The Dance Hall 10: The Saitama Samba 2022-2023

[RoseRed]

My best guess for bronze at NHK is either Green/Parsons or Lopareva/Brissaud, with those other teams just a bit behind. And I'd expect Reed/Ambrulevicius at least to be ahead of Muramoto/Takahashi, at home or not. Probably Wang/Liu too, but it's hard to say when we haven't seen them at all. I expect M/R to do better than they did at SC (edit: SA), but I'm not putting too much stock in that 188 from their recent event. Last season they scored 190 at Warsaw, and didn't come close to that score again the rest of the season.

As for Wolfkostin/Chen, where they fit into all of that depends on how clean they can skate. But even a good skate might have them behind all the others I've named. We'll see how it goes.

 

[deegee]

deleted

 

[Dobre]

I expect M/R to do better than they did at SC

If you are referencing Muramoto & Takahashi, they were at Skate America.

I'd have had them score higher at SA, but when you debut late, you have to expect some surprise deductions. This field is much more crowded with experienced mid-tier teams.

I like Lopareva & Brissaud a lot, but I don't care for their material this year.

 

[Dobre]

What’s Christina’s timeline for citizenship? Did she already get it?

I don't know what their real calendar is. Theoretically, I've been thinking they would need to wait out this season, at which point I think they should be through the 5 years that used to be normal.

 

[Karen-W]

It looks like Madi and Evan have changed their free dance music slightly before NHK. On their ISU bio, it's now listed as

Souffrance by Orange Blossom
Les Tectoniques by Jorane

Previously, it was:

Film III by Jorane
Les Tectoniques by Jorane
Fem III by Jorane

Their bio on USFS hasn't changed.

http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00013665.htm

Work in progress indeed... Looks like we'll have plenty to discuss in another 5 days, lol.

 

[Karen-W]

Wonderful & informative article from USFS on the body-shaming comment made to Kaitlin Hawayek at SkAm -

Kaitlin Hawayek Shares Powerful Message on Body Neutrality - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Last month at Skate America in Norwood, Massachusetts, Kaitlin Hawayek and her partner, Jean-Luc Baker captured the silver medals, inspiring the judging panel to

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

 

[BlueRidge]

Wonderful & informative article from USFS on the body-shaming comment made to Kaitlin Hawayek at SkAm -

Kaitlin Hawayek Shares Powerful Message on Body Neutrality - U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone

Last month at Skate America in Norwood, Massachusetts, Kaitlin Hawayek and her partner, Jean-Luc Baker captured the silver medals, inspiring the judging panel to

usfigureskatingfanzone.com

Great article. Kaitlin has made such a wonderful contribution out of such a terrible moment.

 

[clairecloutier]

Kudos to USFS for addressing this issue publicly. And great work by our friend @Jayar in writing this piece!!

ETA: And also, of course, thanks to Kaitlin Hawayek for bravely sharing this unfortunate incident and shining a light on this issue!!

 

[PRlady]

Really glad this surfaced. And happy to see again that Madison is a great person and friend (to a competitor who almost just beat her.)

I wish someone would translate that article into Russian to post on their boards.

 

[allezfred]

Madison (and Evan) are good people so it’s not surprising.

 

[PRlady]

What’s funny is that on the ice Madison comes across as such a diva. She must be an excellent actress.

 

[GoneWithTheWind]

A long new interview with Guignard/Fabbri, from GoldenSkate: https://youtu.be/v4MMtyIZcS0

Brief summary, in case anyone doesn't want to see all 23 minutes!

• They are very happy to have won their first GP gold [interview was at IdF], as they have been slowly working their way up the ranks.
• Their aims for the season are to qualify for the GPF and podium at Europeans. They acknowledge that they are fighting for gold there, but know that it won't be an easy win, although they are aiming for the top of the podium.
• They keep 2026 home Olympics in their mind but are taking it one season at a time.
• They want to experiment with new programs and styles this season; they wanted an unusual RD, as they've done standard Latin twice before.
• They balance their on and off-ice relationship by leaving what happens at the rink separate from their private life.
• They were asked about their pet chinchilla; apparently Charlène wanted a dog but they thought that wouldn't work with their schedule, so she chose something unusual instead. Apparently, a squirrel was originally considered!
• When they retire, Marco is keen to coach while Charlène is less decided and may consider remaining with the police [they already belong to the sports wing of the police force].
• Bonus feature at the end: the interviewer caught up with them at Sheffield, they loved the audience there and have fond memories of their first Europeans in 2012 in the same city.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

What’s funny is that on the ice Madison comes across as such a diva. She must be an excellent actress.

She’s such a sweet and gentle person off the ice - the complete opposite of a diva!

 

[Wyliefan]

She must get all her diva-ness out on the ice. Like all those actors known for playing stone-cold villains in classic film noir, Richard Widmark and Robert Ryan and so on, who were reportedly the gentlest, nicest guys in the world offscreen.

 

[chameleonster]

I don't know what their real calendar is. Theoretically, I've been thinking they would need to wait out this season, at which point I think they should be through the 5 years that used to be normal.

I believe Christina still lives in the US, she just drives over the border every day to go to practice. She got her green card in August 2020, so I think she'll make it before 2026. Might be a bit of a squeeze though, could get tangled up in bureaucracy.

 

[On My Own]

...unlike their rival counterparts, especially Team Jilin, who always get the chance to train overseas and are choreographed by foreign choreographers, team Heilongjiang mainly trains and choreographs domestically, but they can produce more promising skaters, like Li/Wang and Liu/Ge(sadly they don’t have the chance to compete internationally） and more well-rounded and entertaining programs...

 

[angi]

Fascinating dance event at NHK with Chock/Bates finishing 2nd after the RD. Some random thoughts:

Wang/Liu - were underscored here, especially on PCS which is expected given how little they competed in the past two seasons. C*vid really hurt the momentum they were starting to have and I hope they can get it back.
Wolfkostin/Chen - dead last here and I can't say I disagree with that. MIDA's programs this season are doing them no favors and between their levels and the junior feeling programs, I expected this result.
KanaDai - looked way better than at Slate America but still got a massive push here (which I expected they will). Their lifts remain a big issue and it was a good reminder of how much the technical calling at the Denis Ten memorial remains a joke and that until it will improve the scores there should not count for PB.
Lopareva/Brissaud - I think Gui's programs aren't doing them many favors. They were tentative here and their levels were bad, I feel like they need to commit to one training location, it will probably help them.
Reed/Ambrulevičius - looked surprisingly good here, aside from their lift which wasn't great the rest was really nice and enjoyable and I enjoy seeing them improve from season to season.
Green/Parsons - as someone who kept remarking on their speed I have to give them credit for how much better it was here. Overall they look sharp and improved here, the fight between them and CPom for the US bronze will be intense if both teams skate to their best abilities.
Canadanes - slightly tentative but got the job done and got the best levels at the event which helped them get a PB and beat Chock/Bates. Question is if they can keep it going in the FD which is where they usually struggle.
Chock/Bates - this RD is not working for me and they are nowhere close to where they were last season. I remain wondering if there's an undisclosed injury there or are they just really struggling with the post-Olympics burnout. Their faces when the score came up say it all, even if they will get gold here, they will be going to GPF as the least prepared and successful team out of the three fighting for gold most likely.

 

[litenkyckling]

Something for me is not clicking with Chock and Bates’ RD. I don’t like the music, but I can put that aside if the choreo is good but it just isn’t working. I feel like I’m constantly waiting for it to hit its stride and it just doesn’t. This is a team that should be great at the Latin theme. Their last one was great! Madison can sell the whole sultry vibe you need for Latin but idk neither of them seem ‘there’ and it all comes off a little flat. If I were them I’d get a new Rd asap (like before nationals). Wise putting in a different lift, but even that didn’t look as solid as it has in the past.

 

[Bigbird]

C/B are just exhausted.

 

[Rhumba d’Amour]

C/B are just exhausted.

They are both well into their thirties and have been at this a long time. They also have squeezed the maximum results out of the talents they have, I think.

 

[Bigbird]

They are both well into their thirties and have been at this a long time. They also have squeezed the maximum results out of the talents they have, I think.

They look busted. Like the gig is up.

 

[Impromptu]

They are both well into their thirties and have been at this a long time. They also have squeezed the maximum results out of the talents they have, I think.

Chock is literally 30. Bates is 33. If they are "well into their 30s" so are their main rivals...

Guignard/Fabbri are 33 and 34.
Fournier Beaudry/Sorensen are 30 and 33.
Gilles/Poirier are 30 and 31.
Jean-Luc Baker is 29...

 

[skatingguy]

Chock is literally 30. Bates is 33. If they are "well into their 30s" so are their main rivals...

Guignard/Fabbri are 33 and 34.
Fournier Beaudry/Sorensen are 30 and 33.
Gilles/Poirier are 30 and 31.
Jean-Luc Baker is 29...

It's amazing that they don't need walkers to make it to, and from the ice.

 

[PRlady]

I could not focus on C/B’s RD, it had nothing interesting. The Danadians looked quite good, her especially. Allison and Saul were my next favorite RDs although GreeP have really improved since early in the season. I love KanaDai but they were probably overscored.

 

[sap5]

It's amazing that they don't need walkers to make it too, and from the ice.

Ice dancers in their late 20s/early 30s should be common, because it takes that long to master all the skills required to be a good ice dancer. Mastering them all very young is much rarer, and I think the reason we saw that happening so much recently is because of the judging overhaul after Salt Lake. Now it's returned to the way it used to be.

 

[VGThuy]

The battle for the second spot for Worlds at Canadian Nationals will be even more intense than the battle for the third spot at U.S. Nationals, and that one will probably be an intense watch.

 

[layman]

The battle for the second spot for Worlds at Canadian Nationals will be even more intense than the battle for the third spot at U.S. Nationals, and that one will probably be an intense watch.

Is there really a battle for the 2nd spot? I think it's more like a battle for the Gold, with the runner up automatically getting the 2nd spot.

 

[layman]

C/B are just exhausted.

They did not look exhausted to me. They looked vastly improved from Skate America (especially him). Their RD at NHK looked sharp and precise and they skated it with more speed (and no visible errors). If not for some lower levels, they would be in first place.

I am really curious to see now if they have cleaned up the FD, because that's where they really seemed to lose ground at Skate America. I want to see more speed in the Free and I want them to make their skating (patterns) bigger and use more of the full ice.

 

[VGThuy]

Is there really a battle for the 2nd spot? I think it's more like a battle for the Gold, with the runner up automatically getting the 2nd spot.

I thought Gilles/Poirier were going to be anointed the first spot with FB/S and Laj/Lag fighting for the second. But with FB/S's score at NHK, maybe it is just a battle for the gold with Laj/Lag's season ending at 4CC. That being said, had Laj/Lag had the same TES base value at Sheffield that FB/S had at NHK, it would be close between the two teams...if we can compare competitions....

 

[Colonel Green]

In a consolation prize for Lajoie & Lagha, with Lopareva & Brissaud’s NHK RD result they pretty much have first alternate position for the Final locked down.