2019 World Synchronized Skating Championships, 12-13 April - Helsinki, Finland

synchrogirl17

synchrogirl17

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Entries
1 Team Australia - Team Unity
2 Team Austria - Sweet Mozart
3 Team Belgium - Team Phoenix
4 Team Canada 1 - Nova
5 Team Canada 2 - NEXXICE
6 Team China - Ice Pearl
7 Team Croatia - Zagreb Snowflakes
8 Team Czech Republic - Olympia
9 Team Finland 1 - Helsinki Rockettes
10 Team Finland 2 - Marigold IceUnity
11 Team France - Zoulous
12 Team Germany - Team Berlin 1
13 Team Great Britain - Icicles
14 Team Hungary - Team Passion
15 Team Italy - Hot Shivers
16 Team Japan - Jingu Ice Messengers
17 Team Latvia - Team Amber
18 Team Netherlands - Team Illumination
19 Team Russia 1 - Paradise
20 Team Russia 2 - Tatarstan
21 Team Switzerland - Starlight Team
22 Team Turkey - Team Vizyon
23 Team USA 1 - Haydenettes
24 Team USA 2 - Skyliners
 
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This year includes some notable changes! China will compete for the first time ever, both at Worlds and in a Senior ISU competition. Second-year team Nova from Canada won Nationals over NEXXICE, leaving long-time competitors Les Supremes at home. In addition, first-year team Icicles will represent Great Britain, and Starlight Team returned to the Senior division and will once again represent Switzerland! And finally, last but not least, Sweden sadly withdrew from Worlds following the retirement of the much-loved Team Surprise and the rebuilding year of Team Boomerang. Their other Senior team, Team Unity, has not yet been awarded National status.

Top contenders include Paradise RUS, Marigold IceUnity FIN and Helsinki Rockettes FIN, with teams such as Nova CAN, NEXXICE CAN, Haydenettes USA, Skyliners USA and Tatarstan RUS also in the mix.
 
Apparently in some sort of send off performance paradise skated 15. I can't imagine the drama if they skate 15 at worlds. Maybe someone was just injured/sick that one day
 
Thanks for creating this thread, synchrogirl17. I posted this in the general 2018-2019 season thread as well just in case people didn't have Kiss and Cry access.

I think Canada could do extremely well at Worlds. Nexxice always has phenomenal skating skills and superior edge quality in the no hold. I like how they are skating last in the short as I think those superior skating skills will really stand out after having seen the rest of the teams prior to them. One of my favourite things about Nexxice is their precise execution. It's exactly what I want to see in synchronized skating. Every movement matches. In their short, the extension and the matching quality of the spiral positions in the moves element is amazing and I like how in their preparation for the intersection, as the 2 groups circle around each other, it precisely matches the build in the music. Very cleverly choreographed to set that element preparation to that point in the music. I like the expressiveness to their artistic wheel in the free. It adds nicely to the interpretation and mood of the program. The transitional section after the wheel is neat where the 2 lines glide past each other to match the rise and fall in the music.

The team I'm really excited about though is Nova Canada. After defeating the defending World Champions at the Mozart Cup as pretty much an unknown team, I can't wait to see how Nova Canada does at Worlds this weekend. What an exciting team with excellent programs. In their short, I really like how the music builds throughout with the tempo constantly increasing. It's a dynamic and convincing program. You have to be a fantastic skater to be able to perform the intersection and the twizzles at the fastest points in the music at the end of the program. I also like how they use their whole bodies to express the character of the music and highlight original transitional moves using different levels, particularly into the travelling wheel and prior to the intersection. I hope their components in the short aren't impacted by skating early or by not having an established reputation at Worlds. I think they are going to shock the world here with how incredible they are.

Their Halo free program is my favourite of the season. It's the program I watch over and over again. I absolutely love the trendsetting lifts that are used not only to highlight their artistic elements (wheel, block, and circle) and their creative element (stunning!), but they are also used as unique, transitional choreography. I don't think I've seen a Canadian team approach the back to back intersection with the speed that they do, performing turns all the way through without hesitation. The transitional section that connects the artistic block to the pair element is really cool. The arm movements and body lean express the feeling of the music beautifully in such a nuanced way. I hope they have an excellent starting order in the free program to potentially bring down the house with this program.
 
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sharsk8s said:
Apparently in some sort of send off performance paradise skated 15. I can't imagine the drama if they skate 15 at worlds. Maybe someone was just injured/sick that one day
Click to expand...
They did this in Colorado Springs 2-3 years ago. Apparently Paradise only applies for visas for the team members (NOT the alternates). So if they need a last minute replacement skater for injury/visa issues/etc they can't just pop in an alternate like the other teams can. IIRC in Colorado Springs they tried to get a coach registered to skate that 16th spot but it wasn't allowed due to the team's roster being technically full.

I'm really bummed I'm working all weekend so I can't watch live, but I'll be excited to watch everything Monday. I think this will be a very interesting year at worlds.
 
ISU preview article: https://www.isu.org/synchronized-sk...teams-to-compete-in-helsinki?templateParam=15
Synchronized Skating viewers have the possibility of watching the Championships on the following Channels:
JSports in Japan
Rai in Italy
YLE in Finland
ISU Skating Channel for the rest of the world
Click to expand...
NBC Sports Gold subscribers can watch live and/or on demand in the USA (Friday 8:30 am Eastern start time currently is listed for SP but USFS' press release says 10 am to 1:30 pm Eastern time).

Starting Orders/Results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/wcsys2019/

Short Program Starting Order/Live Results (Friday): http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/wcsys2019/SEG001.HTM

StN. Name Nation
1 Team Ice Pearl CHN
2 Team Starlight SUI
3 Team Zagreb Snowflakes CRO
4 Team Amber LAT
5 Team Vizyon TUR
6 Team Sweet Mozart AUT

7 Team Olympia CZE
8 Team Unity AUS
9 Team Icicles Senior GBR
10 Team Nova Senior CAN
11 Team Phoenix BEL
12 Team Jingu Ice Messengers JPN

13 Team Illumination NED
14 Team Hot Shivers ITA
15 Team Helsinki Rockettes FIN
16 Team Passion HUN
17 Team Skyliners USA
18 Team Zoulous FRA

19 Team Berlin 1 GER
20 Team Paradise RUS
21 Team Marigold Ice Unity FIN
22 Team Tatarstan RUS
23 Team Haydenettes USA
24 Team Nexxice CAN

ETA link to SP protocols: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/wcsys2019/wcsys2019_SynchronizedSkating_SP_Scores.pdf
 
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Willin said:
They did this in Colorado Springs 2-3 years ago. Apparently Paradise only applies for visas for the team members (NOT the alternates). So if they need a last minute replacement skater for injury/visa issues/etc they can't just pop in an alternate like the other teams can. IIRC in Colorado Springs they tried to get a coach registered to skate that 16th spot but it wasn't allowed due to the team's roster being technically full.
Click to expand...

I still consider that “win” absolute bulls**t. Refusing to bring/skate your alternates to ensure a good skate is cheating... That same Worlds, Les Supremes had an accident in the SP and an alternate had to skate the FS last minute. She was absolutely amazing!
 
Marigold Ice Unity was fantastic. I love that program and those costumes.

"Spots" question -- what places does USA need to finish in order to keep two spots for next year?
 
just tuned in said:
"Spots" question -- what places does USA need to finish in order to keep two spots for next year?
Click to expand...

The top 5 countries are granted two spots for the following year.

ETA: Only 4 countries have two spots this year because Sweden was the 5th and they elected not to send any teams this year. The top 5 have historically been Finland, Canada, USA, Sweden, and either Russia or Germany. We'll see a new country in the top 5 this year due to Sweden's absence.
 
Results after short program:

Result
FPl.NameNationPointsSPFS
1 Team Paradise
RUS
87.12
2 Team Marigold Ice Unity
FIN
85.90
3 Team Nexxice
CAN
84.63
4 Team Tatarstan
RUS
82.83
5 Team Helsinki Rockettes
FIN
82.12
6 Team Nova Senior
CAN
82.00
7 Team Haydenettes
USA
77.97
8 Team Skyliners
USA
76.23
9 Team Hot Shivers
ITA
61.88
10 Team Jingu Ice Messengers
JPN
56.98
11 Team Berlin 1
GER
56.02
12 Team Zoulous
FRA
53.75
13 Team Olympia
CZE
52.35
14 Team Passion
HUN
49.22
15 Team Unity
AUS
40.93
16 Team Starlight
SUI
40.13
17 Team Phoenix
BEL
38.73
18 Team Zagreb Snowflakes
CRO
38.45
19 Team Illumination
NED
37.77
20 Team Icicles Senior
GBR
35.74
21 Team Sweet Mozart
AUT
33.63
22 Team Vizyon
TUR
32.88
23 Team Ice Pearl
CHN
29.98
24 Team Amber
LAT
28.40​
 
This won't be a surprise given my post upthread, but I think you could make a very solid case that Nova should be a few places higher, 4th at the very worst in my opinion and certainly ahead of a team falling on their no hold. I get that it's human nature to feel you shouldn't be giving out last group GOE and PCS early on in an event, but if you skate that exact program 10 spots later, I bet that you would see many more +4's and components firmly in the 9's. Kudos to the American judge for giving them components that put them among the other podium contenders. I'll be hoping he's drawn on the panel again tomorrow. It would have been nice if the Canadian judge had been drawn for the short, but at least she will get to do the long program tomorrow.
 
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Just finished watching the entire event. I’m in love with Marigold’s Chariots of Fire, just beautiful in every way. I had tears in my eyes. I also loved Nexxice and both of the Russian ballerina teams. Looking forward to the free!
 
jtpc said:
This won't be a surprise given my post upthread, but I think you could make a very solid case that Nova should be a few places higher, 4th at the very worst in my opinion and certainly ahead of a team falling on their no hold. I get that it's human nature to feel you shouldn't be giving out last group GOE and PCS early on in an event, but if you skate that exact program 10 spots later, I bet that you would see many more +4's and components firmly in the 9's. Kudos to the American judge for giving them components that put them among the other podium contenders. I'll be hoping he's drawn on the panel again tomorrow. It would have been nice if the Canadian judge had been drawn for the short, but at least she will get to do the long program tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I agree, they were amazing!
 
Final results:

Result
FPl.NameNationPointsSPFS
1. Team Paradise RUS 234.38 1 1
2. Team Marigold Ice Unity FIN 228.70 2 3
3. Team Helsinki Rockettes FIN 228.61 5 2
4. Team Nexxice CAN 224.42 3 4
5. Team Tatarstan RUS 219.74 4 6
6. Team Haydenettes USA 216.54 7 5
7. Team Nova Senior CAN 209.01 6 8
8. Team Skyliners USA 204.06 8 7
9. Team Hot Shivers ITA 174.41 9 10
10. Team Berlin 1 GER 171.18 11 9
11. Team Jingu Ice Messengers JPN 168.47 10 11
12. Team Zoulous FRA 153.00 12 12
13. Team Olympia CZE 146.95 13 14
14. Team Passion HUN 146.49 14 13
15. Team Unity AUS 121.32 15 15
16. Team Zagreb Snowflakes CRO 116.35 18 16
17. Team Phoenix BEL 115.96 17 17
18. Team Illumination NED 112.80 19 18
19. Team Starlight SUI 108.99 16 19
20. Team Icicles Senior GBR 100.78 20 22
21. Team Sweet Mozart AUT 100.13 21 20
22. Team Vizyon TUR 97.81 22 24
23. Team Ice Pearl CHN 94.95 23 23
24. Team Amber LAT 94.88 24 21
 
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I thought that Paradise should have won overall, but not the FS... They had mistakes in both their intersection and twizzles. Marigold were wonderful except for that silly fall and Rockettes were definitely on today.

NEXXICE were gorgeous, but lacked the power and speed of the top 3.
 
synchrogirl17 said:
I thought that Paradise should have won overall, but not the FS... They had mistakes in both their intersection and twizzles. Marigold were wonderful except for that silly fall and Rockettes were definitely on today.

NEXXICE were gorgeous, but lacked the power and speed of the top 3.
Click to expand...
I agree. I personally would have had MIU in first by a bit (without the fall) but I would have had Paradise behind MIU and rockettes (by a small amount) because they had multiple small mistakes throughout. Overall results make sense though.
 
Finally got a chance to watch between work and travel! I have a lot of thoughts.
Overall I think this year's worlds was insanely competitive and exciting. I think it's great to see how far not only the top teams have come, but also those mid- and lower-tier teams. Like in singles, though, I think the cut of the FS time is really hurting the creativity and innovation. I do think the "artistic" elements are making up for some of it, but far from all.

Short Program:
  • I thought Team Amber from Latvia was actually a lot better than last place, even with the falls. I was surprised that they were below China, even with the falls. They weren't nearly as good as other years, though.
  • I'm so happy Team Vizyon is still together. Every year they get a bit better. I don't know if they will ever be competitive since Turkey isn't a big skating country, but I hope they can make it more popular there.
  • Sweet Mozart's MITF element with the spreads and 135s was a cool way to do things appropriate for their skill level. Can't say I liked the fake hair.
  • Team Olympia's SP was cute and age appropriate somehow. It's really awesome to see folk-music/dance themed programs like this. Also what the heck happened to them? They look 100% stronger this season than I've ever seen them, not that I'm complaining.
  • I think Team Unity was a bit too high. They were fast, but also looked sloppier in formations, elements, and steps than some of the teams below them. I am happy to see a team from Australia do well. Is it true that they still have worlds as one of the first competitions of the season? In the past that was discussed as a reason they didn't do well at worlds. Also, are those Lisa McKinnon dresses? They sure look like it. I do want them.
  • Team Icicles from GBR is also getting a lot better speed and formation-wise, but they still have things to fix with sloppiness in their arms in the intersection - that was scary.
  • Where the heck has Nova been all these years? Their skaters are great and their choreography is a highlight for me.
  • I liked Jingu IceMessengers' SP musically and in theory, but I think they're so used to doing just plain "nice and pretty" programs that this looked and felt awkward on them.
  • As per usual I want to steal Hot Shivers' dresses. They look solid this season. Maybe not as much of an improvement as Team Olympia, but they've gone from looking like a mid-tier team in style/choreography to one closer to the top style-wise. I think they'll need to improve their speed to really compete with the best.
  • Team Passion looks strong in connected elements, and the choreography is good, but in their elements with no or fewer holds (the MITF and NHEs, transitions) I found myself wanting the skaters to be stronger to make the impact even bigger.
  • Although I think that Hayden's edgy What a Wonderful World SP is far superior to Skyliners SP, I think Skyliners team this year is better than Haydens team this year. I think Hayden only beat them in the SP at worlds by virtue of their name and past results.
  • And yet another Les Zoulous program I found interesting. The skaters this year don't look as strong as past skaters, but they did what they could with who they had.
  • Team Berlin 1 continues to be on the upswing. It seems in recent years they've really been knocking on the doors of the top teams and are closing the gap each year. It's a shame about the falls - otherwise this SP would've been continuing that upswing.
  • How the heck did Marigold IceUnity get such high GOE on the twizzles? The second was okay but the first was a hot mess. Also, the dresses are pretty in theory but very ugly in motion.
  • Russian skaters and boring warhorse music - name a more iconic duo. Though Paradise was the best of the night and Tatarstan skated great. Also I want to steal a dress from Tatarstan.
  • The Haydenettes SP is actually pretty good and sophisticated - much better than their FS. But still lacking in creativity. Also sloppier and slower than I'm used to seeing them at worlds. I wonder if they had a lot of attrition last year or something?
  • As per usual NEXXICE's program felt less like a program and more like a masterclass on skating skills, but this was certainly better in choreography than some past seasons. The program also did such a good job of highlighting those sexy, sexy skating skills that I could ignore most of the moments without any special choreography.
Free Skate
  • While it's great to see team Ice Pearl try something as pop-tastic as Vogue, I don't think it was the right choice for them. One of the guys on the team was really rocking it, though. I'll be interested to see what they do in the future. I think they'll need to get much better skaters to improve, but if synchro is put in the Olympics I think China will make that happen. Again I think they should've been last in the program - Team Vizyon looked more cohesive and had better skating skills.
  • I hope we get to see some of the top teams try the same rotating-whip-box intersection that Sweet Mozart did - what a cool intersection!
  • Team Illumination had really great pairs lifts, but their artistic circle and wheel were both way too far from the actual shape for me - they only spent like 3 seconds/element in the shape and the rest looked like a freestyle session. Which, while cool, isn't an element to me. Their program was very captivating, just a little too not-synchro for me. Actually, a lot of the lower-ranked teams had some great and interesting choreographic moments and highlight elements.
  • Around the time that Team Icicles had all those falls (some were certainly their own fault with the skaters knocking each other over when trying to get back in - which, please teach these skaters how to get back into their proper positions without killing each other) there was a staff member that stealthily skated onto the ice and picked some stuff up. I wonder what that was if it was so urgent to pick up.
  • Team Berlin 1 was amazing discounting the falls. Seriously, though Team Berlin looked SO good here. Hot Shivers were absolutely amazing as well. It's a shame that certain countries dominate synchro because Germany and Italy seem to have a really strong case to make for the sport in their countries.
  • Les Zoulous always has interesting and innovative choreography, but I really appreciated them bringing back some old school synchro favs for a hot second including the diagonal block from the mid-00s and the interacting lines of the early 10s.
  • I was really surprised that Skyliners beat Nova, but given Nova's bad skate, it was earned. Although I will always wonder why the heck they used the climax of Turandot as the opening of that program. Also, Nova looked terrified before they stepped on the ice - their faces as Skyliners got off would concern me if I was watching live.
  • Nova is really a team to watch, especially now that the twizzle element is a huge factor. Following the proud tradition of Canadian synchro the skating skills are superb.
  • Especially in comparison to all the other performances here Hayden's program looks exceptionally childish. And the pairs cartwheels compared to even the 20+ placing teams... yikes. That transition in general looked like a nightmare. Their speed in the FS did look better than the SP.
ETA because I forgot: NEXXICE's FS was by far one of their best programs I've ever seen. I really liked it. THe simple choreography + skating skills + simple costuming really worked for this music. Although I'm torn as to whether or not it should've beat Marigold, I think it should've been much closer and I think NEXXICE's program was better (if less creative).
 
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Willin said:
Team Olympia's SP was cute and age appropriate somehow. It's really awesome to see folk-music/dance themed programs like this. Also what the heck happened to them? They look 100% stronger this season than I've ever seen them, not that I'm complaining.
Click to expand...

Olympia merged two teams (old Olympia and Kometa) together last season, and it took a while for them to gel together as a team :) Last year was really rough for them...
 
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