Paul and Islam: "No Matter What"

Me, too!

I thought any attempt at a change was a good thing, but knowing that Jeffrey's stepped into the breach, choreographically, has me feeling happier than I expected to be, at this point. Apart from the fact that he did their original Ex. version... if one of the concerns with the Sinatra number was transitions, I'd say they have an excellent Mr. Fix-it.
 
Oh, they looked wonderful.:) Kudos to them...the program doesn't look new. Of course, they're using familiar elements, but still, the fact that they made a change this late and still look refined is so impressive. It's a cohesive piece of choreography, there is obviously more intricacy in the footwork and transitions than in their previous program, and I really like how it leans towards the modern dance style. Plus, it's obviously a more natural fit for them. You could tell that they were more relaxed. Regardless of the result, I'm so glad they decided to do this. It's nice to see them looking like their old selves again. And I hope that's her dress. It's beautiful.
 
Ooooh. I love that...can't wait to see it on Saturday in its entirety....nice aspects of modern dance and lovely lines as per usual.
 
Wasn't their best performance of the SD -- they seemed a little tense at points -- but without the lost level on the twizzles and first paso, they'd be about where they were last year or better. Hoping they're in a good place with the free dance and skate as confidently as they did in the practice!

I also enjoyed seeing them get a TSN fluff during the warm-up! Very nice piece.
 
I was in the arena for both events, and P/I were great. The SD wasn't that bad, actually. A tad reserved perhaps, but not excessively so. The twizzle blip was resolved very quickly and efficiently by Alex, which was quite impressive. She didn't let it affect anything else.

The FD was beautiful! They looked so at ease and so invested in the style, and you could tell that they were so much more comfortable because they were connecting and emoting really well. The movement was light and flowy, and their edges in the footowork (particularly the circular) were very deep and smooth. It was wonderful. Of course, there were some unrefined moments and a few places where the speed dropped off, which is unusual for them, but there was no real indication that the program was new. If I didn't know that it was new, I never would have guessed. I'm so glad they decided to make the change. :biggrinbo

Ever more exciting is the fact that they will be attending both 4CC and Worlds! Now, I'm not expecting miracles, but hopefully with the improved material and the confidence that has come with that change they can do themselves proud, regardless of the placement. They're in much better shape right now than they were at the end of the GP season.
 
I love their new FD - great music and the program showcases their beautiful edges, flow, lines. They skated with lots of emotion & have such ease across the ice. I can't wait to see it develop through the remainder of the season.
 
What will it take for Ale and Mitch to catch up and get ahead of G/P? Or is SC so intent on pushing G/P that it will become virtually impossible for anyone else to get ahead?
 
Wow, what a fantastic SD for them! :cheer2: I think it was the best they've skated it thus far. They looked so at ease, and were reallllly performing so well. So nice to see their scores finally climbing up to where they should be.

They're well positioned for a good finish today in the FD. I just hope that they skate the program well and that they're happy with the result. They looked really pleased with the short.
 
mirage said:
What will it take for Ale and Mitch to catch up and get ahead of G/P? Or is SC so intent on pushing G/P that it will become virtually impossible for anyone else to get ahead?
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P/I have to skate well, and impress, at their international outings. If they do so consistently, they will get stronger support from SC. Unfortunately they have been somewhat error-prone in the past, hopefully they are overcoming this, because they are lovely skaters.

They did go to the Olympics over G/P. IMO they just need to make sure their choreo is strong and dynamic, and execute when it counts.
 
pani said:
I think they were good, better, then at GP
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Agreed. It irks me that P/I and G/P had identical technical base values, and yet P/I somehow came out behind on GOEs and PCS, which is ridiculous when you watch the performances side by side. That being said, the margin between the two teams has narrowed significantly compared to the grand prix series. I'll take what I can get at this point.
 
skatingfan04 said:
Agreed. It irks me that P/I and G/P had identical technical base values, and yet P/I somehow came out behind on GOEs and PCS, which is ridiculous when you watch the performances side by side. That being said, the margin between the two teams has narrowed significantly compared to the grand prix series. I'll take what I can get at this point.
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I know.. This is really maddening. For some reason ,I'm not getting through to the results page today,but I looked briefly last night ,and frankly, my lid came off at the SS discrepancy.. WTyou know what. ?!?
The method of awarding PCS (if there is one) is a mess.

However a very nice skate for P/I. Love the dress. Looking forward to the FS.
 
Well, hardly the FD they were hoping for, but still a significant scoring improvement on their grand prix performances (both of which were completely clean, BTW). Clearly this FD is getting a much better reception from the judges than their previous one (as it should). If they skate this well at worlds, they have the potential to bring in a huge score. :) Despite the glitchy FD, this event on the whole was a big step up for them.

Just for kicks, I'd like to point out that P/I's technical base value was actually slightly higher than G/P's in the FD (38.00 for P/.I vs. 37.50 for G/P), despite Alex's blip on the twizzles and the accompanying lost level there. Of course, P/I had multiple errors and G/P did not, and they were (and should have been) punished for that both in GOEs and PCS. Mitch's fall looked bad, of course, but it wasn't on an element, so it really shouldn't cost much save for the one point deduction and the accompanying hit their PCS would have taken. Alex's mistake on the twizzles got them the expected negative GOEs on that element, and they got a couple more negative GOEs for their straight line lift, which was a bit shaky. The rest of their elements were performed beautifully, and got positive GOEs to match. Still, G/P managed to come out a whopping 10 points higher than P/I in the FD alone. P/I came out about four points short on GOEs and over FIVE points on PCS. I'm still sort of left scratching my head on that one.

For the record, I'm not suggesting that P/I's score was too low (it looked about right to me, all things considered), or that they should have beaten G/P in the FD. I just think the gigantic point differential doesn't make sense.
 
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kwanoverrated said:
I think they are on an upward swing and can get even closer to Gilles & Poirier at worlds. They were still closer overall than Canadians even with their subpar FD performance, and at worlds can close more and hopefully make top 10.
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Absolutely!

If their scores this weekend are any indication, solid performances of these programs could bring them scores significanly higher than what they got at worlds last season (with two fantastic performances). Their SD score here was over 61 points, while their SD score at the 2014 Worlds was 57. Their FD score was just over 91 at that worlds (skated flawlessly) compared to 88 here with mistakes. If their scores continue at this trajectory, and if they avoid errors on elements, I think they've got a good chance at staying top 10. They're certainly in much better shape right now to achieve that than they were skating the old material. Clean skates at worlds should also help further close the (ridiculous) gap between them and G/P. The chasam is narrowing at least.

I'm not worried about them not performing their programs well at worlds, TBH. They have been consistent this season and last in terms of skating without big errors in major competition. And even this wasn't a major one, despite being unattractive. It was a fall on a simple step forward. Fluke, perhaps exasterbated by nerves and the newness of the program, rather than an indication of a probem with their technique. He just caught a weird edge and went down. Even Alex's twizzle bilp was well handled, and didn't end up costing them nearly as much as it could have if she had lost control of it. Besides, they seem to have more confidence in this new material, so that should help as well.
 
I must say you're cheering me up..;)

I do agree, this program serves them so much better. The fall just gutted me last night , partly because you could just feel they were likely to be rewarded and I thought the program seemed to be holding the audience's attention well after the big 2 (as far as one can tell on the computer)

But they will have to be slick at world's, and I hope nerves don't build. Even with the improvement (in both programs , really, but especially the FD) I'm still a little nervous about holding 10th, because P/C (who I like) have such momentum with the great programs they have, and their results this season.. and training mates H/D (who I also like) will be back ... and the huge push that will be on for any and all Russian couples.. it will be quite a log jam, I think.
 
I'm choosing to maintain hope that the judges will reward P/I for their considerable skill set at Worlds by scoring them fairly, Pratfall. If that happens, the placement will take care of itself, I think. :) The way they were scored at 4CC (and the reception to their new material in general) was very encouraging in that regard.


Alex & Mitch will be participating in the Frenchie Skate (a benefit show for North Star Reach) on Feb. 27th. Details can be found here:
http://frenchieskate.com/
 
Pratfall said:
I must say you're cheering me up..;)

I do agree, this program serves them so much better. The fall just gutted me last night , partly because you could just feel they were likely to be rewarded and I thought the program seemed to be holding the audience's attention well after the big 2 (as far as one can tell on the computer)

But they will have to be slick at world's, and I hope nerves don't build. Even with the improvement (in both programs , really, but especially the FD) I'm still a little nervous about holding 10th, because P/C (who I like) have such momentum with the great programs they have, and their results this season.. and training mates H/D (who I also like) will be back ... and the huge push that will be on for any and all Russian couples.. it will be quite a log jam, I think.
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If by P/C you mean Papadakis & Cizeron, just forget about them altogether. P/I arent competing vs them this year. P&C will probably end up winning silver behind W/P. The teams they will have to beat out for top 10 will be teams like H/D, Z/G from Germany, and others.
 
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