Ugh, I tried to post this last night, but WordPress was acting up. It appears it didn’t post at all. Trying again….
Not a great competition.
The men were as bad in the long as they were good in the short. Of the top men, I think only Michal Brezina had a clean program. And while Brian Joubert, bless his heart, finally got his quad-triple, he attempted only one triple axel, and that wasn’t even clean. He really needs to pick a program layout and stick with it, going for the jumps no matter what his competition does. What does he think is going to happen when he finally goes up against Plushenko and will need everything he’s got in his arsenal? That sheer willpower is going to make the quads and triple axels happen? Of course, that strategy worked so well for Todd Eldredge that it only makes sense that Joubert would embrace it now.
If Daisuke Takahashi could land his jumps, I think he’d be the obvious number one Japanese man. The rust was showing; now, if he can only shake it off by the Olympics. It’s definitely going to be a battle at Japanese Nationals between him and Oda. Takahiko Kozuka wasn’t as lucky; he’s a great skater, so I’m going to believe that it was the nerves of skating under the scrutiny of the Japanese media that did in his triple axel (he landed zero clean ones all competition), not that he somehow lost the jump.
Jeremy Abbott’s short program to “A Day in the Life” is quite possibly the best men’s short of the season. (I say quite possibly because we haven’t seen Patrick Chan yet.) Kudos to choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne. I don’t see why this couldn’t easily be Top 3 at Olympics. It has seamless transitions, and his jumps are beauts when they’re on. Unfortunately, Jeremy is not always on, as he proved when he went out and crashed three times in his long. I think it would be wise for him to ditch the quad. He doesn’t really “have” the jump yet, and as Patrick Chan (and actually Jeremy himself) repeatedly demonstrated last season, the judges are more than willing to let the other stuff make up lost jumping ground. Jeremy’s components are strong, so I think it would be better to focus on turning in clean performances than to go for tech value that’s really iffy. Of course, at this point, Jeremy’s number one job is just to medal at U.S. Nationals and make the Olympic team in the first place. I think the judges will be willing to overlook one fall and a stumble; they will not be willing to overlook three falls.
Johnny Weir fought through the entire competition (I guess his post-Russia anger actually worked!), but comparing his programs to Abbott’s, I thought it was pretty obvious that Abbott has the superior programs. This puts Johnny at an automatic disadvantage in fighting for his spot on the Olympic team, because both Abbott and Lysacek have better programs. Plus, Johnny once again did not max out his combinations, giving up valuable points that way. If he’s not going to compete “smart,” then he really has no one to blame if he gets bumped from the team.
Adam Rippon came back from a bad short, but I don’t get all the hype about this kid. Maybe he’s more impressive in person, but there’s nothing about his skating that stands out to me.
The ladies were dismal. Miki Ando squeaked out a win while placing second in both short and long. Her Cleopatra program is starting to show some potential, and I think that if she makes the Japanese Olympic team, she has the athleticism and the programs to make it to the podium. Ashley Wagner blew a huge chance to win, but I’m not surprised. She’s never been very consistent, and she doesn’t have any outstanding qualities to help her in the absence of jumps. I will allow that she’s improved since last season, but without charisma or any idea of what to do with her arms, it’s always going to be an uphill slog against skaters like Czisny and Nagasu (if they don’t do themselves in by falling or racking up downgrades). Alena Leonova really IS a combination of Dorothy Hamill and Irina Slutskaya. She’s athletic and joyous…and really needs someone who can refine her skating in every aspect. But good for Russia that they finally have someone who could be a contender for Sochi.
Universal Sports did not air the pairs long or anything of dance, so just quick comments based on what’s on YouTube:
Pang & Tong’s Man of la Mancha program is well-choreographed, and they skated it very well here. One thing I noticed, thanks to the good Japanese camera work, was how much speed they had going into and out of their elements, especially their jumps. They’re looking really good for a Top 5 finish at Olympics, possibly sneaking onto the podium if others falter. Kavaguti & Smirnov had a terrific short, but I’m thinking they might be a short program team. Inoue & Baldwin somehow keep holding on! You can just never quite count them out. Denney & Barrett are possibly the best-matched American couple, but they also have the simplest programs and the worst posture and style of all of the top American teams. The elements just weren’t with them in the long, and I think Sheherezade is way too big for them to skate to at this point in their careers.
Davis & White blew away the competition, and their Indian OD is a standout not only because they skate it well, but because it’s so different from what anyone else is doing. I think it was a smart choice for them, because the body positions mask their problem areas. The Kerrs‘ country-western OD is a crowd-pleaser, but their skating is not close to the level of D/W’s, nor does the program have the same level of technical content. I hope Sinead goes for a denim skirt later in the season; I’m not a fan of the Daisy Dukes. Crone & Poirier took advantage of the weak field and won their first Grand Prix medal. I like this team and the way they go all in every time they compete, but man, are they ever scruffy in their presentation. They’re not good enough yet that their posture and presentation really bother me, but it’s definitely something that needs to be addressed.
Okay, that was Japan…on to Lake Placid!
