Skate to Milano OWG Qualifier - Beijing CHN - Pairs SP & FS

[skatingguy]

Tae Ok Ryom/Kum Choi Han
Rank after SP: 11
Coach: Kim Hyon Son
Music: White Birch of Paektu by Yang Pyong

Triple Twist 1 - poor catch
2T+2T
2S
Reverse Lasso Lift 4
Throw 3S
Pair Combo Spin 4
Choreo Sequence
Throw 3Lo - hand down, step out
Axel Lasso Lift 4
Forward Inside Death Spiral 3
Hand-to-Hip Lift 4

A very traditional program, and a bit of throw back with the style of music being used.

91.35 = 1st Place
138.30 = 1st Place

 

[kwanfan1818]

I really like Ryom/Han. They are well matched, and they move well together. I wish they were allowed to compete more.

I feared she bashed him in the nuts when she came down from that twist, though.

 

[tangerine dream]

With the Austrians I was thinking, what is this snoozy, tinkly music and then it randomly turned into Cosmic Love.

 

[tony]

The transition into the combo spin was the only remarkable thing about this. Her jumps are really twisted and forced. Just about every element looks like work. The lasso lift toward the end may have been the literal ugliest lift I’ve ever seen.

This is Duhamel’s 2016 Adele dress I’m pretty sure.

 

[Karen-W]

Schaller/Mayr - 3tw - over his shoulders & crashy landing; SBS 3t - eh, they stayed upright; SBS 2a+1a+1a - tentative but, again, they stayed upright; first lift - very nice; throw 3lo - fall - she had no chance of landing it from the takeoff; combo spin - alright; second lift - okay; throw 3s - pitched forward onto her toepick on the landing but was determined to hold on; last lift - also okay; BODS - decent enough; choreo seq - interesting choice to end with a throwaway element.

This music isn't a great choice for the FS - too much of the same for 4 minutes.

 

[skatingguy]

Sophia Schaller/Livio Mayr
Rank after SP: 10
oach: B. Marcotte, J. Langdon, S. Kiefer, M. Duhamel
Music: Cosmic Love by Florence and The Machine

Triple Twist 1 - poor catch
3T
2A+1A+1A+SEQ - first jump landing was messy from Sophia
Axel Lasso Lift 4
Throw 3Lo - fall
Pair Combo Spin 4
Hand-to-Hand Lift 4
Throw 3S - piked forward, no flow/speed on landing
Reverse Lasso Lift 3 (4 after review) - awkward exit
Back Outside Death Spiral 2
Choreo Sequence

The elements just didn't come together today, and that created a sloppy, and uneven performance.

-1.00 = Falls
89.04 = 2nd Place
139.86 = 1st Place

 

[Karen-W]

This is Duhamel’s 2016 Adele dress I’m pretty sure.

Mark concurs, lol.

 

[Belsornia]

If Schaller is coming back from injury it makes even less sense that Austria didn’t send Izzo/Maierhofer and their SBS 3lutz here.

 

[tony]

Stunning pair and they’ve improved so quickly. The twist was a beauty, the lasso lift had a really difficult transition. Actually, all the lifts had an interesting twist to them.

They need the throw triples to go places obviously, but I didn’t think they’d even get this far.

 

[Karen-W]

Gunnarsdottir/Piazza - 3tw - beautiful; SBS 3t - nice! SBS 3s - hard fall for her, looked like her face hit the ice - audible gasp from the small audience; first lift - nice; throw 2f - seemed intentional; BODS - hard to say much from overhead; throw 3s - turnout and hand down on the landing; second lift - pretty & solid; choreo seq - finally one that isn't a throwaway element; last lift - she's very titled and not parallel to the ice for this platter lift; combo spin - it's fine but nothing special.

Well, that wasn't easy, but I stand by my thoughts from yesterday that they've got good potential for 2030.

 

[skatingguy]

Julia Sylvia Gunnarsdottir/Manuel Piazza
Rank after SP: 9
Coach: O. Hotarek, R. Murante, B. Naggiar
Music: West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein

Triple Twist 4
3T
3S<+SEQ+A* - Julia fell on the first jump
Axel Lasso Lift 4
Throw 2F
Back Outside Death Spiral 3
Throw 3S - two-foot landing, step out into a lunge
Hand-to-Hip Lift 4
Choreo Sequence
Reverse Lasso Lift 3 (4 after review)
Pair Combo Spin 4

The performance just didn't come together - maybe needed a clean skate to make it work. Just a few too many technical mistakes, and cautious elements.

-1.00 = Falls
98.94 = 1st Place
152.03 = 1st Place

 

[tony]

Darenskiy lost his mustache and I feel like the entire identity on the ice went with it

 

[Belsornia]

I would be 0% surprised if this is the last programme Gamez/Korovin ever skate.

 

[myhoneyhoney]

Ouch….

 

[CantALoop]

That was less of a throw and more of a shove

 

[tony]

Usually I’m all meh about a lack of connection but he just goes through the motions without giving anything to the program, he doesn’t even really look at her and just flails his arms whether they match time or not. I don’t get how someone can come to practice every day and just be so seemingly miserable.

 

[myhoneyhoney]

I’m literally scared for her. Eeek

 

[tony]

And the first thing she says is sorry and he skates off. Summary of it all.

 

[Karen-W]

Gamez/Korovin - 3tw - good; throw 3lo - splat for her; SBS 2t+1a+1a - eh; SBS 3s - hand down for her on the landing; weird fall for him as they transition; first lift - meh; throw 3s - another fall; second lift - slowed way down as it progressed & clunky exit; BIDS - okay; last lift - better; combo spin - meh; choreo seq - meh.

Well, this was a disaster.

 

[skatingguy]

Isabella Gamez/Aleksandr Korovin
Rank after SP: 8
Coach: Dmitri Savin, Fedor Klimov
Music: Malaguena by Ernesto Lecuona

Triple Twist 3
Throw 3Lo - fall
2T+1A+1A+SEQ
3S<< - Isabella fell
Aleksandr with a fall between elements
Axel Lasso Lift 3
Throw 3S - fall
Reverse Lasso Lift 4
Back Outside Death Spiral 2
Hand-to-Hip Lift 4 (3 after review)
Pair Combo Spin 3V
Choreo Sequence

I can't imagine how hard skating the second half of that program must have been for both of them knowing the dream was gone.

-4.00 = Falls
80.55 = 4th Place
133.69 = 4th Place

 

[CantALoop]

TOE PICK! (sorry couldn't resist, esp. after that non death spiral in the SP)

 

[CantALoop]

woo, hanging onto the SBS jumps, but at least they're standing up on them

 

[myhoneyhoney]

There’s some hard falls

 

[tony]

Was her salchow actually a triple? It was up and down so fast.

Her first 2A was for sure short (and the second even more so). Throw salchow also looked tight.

I don’t think either of these programs do anything to show off their talent. I used to think he was the perfect pair partner and now he’s just there.

 

[skatingguy]

Audrey Shin/Balazs Nagy
Rank after SP: 7
Coach: Burno Marcotte, Meagan Duhamel
Music: Two Men in Love by The Irrepessibles

Triple Twist 2
3Sq
3T+2A<+2A<<+SEQ - timing issues, Balazs stepped out of the 3rd jump
Throw 3Lo - fall
Reverse Lasso Lift 4
Throw 3S - tight, stiff landing
Back Outside Death Spiral 2
Pair Combo Spin 4V
Axel Lasso Lift 3
Hand-to-Hip Lift 4
Choreo Sequence

A rough start to the program, but the performance built nicely with the music as they got into their skates.

-1.00 = Falls
104.67 = 1st Place
158.66 = 1st Place

 

[Karen-W]

Shin/Nagy - Mark reminds us of the music and immediately I'm like "I hate this program"; 3tw - meh; SBS 3s - far apart but good; SBS 3t+2a+2a - he was wonky on the landing of the last 2a but they stayed upright; throw 3lo - splat; first lift - nice; this music is soooooo dire; throw 3s - pitched forward on the landing but stayed up; combo spin - alright but went on too long; second lift - strong; last lift - also very strong; choreo seq - throwaway. Did I miss their death spiral? I mean, they had to have had one and it's not like they have an invalid element.

I can't believe that a team with this much unwarranted support from the USFS doesn't have the $$ to pay for better choreo. Fontana & Zimmerman really took the money and ran without giving them anything worthwhile.

 

[Karen-W]

LMAO - that's even lower than they scored at John Nicks 2.5 weeks ago. It's too bad it's Saturday so the Letovs probably won't post anything of Emily & Spencer on IG today to troll the USFS again.

 

[CantALoop]

Was all that distance necessary just for SBS 2F?

 

[Karen-W]

Holichenko/Darenskyi - SBS 2f - well, that's underwhelming; 3tw - okay; SBS 3s+1a+1a - alright; throw 3lo - good; first lift - solid; these bland, slow emo songs need to be banned for all pairs programs, especially 4-min long free skates; choreo seq - meh; throw 3s - eh; second lift - alright; last lift - slowed to a crawl for the dismount; FIDS - alright; combo spin - why? why are you ending on such a clunky, mediocre element?

Yeah, no, I'm fine if they don't earn an Olympic spot because no one deserves to be subjected to this program in Milano.

 

[skatingguy]

Sofia Holichenko/Artem Darenskyi
Rank after SP: 6
Coach: Ihor Marchenko
Music: Mad World by 2WEI

2F
Triple Twist 2 (3 after review)
3S+1A+1A+SEQ
Throw 3Lo
Reverse Lasso Lift 3
Choreo Sequence
Throw 3S
Toe Lasso Lift 3
Hand-to-Hip Lift 4
Forward Inside Death Spiral 3
Pair Combo Spin 4

A very solid technical performance. Probably the best they can do at this point in their careers to give themselves a chance to make the Olympics.

112.24 = 1st Place
169.41 = 1st Place