Thoughts on Ice Wars?

[Alexa]

Overall, I thought it was fun to see some of the pros again.

Ladies....

Nicole--as lovely as a skater as she is, she just shouldn't be competing without one single triple jump. And physically, she has no reason not to maintain a few of her triples. That said, I did like the choreography in the second program, and I do like her overall skating.

Yuka--I always like Yuka and am so impressed she has kept her jumps. I don't mind when she does a dance-y program every now and then but I do prefer her classic programs.

Kristi--she did very well, and I liked both programs.

Oksana--good to see her so fit. Can't say that I loved both of her programs but she she showed some spunk and has really grown up in that she can laugh at herself more now, and does not take things too seriously.

Men

Alexei--for some reason I am not a huge fan--I don't know if it is some of his cheesy moves or what. I thought he did well, I just did not like the programs much. I much prefer Ilia and wish he had been there instead.

Todd--love Todd. So classic and pure, and what terrific triple axels. Good for him.

Kurt--I liked bits and pieces of his program, but prefer classic Kurt to funny Kirk. I thought the props were a bit much, and the leaky pipe story was not really all that necessary. But Kurt brought the jumps and the footwork.

Brian--Thought he did well overall, and I was surprised to like the coat rack program. I think I liked it because the coat rack added to the choreography rather than taking time away from it.

Final comments--USA did not have a chance with Nicole on their team. And I am sure they knew that.

[Alexa]

Now this may be a bit insensitive given her history, but Oksana comes off like she is drunk...she is just loud and obnoxious. Her chicken outfit may not be as bad as the infamous Pink Panther of Tiffany Scott, but skating to Ice Ice Baby is unforgivable ;-)

I have to agree that she does often come off sounding like she is drunk! Her mannerims and way of speaking are very odd at times.

Kurt is another who I'm not sure I'd seen skate before, his programs were fun if not as great in a competitive sense. What was great was his jumps coming out of nowhere, that really impressed me.

You have never seen Kurt skate before? Do you only watch eligible skating...? Just curious.

[Rapt2Go]

I thought Todd rocked the house and would probably do well under CoP. I much preferred his programs to Alexei's but I do hope Todd branches out stylistically a little more.

I could watch Yuka just stroke around the rink for 4 minutes and be happy.

I laughed out loud when Oksana made the comment about her being a drama queen. Compared to the last time I saw her skate, she's really gotten a lot back. She seems happy in her own skin. I'm happy for her!

Of course I enjoy Kurt, but those program concepts were a bit of a stretch.

Nicole, well she just didn't seem to have much of that Nicole passion or fire I love her for. I don't understand how Yuka and Kristi can still have some very solid triples and Nicole doesn't have any.

Kristi is just timeless.

Btian's death drop made me gasp out loud. It was bigger than some skaters are tall!

[briarrose]

all i have to say is that brian did a camel spin while holding the coat rack! i am still in awe.

i love kurt to death and usually like his more humourous programs, but these programs just didn't make sense to me. he started a story, then skated, then stopped and played with the toys, skated some more, found another toy, then went back to skating, and so on and so on. the toys didn't seem to fit into the choreography of the program. there was no continuous flow that i could follow throughout the program. i hope kurt will be able to work with this idea more and really pull it together into a cohesive program.

[Schmeck]

Having seen Yuka skate live, I must share that she has the most quiet edges of any ladies' skater I have seen live. She just floats across the ice. Her stroking technique is very, very good! I think it's as close to perfect as you can get, actually :bow:

Thanks for the reviews!

[Sing_Alto]

It's nice to read some positive responses to Brian's coat rack number. I thought it was fabulous and very difficult, and I'm not even a skater. Some of the other boards I've been on, a lot of the comments were really harsh. "Ew! He used a prop! Oh my gawd!" These are probably the same people who complained that all he ever skated to was opera. He's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. :giveup:

[Meredith]

My thoughts on Ice Wars?

I attended this event last year, and in comparison to the event in Albany, I found this year's Ice Wars wanting.

I DID enjoy Brian Boitano's dance with the coat rack. Thought Kurt's programs looked hastily put together and kind of sloppy. Loved the choreography in Nicole's freeskate. Didn't like Yuka's choreography, but isn't her skating to die for? The most welcome surprise was Todd Eldredge. He has the capacity to put me to sleep, but his programs were the highlight of the event for me. Really missed Ilia and the pairs.

Almost forgot about Kristi. I agree she is timeless.

[MQSeries]

Overall, I thought it was fun to see some of the pros again.

Ladies....

Nicole--as lovely as a skater as she is, she just shouldn't be competing without one single triple jump. And physically, she has no reason not to maintain a few of her triples.

Nicole should have been able to do at least a 2axel. Right now Nicole has the same jump content as Dorothy Hamill!

Alexei's first number was good. I like the confident swagger and sexiness he brought to the program. The second program, however, was embarrasing to watch. The music should have been "I Touch Myself". The humping the ice part made no sense whatsoever.

Oksana looked physically fit but what happened to her spins? She barely got around the back camel. Oksana's off-ice mannerisms is still too out there. It's almost like she should've been a silent screen star the way she exaggerates her facial features and speech when she speaks.

I liked Brian's second number but could have done without the video introduction. Not sure why he thought the program needed that. Love the spins while holding onto the microphone stand.

[doubletoe]

I agree that Brian Boitano's coat rack number was a nice variation for him, and added difficulty because of how he used the prop.

Still, I think Kurt Browing deserves more credit than he's getting. I honestly doubt that any of the other men in that competition could have invented--or skated--Kurt's program. And doing that double axel right over the toybox and landing with total control to assume his next position is something that took some serious technical ability!

[sue123]

i actually liked Kurt's programs, it was something different, and oddly reminiscent of Scott Hamilton (the man who i LOVED to watch, i wish he were immortal so he could still skate).

the coat rack cha cha number, i thought it was great too. It reminded me of Singing in the Rain, I;m pretty sure, where Cosmo danced with a hat rack in make 'em laugh. although i'm not a hundred percent positive of that, but it seemed like something that character would do.

in any case, i thought it was great. not overdone, and spinning with that thing, i have enough problems getting my own spins centered, but once you're used to it, to have to change that becaues of a hat rack, that just takes skill.

[Koala]

I thought Kurt was awesome as usual :)

[jcspkbfan]

The Nicole/Yuka matchup would have probably been the most difficult for me to judge: Yuka still has her jumps and outstanding basic skating skills, but I really didn't care for the song or the choreography in her second number. I thought Yuka's first number was cute, though. :) OTOH, I agree it's depressing Nicole can't even seem to land a 2-axel anymore (and isn't this the second or third year in a row she's had a disappointing technical program chacked from Ice Wars?), but I loved the choreography of her program.

My other thoughts:

I also enjoyed Brian's second number and thought it was a hugeimprovement over the similar Latin dance-themed program he skated accompanied by a dancer at Ice Wars a few years ago. At least, unlike the "prop" in that program, Brian actually *skated* throughout most of his tricks with the coat rack. I thought the big-screen cha-cha instructional video at the beginning of the program was a little much--it probably won my "cheesiest prop of the event" vote, which was saying a lot for that particular competition--but fortunately, it got better from there. :)

I really liked both of Todd's and Kristi's programs, especially Kristi's second number.

I was always taught "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all," so I'll refrain from commenting on Oksana's second number. :p I thought her James Bond number was better (at least that program had a definite theme and it was great to see OKsana attempt a 3-lutz again!), but it still had a few too many music cuts and clothing changes for my taste. But given Oksana's history, I certainly hope she wasn't drunk during that competition!

I actually had mixed feelings about Kurt's programs. On one hand, I was impressed with a lot of the things Kurt did with those "prop toys," it was a very entertaining program, and I'm sure it'll only get better the more Kurt performs it.

But OTOH, I'm not really sure they worked very well as competition programs. I think two of the other new, prop-free programs Kurt's skated so far this season (or even one of his older numbers) probably would have been more appropriate choices for competition. Plus, I'm not really a big fan of "sequel" programs: I didn't think the idea worked for Boitano at last year's Ice Wars, I didn't think it worked for Rudy the year he skated two different Moulin Rouge programs at Ice Wars a few years ago, and I'm not entirely sure it worked well for Kurt this year, either...although I'm sure I'll feel differently after seeing these new programs in the show setting for which they were originally intended, so I hope my fellow Kurt fans won't flame me too badly here! :)

One thing I noticed about this year's Ice Wars was there seemed to be less cameraderie and interaction between the skaters than in past years. One of the things I enjoy most about "cheesy" pro team competitions is seeing the skaters support each other and cheer each other on. I don't know whether it's just me, but that kind of spirit seemed to be missing from most of the skaters this year...at least from what I could see from the TV broadcast. :(

But OTOH, it was wonderful to see so many of the skaters land (or at least attempt) more difficult triple jumps again (Oksana and her 3-lutz, Todd and his 3-axel, Kurt and his 3-loop and triple-triple combination, Alexei and his 3-flip and lutz, etc.) After reading so many complaints about the lack of jump difficulty in pro skating in recent years, that was so refreshing to see!

[ejn]

The inspiration for the coat rack was undoubtedly Fred Astaire's famous dance number with a coat rack in "Royal Wedding." Fred could make even a coat rack look good. "Royal Wedding" is also the film in which Fred danced across the walls and ceiling of a room.

[~shasta~]

i agree with sue123 about Kurts program reminding me of Scott Hamilton. i liked his program.
i have always enjoyed Alexei's programs - though he is getting older and not skating as much anymore because of injuries etc.
and lastly i think it is really cool that Oksana is clean finally and back into skating. She has come milestones after all of her problems and i admire her. I thought her programs were neat, and especially the last one. She has always been a little flirty with her programs...but gheeze, it's kinda fun to have a change from the normal straight boring programs. Plus it wasn't a competition, it was an fun exhibition sort of thing, so why not have fun with it? It's cool that she can have fun with her programs and skating in general, and i think that makes it exciting to watch.

[Darrell H]

If not Nicole, then who? The American Women's pro ranks are not that big. With injuries, retirements and the fact that amateurs can earn enough money not to have to turn pro as quickly to ease financial woes, there are not that many American pro women out there at that level.

[3ggi3]

yea, it's too bad Tara moved on.
She was such a joy to watch.