Skate America Free Dance -Chock and Awful

[Sylvia]

Did Peacock end the livestream before the Ice Dance medal ceremony?

 

[Vagabond]

Sacre bleu! They are flying the Tricoleur the wrong way around

 

[Lanie]

Evan’s mom told me he wasn’t feeling well.

 

[Karen-W]

Most people liked ZingKols FD last season. I think you were in the minority with your feelings on it.

Right. Me and the judges were in the minority which is why they didn't even make the US World team last season...

 

[Karen-W]

Regarding some recent posts are people conflating Zach having a sore back to Evan being sick with a cold?
At least it is reading that way to me

I did hear Zach mention his back hurts while they were waiting for the press conference to start and were taking pictures. Which confirms some practice reports that he looked like he had a back issue ( was rubbing his back ).

So on that note they did a really great job considering his back was bothering him so to him for that. Hope it isn't serious.

I think Evan has maybe had some back issues in the past couple seasons, which is maybe also what people are remembering, thus the conflation with Zak's current back issues.

 

[Tinycities]

Right. Me and the judges were in the minority which is why they didn't even make the US World team last season...

That’s the standard? They didn’t make the world team? They were a point off the bronze medal and USFS split the championship events between them and Green/Parsons. At least try and make sense with your justifications.

 

[Karen-W]

That’s the standard? They didn’t make the world team? They were a point off the bronze medal and USFS split the championship events between them and Green/Parsons. At least try and make sense with your justifications.

Okay, how about they scored nearly 9 points lower than CarPon at 4CCs last year? They didn't crack 190 at either of their GPs last season, also falling about 9 points lower than CarPon on the GP last season. GreenP, coming off injury rehab, with just one GP trailed ZingKol by less than 1 point on the GP. But, hey, you go right ahead and try to justify your position with feelings while I provide you with actual data to back mine up.

 

[PRlady]

That’s the standard? They didn’t make the world team? They were a point off the bronze medal and USFS split the championship events between them and Green/Parsons. At least try and make sense with your justifications.

Shhhhhh, the ice dance matrix is hard at work. She is trying to ignore that Z/K outscored C/P by 7-8 points in the FD on the GP so far. We'll see what happens in Finland.

 

[Karen-W]

Shhhhhh, the ice dance matrix is hard at work.

Not really. I've said I don't like CarPon's FD this season and that feeling hasn't really changed. I do think that ZingKol have the better FD this season - and the scores are reflecting that.

I'm meh on pretty much ALL of the RDs, so my opinion is they all suck (except DavSmo, lol) and I don't care who is scoring better, though the judges do seem to prefer ZingKol so far. But we'll see what happens next week because the past 3 weeks on the GP since GPdF & CoC have seen some incredibly tough tech panels making everyone's lives rather miserable.

 

[kwanfan1818]

Paso doble is traditionally part of bullfights: it's the victory music. Paso doble is not part of traditional Flamenco. But just like Carmen has a bull fighter, even if the music isn't authentically Spanish or Flamenco or paso, so what C/B are doing is a hybrid, choreographed by a modern choreographer who specializes in hybrid dance, especially when it's not a prescribed rhythm.

A lot of contemporary Spanish dance companies in Spain have combined Flamenco, ballet, ballroom tangos, contemporary dance, hip hop, etc. So have a lot of solo Flamenco dancers and musicians under 40, who absorbed the newest kinds of dances, just as the generation before them toyed with jazz.

Most people liked ZingKols FD last season. I think you were in the minority with your feelings on it.

I'm in that minority. Their current FD is the only program of theirs that I've liked.

 

[Tinycities]

Okay, how about they scored nearly 9 points lower than CarPon at 4CCs last year? They didn't crack 190 at either of their GPs last season, also falling about 9 points lower than CarPon on the GP last season. GreenP, coming off injury rehab, with just one GP trailed ZingKol by less than 1 point on the GP. But, hey, you go right ahead and try to justify your position with feelings while I provide you with actual data to back mine up.

I thought we were talking about people liking their FD? I wasn’t even comparing them to Carreira/Ponomarenko.

I’m not understanding why we’re pitting these skaters against each other.

 

[RoseAugust]

I just watched the FD competition. The Browns!! It had my complete attention and will likely be the only one I will watch again. And again.

 

[Karen-W]

I thought we were talking about people liking their FD? I wasn’t even comparing them to Carreira/Ponomarenko.

I’m not understanding why we’re pitting these skaters against each other.

My initial statement was that the judges didn't like their FD last season and their scores backed that up. I pulled CarPon into the discussion for comparison because the judges DID like CarPon's FD last season and that was reflected in their scores, which were appreciably higher than they've been getting this season.

I'm not fully sold on ZingKol's CoC score being where their total scores are going to settle this season - they scored 193.51 at CS Kinoshita, which was less than a point higher than what CarPon scored at CS Nebelhorn, but I do like their FD this season more than I like CarPon's, so I tend to think their scoring potential is higher at the moment, but anything is possible next week.

As it is, more often than not, I'm in the minority when it comes to the fan reaction to ZingKol's FDs. I really liked and appreciated their BatB FD a couple of years ago and liked their costumes & approach to the material. I was underwhelmed with their programs last season. And now, this season, for the FD I don't mind either the costumes or the program itself while I know a LOT of fans hate their costumes.

 

[Rob]

Is there anyone with an innovative dance program this year? I haven’t see everyone yet, but I didn’t see any at Skate America.

 

[marbri]

Is there anyone with an innovative dance program this year? I haven’t see everyone yet, but I didn’t see any at Skate America.

The long answer. No.

 

[Tinycities]

Is there anyone with an innovative dance program this year? I haven’t see everyone yet, but I didn’t see any at Skate America.

I hate the music but I found the green parsons one quite innovative.

 

[barbk]

Just watched the Browns. Wow. Huge improvement this year. That is the first time I found myself watching Oona more closely than Gage. Nice choreography, very well delivered. I wonder if they'll be in line for 4CC this year?

 

[skatingguy]

Free Dance Protocols

 

[marbri]

What's going on with these tech panels and LaLa's twizzles? Both got L3 in Canada and now both got L2 here. There was a long wait for their scores and my guess now is the panel were disagreeing over the calls on these twizzles.

In Canada the original call was a L3 and stayed L3. The only difference I can see between the two events is they remove a "turn" Zach does between the two twizzles. Which is a shame as it added to the element visually but one can only assume that they got feedback about their L3 call and that was the change made. I don't know the rules.

Here the original call was L4 for both. On review it was dropped to a L2. Since each of the TS tend to focus on the individuals then I will assume each called a L4 for the skater they were focusing on and someone called for a review. There was no visible error and, at least in the past, tech panels were required to watch practices so one would think if an issue was spotted it would have been discussed at the time amongst them and not play out as it did in competition. Aside from the turn Zach does in between the two twizzles being removed between the competition I see no difference in the rest of the element.

I didn't see the first group but there are a lot of low levels given to twizzles throughout so not sure if the situations were similar. But I think it's a real shame and a serious problem with the system if this element risks downgrading if anything interesting that actually adds to the choreography and theme gets removed because it causes someone on a tech panel to start nitpicking away. And it was a loooong wait for their marks so I don't believe the tech panel were all in agreement, someone got overruled.

 

[her grace]

Best the Browns have ever been Musicality combined with good storytelling, unison, and fleet feet.

Carreria/Ponomarenko: due to the drop, I spent more time watching him. He was very stiff through the one foot turns, just no ease to his movement and I can't argue with the low levels. Watch him skate and then watch Broussard and there's no contest to who is moving smoothly and with precision. I think their program is "okay", but not as good as their last 3 programs. It needs some signature moments to make it memorable.

Lajoie/Lagha: reusing programs is and this program emphasized their lack of connection. Nice technique, though.

 

[Skate Talker]

Well, Mrazeks usually have one splat per season, so I guess it's a good thing it happened here.

Well that's 2 splats in the GP this year because they also got dinged for a fall at Skate Canada.