Trophee Bompard- Men

Shoma Uno won the short program, and it's still not clear if this will be the final result, but I have a feeling it will, or you would hope they would have said something by now. I really like him, as most people reading this blog will know. I would like to fix his extension on his landing, but that might just be the only thing I would fix in his skating. I really like his programs, and I love the way he skates.

Maxim Kovtun benefited as well from just skating the short, because he tends to be more successful in the short than the free. I'm not such a fan of Kovtun, the Russian style is really not my thing, and his technical elements are not nearly good enough to make up for the lack of skating skills, transitions, and choreography.

Daisuke Murakami will probably be fighting Shoma Uno for the second spot at worlds (we all know the first will be going to Yuzuru Hanyu). He also skated well, and I like him a lot. He's not quite as consistent as Shoma Uno, but he's definitely one of the best Japanese men.

Denis Ten has been a hot mess. Not that that's anything new. He's usually a hot mess for most of the season. He's not nearly as bad in the short as the free, so like Uno and Kovtun, and Murakami to an extent, he did benefit a little from not skating the free.

Patrick Chan definitely did not benefit from just skating the short. He got nothing from the combo in the short, he did a double double combo. The triple axel also got a negative GOE, and so he was left in 5th and didn't have any chance to make a recovery.

Trophee Bompard- Pairs

At the Trophee Bompard, the pairs event had some results that we not exactly what we expected, but with only a short program, this event didn't allow for some of the teams who finished behind where they were expected to to make a comeback.

Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov won the short program, but I'm not a huge fan of this short program. She is trying to sell it, but he's not great at it, and what they're doing is not what I would consider up to par for a Bollywood program. They made a pretty good return to the big leagues after a season off, but I'm not sure they're going to be able to challenge for the top of the podium at worlds, and may not finish on the podium at worlds at all.

Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres made a surprising finish after the short, sitting in second place. They skated well, and they have a program that suits their style. If they can continue to skate this way, they'll stand a good chance at a very successful season.

Another surprise was Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau. They were placed in third after the short. I would say, this will put them solidly in second in the Canadian rankings. They are far more consistent than most pairs teams, and their short isn't my favourite, but it's clear they enjoy the music, and so the programs work for them.

Perhaps the most surprising short program rank was Evgenia Tarasova and Vladamir Morozov. They were in 7th after the short. They were not too far behind in terms of points, Only just over 3 points shy of second, but they still were not nearly as successful as they can be. They are very strong skaters, but they didn't show that here.

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.

Trophee Bompard- Ladies

With the tragedy in Paris this weekend, only the short programs were competed here. The ISU should be meeting early this week to determine how to deal with the half-competed event in terms of world rankings and the Grand Prix Final.

That said, the short programs happened, and it is possible the final result will be that of the short program.

Gracie Gold won the short program, and maybe the event. Gracie had a clean short in Bordeaux, which was a little surprising but it was nice to see her skate well. Her short is not my favourite, but it's working a whole lot better than last year's for her. Every element in her short got a positive GOE and her PCSs were strong.

Conversely, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva did not skate well here. She was 5th in the short, and doesn't have the chance to make up the lost points, if the information we have so far is true. The triple axel was underrotated and the triple lutz was downgraded. Her combo also received a negative GOE. Her program almost entirely fell apart after the mistake on the triple axel. Without the amazing, consistent jumps, there is nothing left to her short program. Her costume is also horrendous. What possessed her to wear nothing but flesh coloured fabric on half her dress I will never understand. She has gone from the matronly mumu to this sexy in the worst way dress.

Yulia Lipnitskia got lucky here that she only had to power through a short program. She can fake her way through her bad technique for three jumps, but I really don't think she can manage that often in the freeskate. She's doing better this season, but that doesn't mean she has better technique. She is landing these jumps through pure force of will.

Roberta Rodeghiero had a surprisingly good skate here. She finished in third after the short. She's not one we see often, especially not with this much success. If she can pull off two skates like her one here, she may be able to make at least an alternate position for the grand prix final, assuming these results stand for the final, which, who knows what's going to happen with that.

Paris Attacks and the Potential Impact on Trophee Bompard

Terror attacks hit Paris Friday Nov 13, over 100 people died and the country entered a state of emergency. There were at least 6 attacks that happened simultaneously. Large groups of civilians were targeted, including a concert, a soccer game, and places like bars and restaurants.

Trophee Bompard is also this weekend, and even though France has re-opened its borders and flights are entering the country again (according to the CBC). However, some people are calling for the competition to be cancelled.

The ISU should be making an announcement soon, but have not done so yet. It is still unclear what's going to happen with the event going forward.

All of the skaters are fine, and as far as I am aware, so are the officials.

My thoughts are with the people of Paris as they go through this horrible tragedy.

Grand Prix Announcements- Who's Going Where in 2015

The 2015 Grand Prix circuit is going to be full of exciting showdowns. Almost all of the grand prix assignments have been announced already.

One of the most exciting events will be the men's event at Skate Canada. Right away there is going to be a showdown between Yuzuru Hanyu and Patrick Chan. Skate Canada will be Chan's first major event in a long time.