World Figure Skating Championships 2015- Pairs (Part 2- Feeskate Groups 3&4)

Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier were the first Americans to skate. Neither of the American teams had a great freeskate. Their freeskate wasn't terrible, but there were lots of small mistakes that kept them out of the top ten. Most of their jumps and throws didn't have great landings (most notably the axel), and they need to work on matching their lines. In the side by side spins, you can see they aren't quite in the same positions, their arms aren't actually the same, and it makes a difference. They had a good performance, but it wasn't perfect, which, unless you have quad, is what you need to be in the top ten, and especially the top five in the world right now.

Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim skated immediately after their american teammates. They finished in 7th place overall. The quad twist was impressive, but they were kept out of the top five by small mistakes throughout the program. The pairs field is really tough right now, and it's only going to get tougher.

Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov finished in 6th place, less than a point behind their teammates, Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov. They're a younger couple, and they're skating very well. The music choice seemed a little odd, but they skated it well enough. They executed all of their elements well, but they don't have any of the big elements yet, which held them back. Their PCS is also on the low side, they don't have some of the transitions and choreography and skating skills in this program to push them into the top five.

Cheng Peng and Hao Zhang finished in fourth, the last of the Chinese teams, significantly behind their teammates, but also significantly ahead of Kavaguti and Smirnov, who were behind them. They skated well, for the most part, the only big mistake being on the side by side axels.

Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov did not skate nearly as well as they were expected to. After Europeans, they were expected to do better, but they got -2s on two of three throws (including the throw quad salchow) and their overall GOEs were not great. They also recieved a 7.89 for transitions. They didn't skate horribly, but I think most expected better from them after the season they've had.

Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford won the world title, as I think everyone expected them to after the season they've had. This was not the best they've skated all season (that would probably be the GPF), but they had two really good skates, the only real mistake being on the throw quad salchow. They also didn't get great GOEs on their side by side spins.

Qing Pang and Jian Tong came back with something to prove, and they did well. They finished in third, but in a lot of ways they don't have the elements to really compete. Their skatng is beautiful but the jumps weren't great, and I think some of the GOEs on those were a little generous. They had the advantage of being at home with a crowd that loves them, and that was almost certainly a factor.

Wenjing Sui and Cong Han are one of my favourite teams. I'm completely in love with their short, it suits their personalities perfectly and they have spectacular elements. I'm not as crazy about the free, I don't think it really suits them, but there's no denying they were spectacular and entertaining to watch.

World Figure Skating Championships 2015- Pairs (Part 1- Feeskate Groups 1&2)

The first group of the pairs freeskate was okay, but compared to the later flights not as exciting. Amani Fancy and Christopher Boyadji skated first, to the music of Harry Potter. Not really sure how I feel about that music choice.

The second flight started with 2 of the three Candian teams. First, Julianne Seguin and Charlie Bilodeau who skated really well. They're still juniors, so they've got a ways to go in terms of maturity and skating skills, but they had to solid performances, and finished in 8th place, which was pretty amazing for them at their first worlds. These two are definitely ones to watch.

Lubov Iliushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch skated after Julianne and Charlie, and they had a rough freeskate. I'm still not entirely sure what happened in the death spiral, it just sort of seemed to fall apart. Their last lift was not great either. It's only the combined experience the two of them have that got them through that lift and the end of the program. They didn't finish as well as I would've liked (and I'm sure not as well as they would've liked), finishing in 13th place.

Valentina Marchei and Ondrej Hotarek skated next. Like Lubov and Dylan they didn't have a great skate in the free. Mistakes that wouldn't have been as bad for a more experienced couple really hurt them. Valentina is doing amazingly well, considering she's only been skating pairs for less than a year, but her lack of experience hurt them a little here. Over time though, those big elements will come and they will be a truly exceptional team if they continue the way they skated this season. They finished in 11th place.

Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres skated last in the second flight. They skated well in the free and finished in 9th place.

World Figure Skating Championships 2015- Ice Dance (Part 2- Freedance Groups 3&4)

Groups 3 and 4 of the freedance were phenomenal. We all know how much I love most of these teams, as they include most of the North American teams.

Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin are not my favourites. They're skating to another overused piece of music for their freedance, and they're not anything special to me. I'm not a fan of the Russian style in the first place, and I don't find them to be exceptional.

Piper Gilles and Paul Porier were the first of the Canadian teams to skate the freedance. I have to say it was a bit of a miracle that we had 3 clean Canadian skates with all the mistakes in the short, and so all three Canadian teams placed well in the short. Piper and Paul were in 7th place after the short, and managed to improve on that placement finishing the event in 6th place, which is pretty impressive. I have a few issues with their paso, particularly the pattern itself, there are some weird timing moments (I've been paying close attention to the Paso, and as I am currently skating it now, I know it well). Before the slip steps they have a strange pause that looks almost like their timing is off, but it must be intentional since it happens every time. It is these little details that I watch that are a little off-putting for someone watching for detail.

I do enjoy their freedance, but as I've said in the past, it's a little to traditional for them in my opinion. However, they skated it well here, and had an amazing finish in the event.

Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam unfortunately did not have as good a freeskate as Piper and Paul. They finished overall in 13th and their freedance was 14th. This was a little disappointing as I (and I think all the Alex and Mitch fans out there) expected a top ten finish for them. Their paso was great and they've really improved it over the course of the season.

Their freedance was less successful.  This freedance seemed a little more well-liked than their original freedance (even though I loved that one too), but they continue to lose levels on their step sequences. They appear to have all the requirements for level 4s in their step sequences (they are certainly capable of them) but they continue to get only level 2s on them. I'm not sure where the mistakes are coming in, but that is something they can hopefully rectify come next season. I'm also hoping they get Jeff Buttle to do all of their programs going forward. His style really suits them and I think his choreography will do them good (fingers crossed).

(On a side note, I am going to admit to bias in favour of them. I might have a bit of a blind spot when it comes to these two. I'm from Barrie, I know Mitch's dad, my sister and Mitch's sister used to compete against each other back in the day, so there's a personal connection there that is probably clouding my judgement, even if just a little)

Maia and Alex Shibutani had a great paso. They were in 6th going into the free. Alex especially really knows how to sell the paso. I enjoy watching their short dance a whole lot more than the free.

Their freedance, unfortunately, is a snooze. It's really not their fault. They skated it brilliantly, but the choreography is dull. Freedance by numbers. It goes past classic into the realm of cliche and certainly into the realm of boring. I really like the Shibutanis. Their Michael Jackson freedance last year was far from perfect, but it sure as hell was more entertaining and interesting to watch than this year's. Here's hoping they leave Marina and go to someone with more interesting choreography (Marie France Dubreuil maybe?) and a little more time for these two. I personally think they can go farther than Chock and Bates, and with better choreography they've got a shot at a podium finish at next year's worlds.

Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje surprised me a lot this week. Not only did they not win the event, they finished in third. For a moment I was concerned they might not even finish on the podium. I really enjoy watching them skate, but there does seem to be a little something missing. That spark we get from Papadakis and Cizeron that draws you in. Kaitlyn and Andrew are amazing skaters, they have a connection with each other and they have amazing skating skills and elements. I don't know if their connection always comes across to the audience though. I feel like their performance may not project quite enough and that people who don't understand ice dance don't see the amazing skating and can't necessarily see why they were undefeated this season up until worlds. That said I love watching them. The ice dance is my favourite event, one I look forward to at every competition, and these two definitely contributed to my excitement.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates finished in second, pretty close to where just about everyone expected to be, though not behind Weaver and Poje like most expected. Both of their programs are good enough, but I don't really expect them to stay at the top much longer. As exciting as they are to watch, Madison lacks some technical skating skills. Of the ladies at the very top, she is probably the weakest in terms of skating skills, but the strongest in performance. I expect we'll see a lot more of them, but I don't know how much of that time will be spent at the top, but who knows, they might spend the off season improving her skating skills and come back with a vengeance. Either way, they are entertaining to watch and there's no denying they have some fantastic lifts.

Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Ziganshin are a new team, and considering that, placed extremely well at their first world championships together. They finished in 7th place, their short 5th and the free 9th. I do think that the hype around them was a little too much. Yes, they are good. Are they as good as some make them out to be? Not really. They have a lot of flaws right now, which is to be expected of a new team, but they are there nonetheless. Their short dance is strong, the free is uninteresting, and that is where their flaws start to really show through. They'll continue to improve, and if they can stick out this partner, likely be a really good team, but I'm not sure they'll be great. Elena is an amazing performer, but there's a lot of flaws in their skating. Only time will tell with these two.

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron WON THE WORLD TITLE! Wow. I don't think anyone (except Dave Lease of TSL) expected this from them. I wasn't expecting this result, but I kind of wanted it to happen. After last year, I didn't expect them to take the title, but I have to say it was a pleasant surprise. Their freedance is perfect. It is the right blend between the old and new, it suits them beautifully, and the choreography is amazing and the costuming works perfectly. It is just innovative enough that it catches your attention while maintaining the classic beauty of a traditional ice dance program. Both Gabriella and Guillaume are strong skaters, they have nice lines and good extensions, but as great as Gabriella is, this is a rare occasion in ice dance where we are all watching the man. It's a little strange, but it works for them, they still balance each other nicely. They had two great skates and deserved this title. I'm thinking Montreal might just be the place to be for ice dance now. With the world champions training there, we might just see some movement from the Detroit teams and coaches.

Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte, the former world champions did not do so well in Shanghai. They finished fourth, which considering the season they've had could've been a whole lot worse. Their programs were fine. Both had the same sort of feeling, which I don't think worked to well, but the programs themselves were good enough. One of my biggest critiques for them is Anna's posture. She tends to hunch her shoulders and stick her head forward. She loses her neck completely and it ruins their lines. It also ruins their hold because they become too far apart in the upper body. Overall, I wasn't that impressed with them, which is unfortunate, because I really did enjoy them in the past. I think it might've been smart for them to retire after last season to end their careers on a high, and it definitely would've been better for them not to move to Marina (though apparently their federation forced them to?). Maybe if they stick around they'll leave Marina and go back to what was clearly working better before.

World Figure Skating Championships 2015- Ice Dance (Part 1- Freedance Groups 1&2)

The short dance at this year's Worlds was a hot mess. There were more mistakes than I've seen in a while. Some of the teams we assumed would make it to the free didn't because of their mistakes. We've seen enough of the Reeds that I assumed they would make it to the free, but their mistakes kept them from moving on.

Even though it was the middle of the night in Toronto, I was up watching the whole short dance and livetweeting (you can see those tweets here)

The first group of the freedance was a little like the short dance, but a team on the rise I really like were in that first group.

Shiyue Wang and Xinyu Liu, the Chinese dance team were quite good. They're improving in leaps and bounds. I really love their freedance, to the music of the movie "The Artist." They only barely made the freedance, in 18th place after the short and finished overall in 19th place. Not a great finish, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of them in the future, especially if they continue to improve the way they have been.

Groups 2 through 4 had lots of great teams. The ice dance field is pretty deep right now. And there hasn't been a clearly dominant team all season, with the retirement of both Davis and White and Virtue and Moir.

Sara Hurtado and Adria Diaz skated first in the second flight. Their short dance is my preference, they do the Spanish dances well (obviously), and their freedance, while innovative is a little too weird, and the spoken word piece they're skating to really isn't ideal. They're good enough skaters, I think they just went a little too far out of the box with their freedance to really contend, but with training partners like Papadakis and Cizeron, they're going to improve technically and in terms of performance.

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue made the same sort of mistake that Hurtado and Diaz made. They tried to be too innovative. I love an innovative freedance, one of my favourites ever was Gilles and Porier's Hitchcock program, but there's a delicate balance between doing something interesting with the format and picking weird music. I really think that a huge part of Hubbell and Donohue's problem is the structure of the program, it could have been good, probably not great but better than it was. The last piece of music they chose is actually good skating music and would've worked better if it had been more of the program. The middle section really doesn't work and the music cut from the first track to the second is too abrupt, they don't transition well.

Federica Testa and Lukas Csolley's freedance is just not great. The theme is clear, the music choice isn't terrible, but I always get pulled out of the program when he pulls down her top, it takes me out of the program entirely and I can never seem to get back into it. They have some great elements, especially the one jaw-dropping lift in both the short and the free, which continues to catch me by surprise even now. The placement of that lift in the music of the free is perfect, but I don't enjoy the program as much as I would if not for that one element. I question a little why they thought it was a good idea. It's not necessary to the program, it doesn't serve a purpose except for shock value, and verges on prop use. It was a risky choice, and though they don't get a deduction for it, I think the program would be better without it. (I know this seems nitpicky, but it pulls me out of the program and in a lot of ways keeps me from enjoying them, and I don't think I'm the only one. If you dis/agree let me know).

Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri made a pretty terrible choice for the freedance. I can understand why they thought it might be a good idea, it worked extremely well for Jason Brown last season, but in a way that's exactly why they shouldn't have. They don't have the performance to sell the program and they don't have the stamina to maintain the necessary energy to the end of the program. Throughout the season they've looked exhausted getting close to the end (which is understandable, it's a high intensity program) and that makes it a little underwhelming. Also, that rotational lift is awful. It might be worth a little more than the variation of the same lift (grabbing the hips) we see more often, because this version is one handed, but I cringe a little every time I see it.

Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin have grown on me a lot over the course of the season. Those sit twizzles are still by far the best we've seen, they're impressive and everything about the way they look as an ice dance couple is perfect. They have the right look, which might not seem like a big deal, but they have such nice lines, and they match each other perfectly. They look nice on the ice, and it helps. They also have the technical ability to back it up. They might be my favourite Russians (not my favourite team overall, but they still leave a good impression in my mind).

World Figure Skating Championships 2015- Ladies (Part 2- Freeskate Group 4)

Zijun Li was fantastic in the short. I would have had her quite a bit higher after the short. She really was fantastic in the short. She knows what works for her, and she does it really well in the short.

Her Freeskate, though was nowhere near as good. She wasn't able to hold it together, whether it was the pressure of skating in her home country, or exhaustion, or a lack of focus, she just fell apart a little, which was extremely disappointing. Her freeskate can be excellent when she does it well, but there were just too many mistakes.

Satoko Miyahara skated two good programs. She's small, and her jumps are small, but she manages everything. She has a commanding presence. She had a few small issues in the middle of the free, but she recovered very well.

Elena Radionova was not as strong as she has been. Her freeskate was not strong. Her short was great, only behind Tuktamysheva with the triple axel. She just wasn't able to maintain the energy she needed for the free. Apparently she has been sick, which certainly would explain why she didn't skate as well as she can.

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva could have won the World Championships without the triple axel, and with it, she was unstoppable. She didn't need to worry too much about the freeskate. The freeskate wasn't as good as it has been, but it didn't matter. She delivered what she needed to to win. She didn't need the triple axel in the free, even though I would have loved to see it again.

Rika Hongo had a fantastic freeskate. Her short program was not as good, but as sick as I am with Carmen, there's no denying she skated well. She gave everything, but the fact that she skated after Tuktamysheva and was skating to Carmen, I almost didn't care. She looked a little unsteady in the step sequence, but all of the jumps were strong, and the spins were solid enough. But the judges were not kind to her.

This season, Kanako Murakami is not my favourite. She has some serious technical issues, the mistakes in the free, and also the mule kick she has on the flip. Skating to the same music as most of the Japanese skaters does not help her. Between the bad music choice and the technical mistakes and the just okay choreography and interpretation she really didn't stand a great chance at the podium here.

World Figure Skating Championships 2015- Ladies (Part 1- Freeskate Groups 1-3)

The first flight of the ladies free was not a thrilling group to watch, as usual it was a little scary watching some of the ladies. Most of the ladies in the first flight lack the confidence to execute their technical elements.

Gabby Daleman is the Canadian National Champion, but I'm not confident in her staying power. She doesn't have great jump technique, and we saw here that just throwing herself into the air isn't always going to work. Most of the jumps she gets seem to just be getting by on sheer force of will. Though her programs are good, I don't think they really suit her. I think she would do better going the Duhamel/Radford route and going for something stronger and more powerful in music choice, rather than trying to make her a skater she isn't. Her skating skills and interpretation are improving, but the programs don't show her strengths. In a lot of ways they emphasize her weaknesses. She's coming along, but I would like to see her embrace the skater she is and spend some time re-working her jump technique. She's young and there's still time to fix it.

I don't have whole lot to say about Angelina Kuchvalska's skating. The foot work was too slow, the transitions were too simple, all my usual complaints. The skating was fine, but the music choice was terrible. Not only is she skating to two horribly overused pieces of music, El Tango Roxanne and the Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet, but she is using both those pieces in the same program. They don't make sense together. There were stark cuts between the pieces, and her skating didn't change much either. It was just very strange and a really terrible freeskate choice.

The second flight of ladies in the freeskate was about the same as the first. There will still a whole lot of technical mistakes, and the programs overall were just okay, but that's about what we expect with the earlier flights at worlds.

In the third flight, Gracie Gold made a good comeback after a less than stellar short program with a solid free. I'm still not crazy about either of her programs, and I don't think she is either. Either way, she skated strongly in the free, but the short held her off the podium.

There's something missing from Mae Berenice Meite's programs this season. Both programs don't really suit her style. The only time the programs really come to life is during her footwork sequences. The music for the footwork in both programs works for her, but the rest of the music is too soft for her. Like Gabby, she is a powerful skater who needs more powerful music. She doesn't seem to connect to this music. She didn't skate terribly, but it wasn't spectacular either.

Ashley Wagner had a bit of a disaster in the short program, but she recovered well in the freeskate. As tired as I am with Moulin Rouge this season, her program is probably the best. However, her transitions irritate me, because they are the same ones as the Sampson and Delilah from last season and the season before. They don't really work, and she could have been amazing if they had actually done new choreography.

Polina Edmunds, like her teammates, did not have a great short program, and recovered well in the freeskate. She has improved her control of her lines since even US Nationals. She's getting better, but still has a long way to go. However, it's time for some more mature programs. Her programs still feel very young, which don't help her with her PCSs and the overall feeling of the program for the audience, especially skating immediately after Ashley Wagner.

Anna Pogorilaya has had a rough season, and it didn't let up in Shanghai. Her short was not great, and her free was a bit of a disaster. She hardly skates with her music on a good day, and on a day like she had for the free here, the music might as well have not been playing at all. That hurt her a lot, on top of all the technical mistakes, because there wasn't anything to give her in the PCSs. 

Alaine  Chartrand surprised everyone with her fantastic short program, unfortunately, her freeskate was not as good. She was lacking speed and confidence, so the jumps were not as good. There were a few jumps that were significantly underrotated, and the mistakes really hurt her. Despite her not so great free, she still finished in the top 13, just barely nudged out of the top 10.

World Figure Skating Championships 2015- Men (Part 2- Freeskate Groups 3&4)

Nam Nguyen is the youngest skater in the Men's free, and had two great skates at Worlds. He will need to work on his speed and flow over the next year, but he's training with the best, and his speed will improve. He's got an advantage not only in having one of the best coaches in the world in Brian Orser, but also amazing training partners in Yuzuru Hanyu and Javier Fernandez, two of the best skaters in the world. In an environment like that, it's no wonder Nam is so successful at such a young age. He looks thrilled to be on the ice, and his excitement is contagious, from home on my computer I can feel it, I can only image what it's like in person. He has the consistency missing from most of the other men this season, even if he doesn't have all of the technical combos some of the other men. His programs are beautifully choreographed. Between choreography, technical ability, and his attitude he is going to have a long, successful career.

Michal Brezina has been successful in past seasons at Worlds, but this year he just didn't cut it. He wasn't able to get out the three planned quads, doubling out on two of them. Unfortunately those were not his only mistakes. He has a nice skating style, good skating skills, and nice choreography, but all of the PCS elements suffered because he was so focused on getting out the jumps in the freeskate. I really enjoyed his short, he had a strong enough finish after the short, but there were just too many technical mistakes in the free to maintain his position in the top 10.

I don't particularly enjoy watching Alexei Bychenko. He seems a little out of control. His jumps and skating skills aren't always within control. He doesn't always finish each movement and everything is done so quickly it almost seems like he just wants to get it over with. His performance is quite inward, he has a tendency to look down, almost shutting out the audience, His skating, when the technical elements are perfect can be exciting, but even then can feel a little rushed and out of control.

Florent Amodio has an interesting freeskate and at this point in the season, I'm still not sure if it works. It's not a terrible program, and on a good day, he can sell it. Unfortunately, this time it wasn't a good day, and he couldn't sell it. There were too many technical mistakes to maintain his top ten position from the free.

Misha Ge skates with a Russian style which is not my favourite, but I do truly enjoy watching him skate, mostly because he is completely committed to the program in a way that many of the men are not. It is obvious he loves what he's doing and that makes a huge difference. He is missing some of the technical elements, no quad and double axels, which hurts him, but his PCS makes up for at least some of that. However, I think that some of the beginning sections are missing a little in terms of transitions, especially compared to the end.

Adam Rippon is wonderful to watch, but his technical mistakes here hurt him a lot. He didn't get the quad lutz, popping it. There were some significant technical mistakes, but his skating is wonderful. He glides easily across the ice, but even his PCS can't make up for all his technical mistakes. We can only hope he will be more consistent next season so we will get the chance to see more of him.

Sergei Voronov is one of the most inconsistent skaters in the field. He did not deliver here. The quads didn't work, and one of the triple axels didn't work at all. The music choice is terrible. The stark changes are weird and don't make sense. I don't know who made the choice for the music selections, but it was really not a good idea. The program doesn't work at all without the huge elements because he doesn't have much else. This is why it is so important to improve all the other skills. Having just the jumps doesn't cut it anymore with the IJS.

Denis Ten was the best he's been all season. He had a near perfect program. He had a mistake on the quad-triple combination, only getting it on the second attempt. He had some small little errors that will affect the GOEs on some of the elements, but didn't have a huge impact on the score overall. His second to last spin was slow, but completed the spin for the levels. He has good components that will add to his technical score. I am very glad to see him back at his best this season.

Yuzuru Hanyu had a rough start to both of his programs. However in both cases, he recovered well. The first two quads were big mistakes that certainly cost him the title. He'll be disappointed in his mistakes, but he recovered well, and managed to hold on to the silver, which is a considerable feat, considering how that could have gone after 2 disastrous mistakes in the free.

Javier Fernandez made history as the first Figure Skating World Champion from Spain. He had a great freeskate and a strong short. He is always entertaining to watch, both programs have a lot of personality and he is extremely entertaining to watch. He looks like he's having the time of his life out on the ice, and that influences the crowd and can help boost those PCSs. He had only one mistake but having three quads, two completed cleanly, got him to the top of the podium, making history. And of course, who doesn't love his reaction?

Han Yan had a disastrous skate, with 3 falls, and more than one popped jump. The skating overall is pretty good. his choreography is good enough, but his technical marks really hurt him, knocking him well down the rankings. He had done pretty well in the short, but really hurt his position in the free. He managed to maintain his position in the top ten, but only barely.

Jason Brown is always a joy to watch, but he simply doesn't have the technical to challenge for the world title yet. His triple axels are still a little scary, and it's clear from the 4CC that his quad is not anywhere near ready for competition. However, his overall PCS is, as always, fantastic. His style is beautiful, and the choreography is great. He has a long way to go before he is ready to challenge for the world title, but he might just get there in the next two seasons, if he can get that quad under his belt.

World Figure Skating Championships 2015- Overall Notes

Overall I enjoyed watching Worlds, as I always do, but there's some things that need to be discussed which are issues in most or all of the disciplines.

The first being: please pay attention to what others are skating to. When the season starts and half your competitors are skating to the same music, it's time to consider a music change. Also consider what has been chosen for the short dance. When music choices will be limited (like with the paso) try to avoid music in that style. This isn't for everyone else (though the audience will appreciate it). When this many people are skating to the same music, it's easy to get lost in the crowd of Carmens. You'll leave less of an impression on the judges, or worse leave a bad impression. When you're the 6th person they've watched with the same music, there's a good chance they're more than a little irritated with you, and this will reflect poorly on the PCS.

Secondly: I never thought I would have to say this, but can we at least see some crosscuts in the transitions for big elements? I get it, your attempt at your biggest element is going to have minimal transitions going in, but this is getting ridiculous. The number of skaters I watched this week just pumping into their big elements was insane. I never thought the bar for transitions would be so low

On a related note: when the requirement for the element is "out of footwork" this does not mean crosscuts. It doesn't mean a threeturn and a hiptwist. It means actual footwork. It's a pity that so many skaters have abandoned the pretense of attempting footwork into the elements. I get it, they're difficult elements, but if you can't do it out of footwork, it's okay to put in an easier jump so that the requirements can actually be met. This is an issue that comes from the coaching staff. Choreographers give skaters what they can do in their programs. There needs to be a greater emphasis on elements other than the jumps.

Also on a related note: though some skaters have good spins, many (especially the men) do not. In some cases the spins are worth more than the jumps. The way to get ahead is not to just improve the jumps but the other elements as well. A lot of skaters have mediocre to sub-par spins, and it seems that the IJS standards are getting more relaxed over time, probably because skaters aren't meeting them.

Finally: one of the things which has irritated me to no end is the skaters with elements in their footwork, spins and transitions that they really can't do. The worst of these elements is the allusions. All too often they look like bad one-revolution camel spins. I must look like an insane person yelling at my TV or laptop about these allusions, but they can be really bad. Too many skaters have bad alignment, don't drop their upper body, or just don't have the flexibility to hit the position. There are other ways to get level fours doing elements the skaters are (hopefully) capable of.

There's a whole lot to talk about with these world championships and my recaps will be extensive. Some will come in more than one part, but hopefully they will all be up this week