Soloviev (RUS), Elena Ilinykh/ Ruslan Zhiganshin (RUS), Alisa Agafonova/ Alper Ucar (TUR), Madison Hubbell/ Zachary Donohue (USA), Maia Shibutani/ Alex Shibutani (USA), TBD (USA)

This year, Skate Canada is going to be in Mississauga (just outside Toronto). The event runs from October 28-30 2016.

Men:
Patrick Chan (CAN), Liam Firus (CAN), TBD (CAN), Han Yan (CHN), Michal Brezina (CZE), Daniel Samohin (ISR), Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN), Takahito Mura (JPN), Alexander Petrov (RUS), Grant Hochstein (USA), Ross Miner (USA), Misha Ge (UZB)

Ladies:
Alaine Chartrand (CAN), Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN), TBD (CAN), Rika Hongo (JPN), Satoko Miyahara (JPN), Yuka Nagai (JPN), Da Bin Choi (KOR), Maria Artemieva (RUS), Evgenia Medvedeva (RUS), Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (RUS), Joshi Helgesson (SWE), Mirai Nagasu (USA)

Pairs:
Meagan Duhamel/ Eric Radford (CAN), Lubov Iliushechkina/ Dylan Moscovitch (CAN), TBD (CAN), Xiaoyu Yu/ Hao Zhang (CHN), Nicole Della Monica/ Matteo Guarise (ITA), Vera Bazarova/ Anderi Deputat (RUS), Yuko Kavaguti/ Alexander Smirnov (RUS), Haven Denney/ Brandon Frazier (USA)

Ice Dance:
Piper Gilles/ Paul Porier (CAN), Alexandra Paul/ Mitchell Islam (CAN), Tessa Virtue/ Scott Moir (CAN), Shiyue Wang/ Xinyu Liu (CHN), Laurence Fournier Beaudry/ Nikolaj Sorensen (DEN), Anna Cappellini/ Luca Lanotte (ITA), Alexandra Stepanova/ Ivan Bukin (RUS), Frederica Testa/ Lukas Csolley (SVK), Madison Chock/ Evan Bates (USA), Kaitlin Hawayek/ Jean-Luc Baker (USA)

This year the Rostelecom Cup is in Moscow from November 4-6 2016.

Men:
Elladj Balde (CAN), Chafik Besseghier (FRA), Alexei Bychenko (ISR), Keiji Tanaka (JPN), Shoma Uno (JPN), Deniss Vasiljevs (LAT), Artur Dmitriev (RUS), Mikhail Kolyada (RUS), TBD (RUS), Javier Fernandez (ESP), Alexander Majorov (SWE), Max Aaron (USA)

Ladies:
Zijun Li (CHN), Roberta Rodeghiero (ITA), Yura Matsuda (JPN), Kanako Murakami (JPN), Elizabet Tursynbaeva (KAZ), Angelina Kuchvalska (LAT), Yulia Lipnitskaia (RUS), Anna Pogorilaya (RUS), Elena Radionova (RUS), Nicole Rajicova (SVK), Polina Edmunds (USA), Courtney Hicks (USA)

Pairs:
Kirsten Moore-Towers/ Michael Marinaro (CAN), Julianne Seguin/ Charlie Bilodeau (CAN), Aliona Savchenko/ Bruno Massot (GER), Valentina Marchei/ Ondrej Hotarek (ITA), Kristina Astakhova/ Alexei Rogonov (RUS), Ksenia Stolbova/ Fedor Klimov (RUS), Natalia Zabiiako/ Alexander Enbert (RUS), Alexa Scimeca/ Chris Knierim (USA)

Ice Dance:
Viktoria Kavaliova/ Yurii Bieliaiev (BLR), Kaitlyn Weaver/ Andrew Poje (CAN), Laurence Fournier Beaudry/ Nikolaj Sorensen (DEN), Charlene Guignard/ Marco Fabbri (ITA), Ekaterina Bobrova/ Dimitri Soloviev (RUS), Tiffany Zahorsky/ Jonathan Guerreiro (RUS), TBD (RUS), Alisa Agafonova/ Alper Ucar (TUR), Madison Chock/ Evan Bates (USA), Elliana Pograbinsky/ Alex Benoit (USA)

Trophée de France is the re-name for Trophee Bompard, it is November 11-13 2016 in Paris.

Men:
Chafik Besseghier (FRA), Romain Ponsart (FRA), Ivan Righini (ITA), Takahito Mura (JPN), Sota Yamamoto (JPN), Denis Ten (KAZ), Artur Dmitriev (RUS), Adian Pitkeev (RUS), Javier Fernandez (ESP), Nathan Chen (USA), Adam Rippon (USA), Misha Ge (UZB)

Ladies:
Gabrielle Daleman (CAN), Laurine Lecavelier (FRA), Mae Berenice Meite (FRA), Mao Asada (JPN), Wakaba Higuchi (JPN), Yuka Nagai (JPN), So Youn Park (KOR), Alena Leonova (RUS), Evgenia Medvedeva (RUS), Maria Stskova (RUS), Gracie Gold (USA), Tyler Pierce (USA)

Pairs:
Miriam Ziegler/Severin Kiefer (AUT), Lola Esbrat/ Andrei Novoselov (FRA), Vanessa James/ Morgan Cipres (FRA), Camille Mendoza/ Pavel Kovalev (FRA), Aliona Savchenko/ Bruna Massot (GER), Evgeia Tarasova/ Vladimir Morozov (RUS), Natalia Zabiiako/ Alexander Enbert (RUS), Marissa Castelli/ Mervin Tran (USA)

Ice Dance:
Piper Gilles/ Paul Porier (CAN), Lorenza Alessandrini/ Pierre Souquet (FRA), Marie-Jade Lauriault/ Romain Le Gac (FRA), Gabriella Papadakis/ Guillaume Cizeron (FRA), Penny Coomes/ Nicholas Buckland (GBR), Isabella Tobias/ Illia Tkachenko (ISR), Elena Ilinykh/ Ruslan Zhiganshin (RUS), Federica Testa/ Lukas Csolley (SVK), Alexandra Nazarova/ Maxim Nikitin (UKR), Madison Hubbell/ Zachary Donohue (USA)

Cup of China is hosted by Beijing from November 18-20 2016.

Men:
Patrick Chan (CAN), Boyang Jin (CHN), Han Yan (CHN), TBD (CHN), Michal Brezina (CZE), Daniel Samohin (ISR), Daisuke Murakami (JPN), Maxim Kovtun (RUS), Alexander Petrov (RUS), Sergei Voronov (RUS), Max Aaron (USA), Ross Miner (USA)

Ladies:
Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN), Zijun Li (CHN), Ziquan Zhao (CHN), TBD (CHN), Rika Hongo (JPN), Mai Mihara (JPN), Elena Radionova (RUS), Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (RUS), Joshi Helgesson (SWE), Karen Chen (USA), Courtney Hicks (USA), Ashley Wagner (USA)

Pairs:
Lubov Iliushechkina/ Dylan Moscovitch (CAN), Cheng Peng/ Yang Jin (CHN), Wenjing Sui/ Cong Han (CHN), Xiaoyu Yu/Hao Zhang (CHN), Mari Vartmann/ Ruben Blommaert (GER), Nicole Della Monica/ Matteo Guarise (ITA), Yuko Kavaguti/ Alexander Smirnov (RUS), Alexa Scimeca/ Chris Knierim (USA)

Ice Dance:
Alexandra Paul/ Mitchell Islam (CAN), Kaitlyn Weaver/ Andrew Poje (CAN), Hong Chen/ Yan Zhao (CHN), Shiyue Wang/ Xinyu Liu (CHN), TBD (CHN), Natalia Kaliszek/ Maksim Spodirev (POL), Victoria Sinitsina/ Nikita Katsalapov (RUS), Alexandra Stepanova/ Ivan Bukin (RUS), Anastasia Cannuscio/ Colin McManus (USA), Maia Shibutani/ Alex Shibutani (USA)

The NHK Trophy is in Sapporo fron November 25-27, 2016.

Men:
Elladj Balde (CAN), Nam Nguyen (CAN), Alexai Bychenko (ISR), Ivan Righini (ITA), Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN), Keiji Tanaka (JPN), Sota Yamamoto (JPN), Mikhail Kolyada (RUS), Adian Pitkeev (RUS), Jason Brown (USA), Nathan Chen (USA), Grant Hochstein (USA)

Ladies:
Alaine Chartrand (CAN), Wakaba Higuchi (JPN), Yura Matsuda (JPN), Satoko Miyahara (JPN), Elizabet Tursynbaeva (KAZ), Alena Leonova (RUS), Anna Pogorilaya (RUS), Maria Sotskova (RUS), Nicole Rajicova (SVK), Karen Chen (USA), Polina Edmunds (USA), Mirai Nagasu (USA)

Pairs:
Meagan Duhamel/ Eric Radford (CAN), Kirsten Moore-Towers/ Michael Marinaro (CAN), Cheng Peng/ Yang Jin (CHN), Xuehan Wang/ Lei Wang (CHN), Sumire Suto/ Francis Boudreau Audet (JPN), TBD (JPN), Ksenia Stolbova/ Fedor Klimov (RUS), Tarah Kayne/ Daniel O'Shea (USA)

Ice Dance:
Tessa Virtue/ Scott Moir (CAN), Marie-Jade Lauriault/ Romain Le Gac (FRA), Gabrielle Papadakis/ Guillaume Cizeron (FRA), Penny Coomes/ Nicholas Buckland (GBR), Anna Cappellini/ Luca Lanotte (ITA), Emi Hirai/ Marien De La Asuncion (JPN), Kana Muramoto/ Chris Reed (JPN), Natalia Kaliszek/ Maksim Spodirev (POL), Victoria Sinitsina/ Nikita Katsalapov (RUS), Kaitlin Hawayek/ Jean-Luc Baker (USA)


The season isn't quite underway yet, but we're getting close. I'm hoping to be able to stay on top of the recaps for all of this season, but on top of all of my recaps, is there anything you want to see here? I will be at Skate Canada (only in the audience, not with a press pass) if there's anything you want to see from me there let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading!

The State of Canadian Ice Dancing- Orford and Hill Retiring

Nicole Orford and Asher Hill released a statement this week announcing they are retiring. After skating together only one year, they placed in the top 5 at Canadian nationals, which should have guaranteed them a spot on the Canadian national team.

However, they were not named to the national team. The National team was announced on June 13, and Orford and Hill were excluded from the list. A few days later, on June 16, Orford and Hill announced on their social media pages that they were retiring.

The question then becomes, which came first? Did Orford and Hill decide to retire, and therefore not get put on the national team, or were they not put on the team, and then decided to retire because of the lost funding and opportunity.

They should have been given the funding, so I think it's most likely they decided to retire first (though if that's not the case, there's something fishy going on at Skate Canada). If they chose to retire, my suspicion is that they decided to leave because Virtue and Moir are returning to ice dance, meaning Orford and Hill stand essentially no chance of getting a slot at Worlds, potentially not even a spot at 4 Continents.

However, I would guess there's a good chance at least some of the top Canadian ice dance teams will retire after the next Olympics, which is only 2 years away. After those 2 years, if Orford and Hill stay on the trajectory they were on this season, they would have almost certainly stood a chance at becoming the top Canadian ice dance team.

It's always a little disappointing when skaters with potential retire before their careers really have the opportunity to get off the ground.

A Glimpse at the Toronto Ice Dance Weekend 2016

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!

Canadian Nationals 2016- Dance

When Weaver and Poje do their new(ish) short dance, I see an improvement every time, and I think that is going to benefit them in the long run. They are on the right trajectory, they're performing better and better over the season in general, but I don't think they're going to win that world title I'm sure they're dying for. With all their performances this season and what we've seen from others, I definitely see them on the podium, but I definitely think that there are quite a lot of teams that could be on the podium, in any position, depending on their skates at Worlds and the judging panel. Weaver and Poje stand a chance at winning the world championships, but I would say it's more likely we'll see them in second or third again.

Gilles and Porier stand out in the best way for me. They have very original programs which stand out among the traditional, somewhat bland programs we're seeing this year. I still don't get their programs, but I don't have to. I still stick to the theory that their short dance is based on the conspiracy theory behind the song Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds. Their freedance is also very original, and regardless of whether or not you completely get the story they're telling, it is eye-catching and original enough to hold your attention in a way so many programs don't do this season.

Orford and Hill are a team I am loving to watch. For such a new team, it is amazing to me that they mesh so well together. Their programs are beautiful, and though traditional, I am more than willing to give them a pass because they are a brand new team, and in the first season, teams need to play it safe to make it onto their national team. On top of needing to be traditional, Orford and Hill do this very well. Personally, I find their Theory of Everything freedance tells the story better than Hawayek and Baker, even though I still don't want to see another Theory of Everything program again unless she lifts him by the end of the program to both tell the story and stand out.

Paradis and Ouellette are really nice skaters. They do the Ravensburger very well, it's light across the ice, which is how it should be done. Their technical balance is good, they are able to achieve levels on their lifts without overdoing the number of positions, so she doesn't look like she's rolling around in his arms, which has become a common trend in ice dance this season.

Paul and Islam were really disappointing at nationals, they just weren't able to do their programs with the quality they are capable of. I really like them, but they are not living up to their potential. This isn't the first time they've had issues on a lift, and this is starting to become a trend. They don't have the impact that they could have, especially when they have technical failings like they did here. Honestly, as much as I like them, I would have had them behind Orford and Hill, who I think were much better.

US Nationals 2016- Dance

The Shibutanis surprised I think just about everyone by winning the national title. I am absolutely thrilled that they won, because I think realistically, they definitely deserved to win here. I'm still not a huge fan of the short dance, I think the theme of the dance is far too young for them. For seniors do be doing a doll dance is less than stellar. They skate so well, and they finally have a vehicle that can support that in the free dance but unfortunately, they don't have that in the short dance.

The build of their freedance in the twizzles in fantastic, and I love the changes they've made to the program over the season. They are excellent skaters, and their issue with projection of emotion is not a problem with that free dance. If they can have two vehicles like their free next year, they're going to be a force at worlds. For this season, they may do very well, but I don't see them on the podium.

Chock and Bates had a surprising loss at nationals. Despite the fact that I personally don't think they are the best team the US has, they have been doing exceptionally well, and I expected that to continue here. They did win the short dance, even though I honestly think that Hubbell and Donohue should have had the short dance in the bag. Chock and Bates have two programs that don't have a whole lot of impact for me. I find their programs this year kind of forgettable, and they don't have the same technical prowess to back up a program that may be lacking a little. A lot of the details in their program are sloppy, they don't bring their feet back together, like ever, which is a simple detail that can make a program look cleaner and more appealing. To be honest, they're really not my favourite, and for me, I would've put them in third, behind Hubbell and Donohue.

Hubbell and Donohue have such an amazing short dance. I think their short dance is my favourite program this season, in any event. The choreography has the perfect balance between the difficult technical elements and a beautiful simplicity. They have wonderful lines, and this is the one short dance that I feel actually has emotional impact. They have the technical ability, and this short dance should be enough to put them at or near the top at most competitions, but we're not seeing that. It is really not being well represented in their PCSs and unfortunately, I think that has a lot to do with them not having the base reputation points to prop them up.

Their freedance is good, but I don't think it is anywhere near as good as their short. It lacks some of the emotional impact, and the music and the costuming don't help them. I think that with a better freedance, they could've been a top team this season, but unfortunately the freedance just missed the mark. Overall though, I'm thrilled they made the choice to move to Montreal, because even if the freedance isn't the perfect vehicle, it is miles ahead of last year's freedance.

Cannuscio and McManus made a step up into fourth place, ahead of Hawayek and Baker, who I think many assumed would be the fourth place US team. Overall, I think they're fine. They don't have some of the refinement some of the other teams have, their Ravensburger was a little heavy and so didn't have the same flow as the other teams, but they do have the technical ability, and they sold the material they had.

I'm not the biggest fan of their freedance. To me it feels a little too much like they're trying to be Papadakis and Cizeron, and it comes off a little tacky. The grabbing of the ear is much too much, and other than that, they don't really have something in either program to make them memorable.

Hawayek and Baker didn't have a great weekend at nationals, they managed to hold on to fifth, but that doesn't bode well for them for the rest of this season or next season. It's beginning to feel like they've settled for what comes easy. They're not making an attempt to push the envelope with the themes of the programs or the content. We've seen this pretty people skating to pretty music far too many times from them, and the novelty of their nice lines and good skating skills has worn off. It was one thing when they were brand new seniors, but it's time to find something else. They're going to need to push themselves really hard if they want a shot at getting back on that world team next year.

(Side note: I really don't get the new FD costumes from Hawayek and Baker, like they look fine, but they don't make sense with the music they're using)

Canadian Nationals 2016- Preview

Canadian and US nationals are both coming up quickly, followed very shortly by Europeans, which means there will be no shortage of skating to watch over the coming weeks.

The Canadian National champions will be fairly obvious choices, with the exception of the ladies event, where any one of the top three Canadian ladies can take the title. If Alaine cuts the triple axel (which is nowhere near clean any of the times I've seen her, and seems to be ruining the rest of the program) she will probably take the title, but at this point, with the significant failures she's had on the Grand Prix circuit, she still kept it, which does not bode well for her performance at nationals.

The third spot on the men's team is the only toss up in that event, Patrick Chan will inevitably win, and Nam will get the silver, but Eladj Balde, Liam Firus, and a couple other men could reasonably take the third spot to worlds.

2nd through 4th in the Pairs event in Canada will be a heated fight. I genuinely think Julianne and Charlie have the second spot locked, but either Kirsten and Dylan or Lubov and Dylan could stand a chance at taking that spot from them, it will be interesting to see who Skate Canada will choose to send to worlds.

In the dance event, it is essentially a sure fire win for Kaitlin and Andrew, and Piper and Paul will most certainly be second, but the question for third place will be a significant competition. There is Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam and Nicole Orford and Asher Hill, as well as other teams.

This weekend in Halifax we'll see some amazing senior skaters at Canadian nationals this year. We're going to have strong teams for Worlds in most or all of the disciplines

What to Watch From Russian Nationals- The Short Programs

'Tis the season for Russian Nationals.

Watching Russian Nationals is time consuming, especially when it happens this time of year, and with Japanese Nationals at the same time.

So, I've watched every program, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and picked out the programs you need to see from Russian Nationals this year.

Men

Dmitri Bushlanov



Mikhail Kolyada



Adian Pitkeev



Maxim Kovtun



Alexander Petrov



Konstantin Menshov


Ladies

Diana Pervushkina



Anna Pogorilaya



Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (All I'm going to say is yikes!)



Maria Artemieva



Yulia Lipnitskaia



Maria Perederova



Alena Leonova



Adelina Sotnikova



Elena Radionova



Evgenia Medvedeva

  
Pairs

Volosozhar/ Trankov



Kavaguti/Smirnov



Tarasova/ Morozov



Astakova/Rogonov



Biryukova/Filonov



Efimova/Korovin





Ice Dance

Sinitsina/Katsalapov



Ilinykh/Zhiganshin



Bobrova/Soloviev



Stepanova/Bukin



Zahorski/Guerreiro



Kanivets/Chizhov

Grand Prix Final 2015- Dance

Weaver and Poje won the event, and their programs are good, but the reality is that the programs aren't something unique and special. It's no secret that I like Weaver and Poje, I like the quality of their skating, and they can do something extremely emotionally powerful, but I just don't connect to their programs. That said, there aren't really any programs in the dance event that I find especially impactful this season. Unfortunately, the dance, which is usually my favourite event, is just not having the same impact on me as it has in past seasons. I feel like people are trying too hard to follow in the path of Papadakis and Cizeron and with a waltz for the short dance, the whole event feels too one note for me.

Chock and Bates are really not my favourites, and I really think they were overscored here. They didn't have the quality in their elements that some of the other teams did. Madison also had a significant issue on the twizzles, which they still got positive GOEs on.That seems ridiculous to me. With a mistake that big on the twizzles, they should not have gotten positive GOEs. I have done nothing to hide that these two are not my favourites, I honestly just don't think they have the quality of skating that other teams do. Madison has great performance quality, but I feel like judges allow her to let that mask where she is weaker in the technical elements. Honestly, I think the Shibutanis were better than Chock and Bates here, but this doesn't bode well for Maia and Alex at US Nationals.

Cappellini and Lanotte were strong here, but like with Weaver and Poje, I like them well enough, but I just don't think the programs are anything all that special. I think overall they're good skaters, but I don't think the programs they have this year have any emotional impact, so I'm left just thinking it's fine, but what I really want is more programs that have emotional impact.

Maia and Alex Shibutani were underscored here in my opinion. I think they are better than Chock and Bates, and yet that wasn't reflected in the scores. I'm not really sure where the score difference is coming from, because I do really think they are better technical skaters than Chock and Bates. Their short dance is fine, but I'm really not a fan of the doll programs. Their freedance though, is definitely one of the best freedances. I didn't love it at first, but it is quickly growing on me.

Bobrova and Soloviev skated well, but they weren't the most memorable for me. Their music choices are not my favourite. They don't stick out in my memory because their music choices are a little unoriginal and they aren't exceptionally choreographed.

Hubbell and Donohue have something really special in their short dance, but unfortunately, I don't think their freedance matches that impact. I will admit that I like their freedance more than I expected when I saw their music choices. I definitely like them far more than I did last year, and it goes to show how important the music and choreography are for ice dance.

Trophee Bompard- Dance

The dance event at Trophee Bompard was a little shocking in the outcome.

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue won the short dance (and maybe the event? it's still unclear what's going to happen). I was sincerely surprised by how much I enjoyed their short dance. I'm usually not a huge fan of people skating to Hallelujah, but I loved their short dance. Their movements were clean and the program was choreographed simply. There were a few moments I loved, simple moments where, rather than filling the program to the brim, they held a nice edge in close hold to the music. I was far from their biggest fan in the past, but they are clearly good skaters, and their material finally showcases this effectively.

Piper Gilles and Paul Porier were the favourites for this event, but finished in second. I like their short. I don't entirely understand, though I do have a theory as to the story, but I don't think I need to. They stand out from the crowd because they are going so far from the pretty music and pretty people we're seeing a whole lot too much of this year, because the short dance is a waltz and the world champion's freedance was classical and traditional.

Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin are definitely my favourite Russian team. I generally like their skating, they have nice lines and decent choreography, even though it is still very Russian. They look very nice on the ice and match each other well.

The Brits, Penny Coomes and Nicholas Buckland, finished the event in Bordeaux in fourth. They aren't my favourite team, they don't have the soft knees and long lines we expect from the ice dance event. They end up looking a little too much like a pair team for my tastes. They aren't bad skaters, but they are lacking a little refinement in the details, which is part of why they are not as successful as some might expect them to be.

Cup of China 2015- Ice Dance

By the end of the weekend, the ice dance event was very small. Two teams had to withdraw at some point.

Yue Cong and Zhuoming Sun had to withdraw before the short dance and did not compete at all. I don't know why they withdrew from the event, but them withdrawing was overshadowed significantly by the other team that withdrew.

Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker had to withdraw during the warmup for the free. Apparently, Kaitlin had food poisoning and wasn't able to skate. Their short dance was good, but not exceptional.

Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Ziganshin got bronze in China and they have made significant strides since pairing up. They are one of the only teams that has been extremely successful in the last year after pairing up following the Olympics. They're skating well, but they will have to watch out for their former partners Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, who did far better than I could have anticipated at Skate America.

Chock and Bates, surprisingly, did not win the Cup of China, coming in second to Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte. Chock and Bates skated well, but they do not have the technical ability and basic skating skills expected from the world's top teams. Madison in particular could use some more time on the skating skills, she certainly sells the skating, but does not have the skills to match her performance level.

Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte made a comeback at their first Grand Prix this season after a disappointing season following their victory at worlds in 2014. Their programs are not the most exciting or original, but there is no denying she sells the program as well as Madison Chock, but they have better skating skills overall.

Skate Canada 2015- Ice Dance

The ice dance event came out about how I think we all expected.

Weaver and Poje have a brand new short dance, and, especially considering they've only started working on it a couple weeks ago, it's pretty good. It's not the most original, but I can't fault them for that. They had to essentially re-start with only two weeks between competitions. The music restrictions are really stringent, and from what I've heard, they were told at past competitions that the Elvis music doesn't technically meet the requirements. It is close, but since it doesn't meet the requirements, they would face a mandatory deduction at every competition with that program for the entire season. They didn't really have a choice at this point, and this has happened to a couple of teams already. The freeskate is good, but blends in a little with all the tradtional, classical freedances this season. Especially since this year's short dance is a waltz, it would be nice to see some more variation in the free, but again, I can't fault them too much, as they did try to be different but were left with no choice but to change the short dance.

The Shibutani's finished in second here, and they finally have some pretty good programs. I have to say, even though they're skating to Copellia, which is about a doll, I'm really sick and tired of all the pairs and dance programs where the lady is playing a doll. It's really not effective because it can't be maintained. Skating is too fluid to have half a pair stiff and wooden for the entire program, so it comes and goes throughout the program, which loses a lot of its impact. The freedance is fine, but not the most original. I really don't think it's one that's going to stick out in my mind going forward. I am a whole lot happier with their choreography this year than last year, but I do really like them, so I want the best choreo for them.

Bobrova and Soloviev made their return to ice dance here after taking time off for injuries. They were solid here, but a lot of the fundamental skills are kind of weak. Their hold is not good. Every time they are in waltz hold she sticks her butt out, so their upper bodies are much closer together than their feet. I don't know if they are just to apprehensive to skate in close hold, but if that's the case they should really just skate in a more open hold. But maybe she just doesn't have good technique and can't help but stick her butt out, in which case, that needs to be their focus until it's fixed, and fixed for good. Senior ice dance teams really shouldn't be skating like that.

The other ice dance teams weren't really worth talking about. I didn't find the others to be either exceptionally good or exceptionally bad.

Skate America 2015- Ice Dance

I am still a little in shock about the ice dance event.

This is so far from what I expected from this event, and I'm still not quite sure how it happened.

The biggest shock was obviously Sinitsina and Katsalapov coming in second. Last season they didn't even get the technical requirement to qualify for worlds and now they're beating out some of the best teams in the world.

Sinitsina and Katsalapov were fine, but they were not exceptional. I really can't believe they beat Gilles and Porier, and Hawayek and Baker. I don't know what happened, but I really didn't see what the judges apparently saw.

Sinitsina and Katsalapov didn't have a great Ravensburger, the choreography is less than exciting, and they don't have the best lines. Their lifts are also strange. They never settle into a position, which leaves them looking like she's rolling around in his arms, and then all of a sudden she's back on the ice.

Also, I really don't understand the motivation to skate to Swan Lake. Nikita already did that with Elena, and it is nowhere near as good. The music they use also doesn't work exceptionally well for the Ravenburger, which makes me question what the hell Marina Zoueva is thinking with these two.

The winners of the event are the ones we all expected to win here. No one is surprised that Madison Chock and Evan Bates took the gold here. Even for them though, the freedance was very sloppy. We're used to Madison having less than great technique, but this week, they were exceptionally sloppy. Madison really needs a strict technical coach to fix her edges and turns. However, a quick fix is for her to just bring her feet together between turns. I went back and re-watched their programs, specifically watching Madison's feet, and not once did I see her feet come together once between their programs.

Piper Gilles and Paul Porier are still the silver medalists here in my mind. They have interesting programs, they're fun and exciting, and they have interesting music choices. I really like their programs, even though I don't really get the theme of the freedance, I like it so much that it doesn't matter to me. It is nice to see dances that are not just typical pretty people skating to pretty music.

Speaking of pretty people skating to pretty music, Hawayek and Baker finished just barely off the podium here. Their programs are not my favourite, and I would like to see them do something a little different from the past.
They have really nice lines and good technique, but their programs are so similar every year that they are seriously becoming a snozefest. I really want to love Hawayek and Baker, but I would love for them to step out of their comfort zone, even a little bit.

I was really disappointed in the Chinese team here. They have become one of the teams I love to watch, and they had some more interesting programs than some of the other teams, but they really did not skate well here. They had a lot of mistakes, and I'm just hoping they can pull it together sooner rather than later.

Nostalgia Tripping- Skate America 2013

In 2013, my sister and I made a weekend roadtrip to Detroit for Skate America. We had missed out on both Worlds and Nationals in recent years, and we were not going to miss out again.

 With Skate America coming up again this year, I've been thinking a lot about the amazing skating we got to see that weekend.

I got to see multiple Olympic gold medal programs in their early stages. Certainly, some programs that early in the season were better than others, but all of the skating in Detroit was remarkable.

The most remarkable performance for me was Davis and White's Scheherazade freedance. Even at the beginning of the season it was technically flawless and their performance was brilliant.

Volosozhar and Trankov were also stunning on the ice, their elements were enormous and nearly flawless. Pairs is not usually my favourite event, but the pairs at Skate America 2013 was amazing.

Tatsuki Machida was also an amazing performance. His Firebird  freeskate was amazing and my personal favourite Firebird program I have ever seen.

Mao Asada was also stunning in the freeskate. Unfortunately we only got to see the freeskates live, but the short programs were also quite spectacular from what we saw watching online.

All four events were amazing, and the Grand Prix events have especially strong skating across the board. Whenever you have the opportunity, it is beyond worth it to make the trip out to any of the Grand Prix events, especially when the prices are as reasonable as the 2013 Skate America was.

Injury Update- Gabriella Papadakis and Josh Farris

At the end of August, Gabriella Papadakis suffered a concussion (it's not clear exactly how she did), and even though she is recovering, recovery from concussions can be a long process. She has apparently suffered focus, balance, and memory issues, as well as panic attacks and dyslexia, according to an article on AFP.com.

Papadakis is undergoing treatment for the traumatic brain injury developed by the US military. The process is supposed to occur over six weeks. Until she has recovered they will not be able to train as seriously or compete.

Papadakis and Cizeron have withdrawn from their competitions before Trophee Eric Bompard. As long as her recovery goes as planned, their season will be back on track during the Grand Prix season. They are concerned about the challenge of starting a season at a Grand Prix event, but with an injury like this one, they don't have the option to return before then.


Josh Farris has also apparently suffered a concussion. He has withdrawn from both of his Grand Prix events this season. He apparently missed Champs Camp this season, but is expected to make a full recovery.

There are not as many details about his concussion as Papadakis' in part because it seems to be a newer injury.

However, he has withdrawn very early from NHK, which suggests the concussion is pretty serious.

Here's hoping they both get well soon, and take the time they need to get back on the ice to make sure they've healed completely before risking another injury.

The 2015-2016 Free Dance- Breaking Down the Updates to the IJS

The required elements of the free dance for 2015/2016 are:

1. One short lift and one combination lift (the short lift must be different from the short lifts making up the combination lift) or three different types of short lifts

2. One dance spin (spin or combination spin)

3. Two step sequences in hold

One straight line step sequence (midline or diagonal) and one curved step sequence (curved or serpentine)

4. One set of synchronized twizzles

5. One choreographic element

One choreographic spinning movement: meaning a dance lift performed after all the others of up to ten seconds

Or one choreographic dance lift: a spinning movement performed after the dance spin, requiring each partner to perform two revolutions, in any hold, on one foot or two feet or with one partner elevated without being sustained or any combination of the three, on a common axis that may be moving

Or one choreographic twizzling movement: a twizzling movement performed after the required twizzles and done in two parts. For both parts, skaters must perform the movement on one foot, two feet, or a combination of the two. For the first part, skaters must both complete two continuous revolutions, and both skaters must travel. In the second part, at least one skater must complete at least two continuous revolutions, and one or both partners can be on the spot, travelling, or a combination of the two.

In the free dance, the first step sequence is considered a category A and the second is considered B. The following restrictions apply to them:

 Required elements may be skated anywhere in the program, except for during the step sequences.

Thornhill Summer Skate: The Seniors- Senior Dance

The senior dance is usually my favourite event at any given competition, but at Summer Skate, though it was very good, Gilles and Porier withdrawing from the freedance was a bit of a letdown.

The short dance this year is the Ravensburger Wlatz. I'm very glad that, unlike last year, there seems to be more diversity in the theme and execution of the short dance.

Gilles and Porier had a fun hippie themed short dance, they seemed to not have their costumes though. I've seen photos of them in costume for the short dance, but at Summer Skate they were in plain black clothes. We didn't get to see their freedance as they withdrew from the event (I haven't been able to find out why).

The other highlight of the event was Nicole Orford and Asher Hill. They have just teamed up very recently, but they already work extremely well as a couple. Their lines match beautifully and they have great chemistry on the ice. Both programs were beautiful, and though not particularly original in theme and styling, they were amazing to watch. Like Piper and Paul, they don't seem to have costumes ready or they had some sort of issue with them, and skated in plain black clothing like Piper and Paul.

The other couples were strong, but fell into the shadows cast by the two bigger couples. They were enjoyable to watch, but not as memorable as Orford and Hill and Gilles and Porier.

This competition just continued to show the depth of ice dance in Canada at the moment.

The 2015-2016 Short Dance- Breaking down the Updates to the IJS

Now that we've finished the updates to the other disciplines, let's take a look at the updates to the dance event.
All of the details can be found in the ISU document 1932, which you can find online.

As I'm sure most of you already know, the short dance this season is the Ravensburger Waltz. You can see the pattern and an example of the pattern it this post. Each couple must perform one full pattern of the dance in any waltz position on the waltz rhythm. Skaters must perform the Ravensburger to music in a waltz (3/4 rhythm) at 198 or 66 beats per minute (bpm) +/- 3 bpm.

On top of the compulsory Ravensburger Waltz section of the short dance, skaters must also perform a partial step sequence, completing one full round of the ice's surface. This element must be skated in a foxtrot, march, or polka. The tempo of the music is up to the skater's discretion, but must be constant for the entire element. The pattern for the step sequence must proceed in one direction around the ice's surface, it cannot cross the long axis of the ice surface except for at either end. The pattern must start and end in the same spot on the ice. The pattern may loop back, so long as those loops do not cross the axis (meaning loops must be small enough that they do not reach the mid-point of the ice). Skaters may only cross the long axis of the ice during the Ravensburger while performing steps #10-15 (steps are numbered on the pattern in the other post, the pattern calls for these steps to arc right to centre ice).

Before skaters can complete the partial step sequence, they must come to a complete stop, lasting no more than 10 seconds. Once they move from this stop, judges begin to count for the step sequence.

The elements for the short dance are:

1. The Ravensburger Waltz
2. 1 short dance lift
3. 1 partial step sequence in hold
4. 1 set of sequential twizzles

Skaters will be evaluated on the Ravensburger Waltz based on the following criteria:

Thornhill Summer Skate: Up and Coming Young Skaters- Junior Dance

The junior dancers were pretty impressive overall.

Their short dance was the Starlight Waltz, which is one of my favourite waltzes.

Most of the short dances were good, though nothing was extraordinarily original. Some were clearly trying for something original, but for the most part they came off as strange conceptually but in the actual choreography they were quite traditional.

Of the 5 couples in both the short and freedance (like the pairs and the senior pairs and dance they were technically separate competitions), Mackenzie Bent and Dmitre Razgulajevs were my favourite and definitely looking about ready to join the senior ranks.

Bent and Razgulajevs had an unfortunate fall in the short dance, but still won the short dance.

The other four couples in the event were also strong, but did not stand out in the same way as Bent and Razgulajevs.

The freedances were good, but both conceptually and choreographically not anything particularly new or special. They are junior skaters and so the concepts though unsurprising, were well executed.