Any news from Thornhill?

[Tigger]

Yes, I know it's a bit early to ask, but I'm asking none the less. :) Especially interested in hearing about Jen Robinson, Jeff Buttle, Ben Ferrera and Takeshi Honda. Eagerly looking forward to hearing how things went. :)

[Tony Wheeler]

Senior Ladies SP:
1 Jillian SHEARD SPORT 0.5 1
2 Jennifer ROBINSON RIVER 1.0 2
3 Lauren WILSON FORES 1.5 3
4 Shizuka ARAKAWA WASED 2.0 4
5 Rie TAKEUCHI JAPAN 2.5 5
6 Lesley HAWKER MARIP 3.0 6
7 Alesha CHECKLEY ROYAL 3.5 7
8 Michele MOORE BURLI 4.0 8
8 Tiffany YAU ROYAL 4.0 8
10 Heather GEBOERS BOWMA 5.0 10
11 Harmonie WONG LONDO 5.5 11
12 Kim GAUTHIER NORTH 6.0 12
13 Shanique OLLIVIERRE-LAKE RICHM 6.5 13
14 Christa WILSON BURLI 7.0 14
15 Vicki MCCORMICK NISA 7.5 15
16 Ashlea JONES OSHAW 8.0 16
17 Victoria DUFOUR SOUTH 8.5 17
18 Rebecca PIVNICK NEPEA 9.0 18
19 Sarah Jane MONAGHAN BOWMA 9.5 19
20 Amy HEARDER DUFFE 10.0 20
21 Rebecca RICH BURLI 10.5 21
R Genevieve DIGBY CENTR

Senior Pairs SP:
1 Jacinthe LARIVIERRE / Lenny FAUSTINO CPA P/MARIP 1.0 1
2 Kristen ROTH / Mike MCPHERSON DETRO 2.0 2
3 Johanna PURDY / Kevin MAGUIRE RICHM 3.0 3
4 Carolyn McEWEN / Gord WILLEMSE PREST/GRAND 4.0 4

Senior Dance CD:
1 Kristina LENKO / Danny MOIR BARRI/ILDER 1.0 1 1
2 Stephanie DESTREMPES / Andrew WERNHAM CPA B/PORT 2.0 2 2
3 Julie BRISSON / Chad WESTGATE MINTO/SCARB 3.0 3 3
R Catherine PERREAULT / Charles Andre PERREAULT CPA L/CPA L

[Tigger]

Thanks Tony!!

[Tony Wheeler]

Senior Mens SP:
1 Takeshi HONDA JAPAN 0.5 1
2 Hugh YIK MARIP 1.0 2
3 Jeffrey BUTTLE SUDBU 1.5 3
4 Chris MABEE TILLS 2.0 4
5 Daisuke TAKAHASHI KURAS 2.5 5
6 Jeff FRANKLIN T.C.S 3.0 6
7 Ben FERREIRA ROYAL 3.5 7
8 Chris TEES NISA 4.0 8
9 Blair SMITH BRANT 4.5 9
10 Eric RITTER CENTR 5.0 10
11 Jean-Francois BIDAL CPA B 5.5 11
12 Mathew KING WATFO 6.0 12
13 Billy EATON PREST 6.5 13
14 Ian PASZKAT GRIMS 7.0 14
R Fedor ANDREEV MINTO
R Kevin WINTER STRAT
R Matt MACMURDO GLOUC

[Tigger]

Thanks again Tony!!

Now...Any program details? Anyone?

[Tony Wheeler]

I can help with some music..

Takeshi: Leyenda (Vanessa Mae)
Jeff B: Conspiracy Theory (Soundtrack)
Chris: Fantasia (Lizst)
Jeff F: Firebird (Stravinsky)
Eric: Tango (Soundtrack)

Shizuka: Swan Lake (Remixed)
Heather: Somewhere in Time (Rachmaninov)

I don't have any real program details but from what I've heard, Takeshi fell on his 3Lutz and Hugh 2footed his 3Axel, no man was clean. I also *think* Jen either turned out or fell out of her 3flip.. thats all I know, sorry.

[Tigger]

Thanks again Tony!!

[becca]

I was there today. I didn't take notes but I will write what I can remember (sorry for any mistakes).

Takeshi Honda - 4toe (i think that his hand touched the ground but it was too close to tell for sure), 3axel, fall on lutz

Hugh Yik - 3axel (looked clean to me), 3lutz, 3flip-3toe. He was the first skater and really got things going. He got the only standing ovation of the night.

Jeff Buttle - 4toe (fall but very close). He didn't do either his 3axel or 3lutz but I can't remember if her fell or poped.

Chris Mabee - 3axel-2toe (looked very happy with himself), 2axel, 1lutz (he popped this jump and just shook his head and threw his arms in the air on the landing...it was very funny). It was certainly nice to see someone having such a good time out there.

Jeff Franklin - 3flip/2toe, 3lutz, 2axel. Jeff's basic skating was very good but his program didn't really seem to match the music.

Ben Ferreira - 4toe(fall), 2axel, he either popped of fell on his 3lutz


Senior Ladies

Jillian Sheard - 3luts/2toe, 3flip (very small 2foot on landing), 2 axel. This was a very nice program with great basic skating and good artistry. Her spins were by far the best of the competition except for a bit of a wobble on the back half or her combo spin (she corrected the problem in the first 2 rotations). We also saw a rare smile from Jillian during this program.

Jennifer Robinson - 3lutz/2toe, 3flip (step out), 2axel. Artisitically, I thought that this was a really good program for Jenn.

note: the judges were split 5-4 between Jillian and Jennifer. They were both good and I thought that the results were fair.

Lauren Wilson - 3 flip (just squeeked it out), 2 axel, 3lutz (step out)/ 2toe. Her spins have impoved a lot since Canadians last year (the rest of her skating seemed pretty much the same).

Lesley Hawker - 3lutz (fall), 3flip (fall), 2axel. Her spins have also improved since last year.


I don't really remember the sr pairs to well except that none of the teams landed their side by side jumps. I don't think that any of the teams really skated their best in general.

I saw many of the events today so if anyone wants to know about a specific skater or event let me know and I will see what I can remember.

[Dragonlady]

1. Takeshi Honda
2. Hugh Yik
3. Jeff Buttle
4. Chris Mabee
5. Daisuke Takahashi
6. Jeff Franklin
7. Ben Ferreira

Program notes on the men in the order they skated.

Hugh Yik - Sabre Dance

He skated first last night and it was a great skate. He had a really complex circular footwork sequence that filled the ice and more than closed the circle and he made it look easy. His music was Sabre Dance which is risky because unless you have good speed, it looks like you're always behind the music. Elements were 3A (very slight 2foot), 3Z/3T and 3L which is not bad. His flying camel was slow but it really flew and it was a back camel. After he finished, we all said Wow and if this is an example of what the men's SP is going to be like, Yippee!

Jeff Buttle - Conspiracy Theory - very Jazzy

Jeff nailed everything in the warm-up and fell or downgraded his jumps in the program. He went for the quad, rotated it and fell, did a 2A and a 2F. The program is really fun and breezy. His combo spin was the best of the competition - great speed and positions. The pants hurt my eyes (would go well with Kulik's giraffe shirt).

Chris Mabee - Spanish guitar piece - enthusiastic audience clapping along throughout. This was another excellent program. 3A/2T, he opened up on his 3Z and singled it and had to do a 2A because of his combo. His footwork was amazing and his sit spin was wonderful. Excellent presentation.

Takeshi Honda - Leyenda (Vanessa Mae). Takeshi had problems on all of his jumps but his overall speed and edge quality, and the level of difficulty of the elements he attempted, made him the clear winner. He opened with the 4T/2T (right in front of our front row seats). He had a hand down on the 4T but fought for the landing and got off the 2T in proper sequence. He had problems on the landing of the 3A too, taking an extra turn on the ice to resettle himself and he fell on the 3Z.

Daisuke Takahashi skated to a synthesizer/new age type piece. He did a huge 4T and may have over-rotated it causing problems on the landing, but he stood it up, although he didn't get the second jump of his combo in. He fell on his 3A. He had good speed but his program was rather basic.

Ben Ferreira used last year's SP - a ragtime piece. He fell on both his 4T and his 3Z and he lacked speed. On the positive side, there is a noticeable improvement in his edges and his posture. His stroking has really improved. This move appears to be a good one for Ben and this is, after all, a summer comp. Ben was a later starter and those skaters usually have weaker basics. I see a real effort being made to change this and there's a lot of time left before the GP's start.

I missed Jillian Sheard's program when I went out to check results and didn't get back in time. Jennifer looked really good - the best I've seen her this early in the season and she's improved in the speed department.

Lauren Wilson had some jump problems but this is a summer comp. This is the first time I've seen her and I really enjoyed her skating.

Pairs:

Purdy & Maquire had a tough night at the office. She fell on the SBS's, she had a hand down on the throw, and she fell on the death spiral. Their lift was great, split double twist and spins were lovely, but there were too many mistakes for them to be 2nd.

Roth & MacPherson skated to a violin concerto. They were technically clean in their elements but lacked extension or good matching lines. The looked like two skaters sharing the ice, not a pair. I don't know how long these two have been together so that may be a factor. Her position in the death spiral was lovely.

LaRiviere & Faustino. Let me start by saying I've always loved this team. Now that we've established my bias, can I started gushing about this program? Very jazzy, very playful - didn't recognize the music, but at first I thought it was Stray Cat Strut, it has that kind of feel to it in a jazz sense. Jazz fell on the SBS 3T. They did mirror camel spins in unison! Nice position on the hip lift, lots of fun "business" and playfulness between the elements which really sold the program.

Eric Radford's winning skate in the Jr. Men's was the highlight of the day! This kid is awesome. Fabulous spins with interesting positions which reminded me of Toller Cranston. His jumps were huge, gorgeous and rock solid, although he did a 2A not a 3. I can't wait to see his LP!

[Xiaoxue]

Tony and Dragonlady,

thanks so much for the results and the program details.

Can you tell me about Jennifer's in-between skating? How does her spiral look? What about her spins? What about her speed?

With Jazz and Lenny as well, what improvements did you see besides the cool mirror spin?

I was so surprised and excited to hear about Hugh Yik's performance! I hope he'll get into the top six at Nat'ls so that i can see his skating.

So Jeffrey didn't have such a good skate. I think this shows how inexperienced he is. But to try the quad is very brave of him. Can't wait to see more of him in the Fall.

JAZZ AND LENNY RULE!!! Hurrah for them! I've always loved their programs. Even though they always have technical errors, their programs are still so delightful to watch becuause of all the inbetween acting they put on.

Glad to see that Jennifer was not a shoo-in for the win.

[Bailey]

Two questions:
1. What is the music for Jen Robinson's short program?
2. Maybe a dumb question, but what is a mirror spin??

[Dragonlady]

I didn't recognize Jen's music but my notes say "melodramatic piano".

Mirror camel spins are very difficult to do well. Normally both pairs spin in the same direction and they can synchronize the speed of their spins by watching each other's leg positions. In mirror spins, the partners spin in opposite directions. They are much more difficult to get the timing right on and they're very high risk because pairs get dinged big-time for lack of unison on spins.

[arena_gal]

What does the "R" mean besides the skater's name in the standings, in particular for Fedor Andreev? Does that mean he never showed up or got there and for some reason didn't skate? Thanks.

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally posted by arena_gal
What does the "R" mean besides the skater's name in the standings, in particular for Fedor Andreev? Does that mean he never showed up or got there and for some reason didn't skate? Thanks.

R means retired, or withdrew, which means he either could have not shown up at all, or attended but decided not to skate.

[Tony Wheeler]

Senior Ladies Final Result:
1 Jennifer ROBINSON RIVER 2.0 2 1
2 Lauren WILSON FORES 3.5 3 2
3 Jillian SHEARD SPORT 3.5 1 3
4 Lesley HAWKER MARIP 7.0 6 4
5 Alesha CHECKLEY ROYAL 8.5 7 5
6 Rie TAKEUCHI JAPAN 8.5 5 6
7 Heather GEBOERS BOWMA 12.0 10 7
8 Michele MOORE BURLI 13.0 8 9
9 Harmonie WONG LONDO 13.5 11 8
10 Tiffany YAU ROYAL 14.0 8 10
11 Kim GAUTHIER NORTH 17.0 12 11
12 Shanique OLLIVIERRE-LAKE RICHM 18.5 13 12
13 Christa WILSON BURLI 20.0 14 13
14 Vicki MCCORMICK NISA 21.5 15 14
15 Ashlea JONES OSHAW 23.0 16 15
16 Sarah Jane MONAGHAN BOWMA 25.5 19 16
17 Victoria DUFOUR SOUTH 25.5 17 17
18 Rebecca PIVNICK NEPEA 27.0 18 18
19 Amy HEARDER DUFFE 29.0 20 19
R Shizuka ARAKAWA WASED 4
R Rebecca RICH BURLI 21
R Genevieve DIGBY CENTR

Senior FD Result:
1 Julie MacDONALD / Mark BRADSHAW OAKVI/UPPER 1.0 1
2 Tara DOHERTY / Tyler MYLES BARRI 2.0 2
3 Kristina LENKO / Danny MOIR BARRI/ILDER 3.0 3
4 Catherine PERREAULT / Charles Andre PERREAULT CPA L/CPA L 4.0 4
5 Julie BRISSON / Chad WESTGATE MINTO/SCARB 5.0 5

Junior Mens Final Result:
1 Eric RADFORD T.C.S 1.5 1 1
2 Dylan MOSCOVITCH T.C.S 3.5 3 2
3 Takemochi OGAMI KURAS 5.0 2 4
4 Tyler COCHRANE KINGS 5.5 5 3
5 Allen CHUNG MORRI 7.0 4 5
6 Justin PERDU CHATH 9.5 7 6
7 Robert PAXTON ENGLA 11.0 8 7
8 Mizuki HONDA NIIGA 11.0 6 8
9 Christopher RICHARDSON PREST 15.0 10 10
10 Adrian OLEKSYSZAK Y.R.S 16.0 14 9
11 Justin DEL BEL BELLUZ NORTH 17.0 12 11
12 Philippe JULLIAN CPA A 18.5 13 12
13 Takuya TAMURA MEIJI 18.5 11 13
R Sho KAGAYAMA MEIJI 9

Junior FD Result:
1 Lauren SENFT / Andrew HALLAM HOLLY/BARRI 1.0 1
2 Mylene GIRARD / Bradley YAEGER CPA R/MINTO 2.0 2
3 Magali CHARPENTIER / Jonathan PELLETIER CPA S/CPA S 3.0 3
4 Mylene THEROUX / Jean-Sebastien BLAIS CPA L/CPA L 4.0 4
5 Christie Anne HANSEN / Kevin GALLAGHER GLENC/UPPER 5.0 5
6 Signe BARLOW / Matthew SMITH WEST/UPPER 6.0 6
7 Laura STOVELD / Ian FOTHERINGHAM SCARB/PALME 7.0 7
8 Melissa HILL / Jamie BRITTON SASKA/ROSTH 8.0 8
9 Stephanie ARSENIJEVIC / Christopher SAIKALI GLOUC 9.0 9
R Amy SAUCKE LACELLE / Marc Andre ISABELLE CPA R/CPA S
R Marie-Line DAOUST / Luc BOUGIE CPA S

[Tony Wheeler]

Senior Mens Final Results:
1 Takeshi HONDA JAPAN 1.5 1 1
2 Jeffrey BUTTLE SUDBU 3.5 3 2
3 Daisuke TAKAHASHI KURAS 5.5 5 3
4 Chris MABEE TILLS 7.0 4 5
5 Hugh YIK MARIP 8.0 2 7
6 Blair SMITH BRANT 8.5 9 4
7 Ben FERREIRA ROYAL 9.5 7 6
8 Jeff FRANKLIN T.C.S 11.0 6 8
9 Eric RITTER CENTR 14.0 10 9
10 Chris TEES NISA 15.0 8 11
11 Mathew KING WATFO 16.0 12 10
12 Billy EATON PREST 18.5 13 12
13 Ian PASZKAT GRIMS 20.0 14 13
R Jean-Francois BIDAL CPA B 11
R Fedor ANDREEV MINTO
R Kevin WINTER STRAT
R Matt MACMURDO GLOUC

[Francis71]

The COS site doesn't have the results from Senior Pairs although the other results are up. I saw the event but left before the results were known I am pretty confident that Jazz & Lenny were 1st and Purdy & Maguire 2nd. But I wasn't sure where 3rd would go. Roth and MacPherson appeared to have a rather rough skate while McEwan and Willams did a lot of difficult stuff in their lifts although they looked a bit scared throughout the program. Any one know how it ended up?

[Verna]

Francis, can you give us a run-down of who landed what.

Thanks.

[Francis71]

Verna I will try but I am not at all good with identfying jumps so anyone please jump in and correct me !

Jazz and Lenny - From the choreography of the program and the expressions on his face (he really is dramatic) I think this is some type of dracula music. They landed side by side triples although she may have 2ft and I believe there were double toes on the end. She missed the double axel and it was obvious from the take off that she wasn't going to land it. They had two throw triples which were really nice. Lots of unusual choreography in this program. Their twist, as usual was quite nice. They are looking quite good given the time of the year. Some of their moves seemed a bit hesitant as if they had recently made some changes to their program. I would say clearly number one.

Purdy and Maguire - side by side triple toes? she fell, side by side 2Axels she fell but she did go for it. Her throw triples - sal and loop are huge and she hung on to both landings. I think they had double flips later in the program and he stepped out. I like their program and love to watch her skate - she just has a softness about her that just makes me melt (a bit biased here) I didn't see the short programs but apparently she fell on the death spiral - not their weekend for death spirals as she fell on the entry to the one in the long (it is one of the less done ones ?) They have a new lift that I hadn't seen before with a hip entry and changes of position. Their twist was caught but ackward.

McEwan and Willams - these two are really close in size. I don't remember a lot here but I remember that they seemed to get from element to element and seemed to get them all done. I missed the opening jumps that I assume were triples - I couldn't see the take off but he did fall. she may have stepped out. Mid program they did side by side double axels and both stepped out almost in unioson but then went on to do double toes. She opened up on the throw triple loop but looked surprised to be standing on two feet. Theri second throw was a double toe (I think). They had a couple variations of a reverse star lift and they got them done. I think the lack of size difference may prevent this team from looking more elegant. Their twist was a bit short of triple and caught ackwardly.

Roth and MacPherson - I was really looking forward to seeing this team as I had heard a lot about them. Their costumes were bright blue and while I didn't find them particualry attractive they did stand out in the warm up. Either I can't recognize throws and jumps very well - or these two rotate so quickly that I can't count right but I didn't see side by side triples and throws to me looked like doubles. There were side by side axels that were landed in great unison (these are the ones that I thought looked like single axels but they very well may have been double axels). This program also looked new or with changes. They didn't look real pleased at the end of their program.

Sorry I am not a better technician I just like to watch skating especially pairs skating.

In the novice event Singh and Singh landed a through triple sal and Junior Pairs event was a good one - the top three teams all had their strengths. Bryce Davidson and his partner just went for everything and he had just skated in the Novice Mens event about an hour earlier.

Hope this helps somewhat.

[roogu]

anyone have notes on jumps or music for the men's event?

[Dragonlady]

We arrived around 2:00 today and saw bits and pieces of several events and all of the Sr. Ladies and Men's Long Programs. These are just my general observations and comments, with bits about skaters from other events.

I'll start with THE highlight of the day. Junior Ladies, Long Program, Group 4. A very young skater from Japan named Erika Fujisawa. Erika is a tiny girl who looked like she should be in Juvenile, but I was told she was at least 12. She opened with a HUGE 2A, followed by 3L, 3F, 3S, an amazing flying camel (lots of "fly"), 3T/2T, 3Z, a beautiful layback, 3S/2T, 2A, and 3T late in the program. She had speed, great footwork, and really fast spins. 7 triples from a tiny kid in a summer comp. She had a lot of spring in her jumps and they were rock solid. I gave her a standing ovation and I wasn't the only one on my feet.

Tonight, the ladies outskated the men. When was the last time we said that about a senior comp in Canada? A few short years ago, the Sr. Ladies was painful to watch. Few skaters landed any jumps at all and the skaters all had a "deer in the headlights" look of fear in their eyes. Tonight we saw smiles and looks of determination, lots of lovely jumps, and skaters fighting for their landings and not giving up after their mistakes. Even the girls in the first warm-up group had some lovely qualities to their skating.

The Japanese have sent and entire planeload of kids to Toronto to train this summer. There's a bunch at the ARC, about 25 at the Granite Club, and group bunch at Mariposa. I didn't talk to anybody from the Cricket Club but I'll bet some of them were there too. There were a couple of Japanese skaters in ever every flight at every level at Thornhill. Nice kids - polite, hard working, great skaters too. The Japanese are really, really serious about their program and Japan is well on its way to becoming a powerhouse in figure skating.

Eric Radford dominated the Junior Men all weekend. His LP was no less brilliant than his SP. He skated to a violin concerto. His elements were 2A/2T, 3Z/2T, 3S, serpentine footwork - beautifully done, 3F, 3S/2T, 3Z, back outside to forward inside spread eagle and he really surrendered to the lean on both edges, 2A, 3T. Eric has great musicality and is really a dancer on ice in the best sense of the word. His sit spin is at ice level on both legs, with interesting positions, and he again did a layback. All of his elements are very solid and have an effortless quality.

As it happened, his mother was sitting right in front of me and when I said out loud "He's terrific", she turned around and said very proudly, "That's my boy!". Eric took his Grade 8 piano exam on Friday which explains his musicality. He also had surgery in February to remove a growth on his ankle, and a long recovery period, which explains why he has no 3A. He moved here with Paul Wirtz from Montreal.

The junior men skated in the smaller rink with the bleachers today and when the last flight took to the ice the end of the rink filled to capacity with young female skaters. Eric was greeted with screams of welcome usually reserved for rock stars in boy bands. On the way home, I asked my daughter about this. She told me that Eric is definitely hot. His Mom's nice too.

[¤Sweetie¤]

Jenn notes from Saturday...

Her overall skating quality has improved- her speed is great, and the SP starts off with a spiral sequence, which looked to be about five different spiral positions... none much different from the other, but very effective with the music. The music was familiar to me, but not familiar in skating circles... it reminded me in parts of Michelle's SP from last year, so it could very well be something from Rachmaninov.
She opened with her double axel in the northeast corner from where I was sitting. It looked clean, not much more height than last year, but more confidence going into it, although I cringed as I watched, fearing 2002 World's SP...
Next (jump-wise) was her triple flip (northwest corner). She had good footwork and speed getting into it, but it looked like her toepick slipped and she bounced out of it, after twofooting it. Her lutz was good, in the southest corner, as was the double toe, but it looked quite close to the boards. Her combo spin is the same positions, but better speed, and the flying camel has a slightly better line. The layback is a better classic position, dropping to a low leg, and closed arms. Her costume was very elegant, and accentuated her long legs. It was a strapless black dress, with black beading around the chest area, and a simple black skirt..

[¤Sweetie¤]

Jillian Sheard...

I've always thought this girl had something special, since I saw her on TV at 2000 Nationals. Even though then, she only got in a few jumps and fell on footwork, she showed some promise, even through disappointment.

One thing we don't see from Jillian enough is a smile. And she smiles when she's happy like she was after the SP. It had to be a personal best. I can't remember the music, but it was beautiful. Her dress was something else. It was teal, and faded to white, but was just ugly, the way it was cut, IMO... I think she could have looked so much more graceful with a better line, had she worn something that didn't look as 'heavy'.

I was so happy to see her skate great. I didn't take notes on anything, so I'm relying on my ever epervescent memory... yikes LOL
She had a nice double axel- and much like Jenn, not much height, but good speed and control. You could see on her face that she wasn't quite cautious, just more nervous. Jillian has a major thing going for her-- she has a pure lutz. Her triple lutz/double toe was beautiful, with great spring on the lutz. Her problem was the triple flip, and again, I think her toepick slipped. She picked in at a corner, in and around where Jenn did, and they had similar problems, but Jill saved hers by slightly twofooting it.

Her spins are improved, and her layback is beautiful. Good classic position (eeek, I've turned into Uncle Dick!) with a great leg line and arch. IMHO the best layback of the Canadian Ladies. Her circular footowkr was good, and I think her weakness was her spirals. She's not as flexible as most but with more practice, I think she's bound to achieve top five at Nationals. She really impressed me, and I think she deserved to win the SP.

[roogu]

Jill has always been a classic/traditional type of skater .... beautiful line and carriage, but yes, she hardly smiles, but when she does, watch out! That smile can melt bricks!!! I'm so glad to see her skating well this year after last year, it was kind of a down year for her.
I heard she's trained at mariposa this summer which may explain the improvement in her skating.
And her layback ... probably second to only Nikodinov ... wouldn't you all agree that that's a compliment? :) Can't wait to see her this year.

[shopper]

just a couple of things
fedor was at practise sat a.m. but didn't skate in the competition

sunday afternoon and evening =no one wanted to win either the mens or women's competiion and the pairs was down right scarey.. lots of missed edges and falls and slips

gillian could have won everything but didn't skate well... she doubled her opening lutz and by my calculations landed 3 triples, fell on one, and two footed another one with a hand down....

in the men's event only one triple axel landed in the whole free skate prgram... that by blair smith.. good for him....

[Verna]

Shopper, I heard Lariviere & Faustino skated great with the exception of a missed DA by Jacinthe. Really looking forward to seeing their new programs at Skate Canada.

[shopper]

this is going to be a dynamite program once they iron out the kinks. the side by side spins were way off.

[Verna]

Thanks. I hear their SP is great too. If she can land the SBSs, they should have a good season. Canadians will be exciting with them and Langlois & Archetto battling it out for the national title.

[Verna]

shopper, was Richard Callaghan there with Fedor?

[becca]

Hey I was one of those girls at the end of the rink cheering for Eric Radford!!! There were actually both girls and guys. Pretty much all of the skaters from the Cricket Club came out to cheer for him and Dylan (and many others) because those 2 were being monitored for jr. grand prix. One of the guys cheering even felt that he had not done his job if the skaters were able to hear the end of their music over his cheering. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and both Eric and Dylan skated great.

[shopper]

i didn't see richard callaghan there.
i did see yuka and jason with mcpherson and roth though.

[luckiest1]

In senior men's, Chris Mabee skated to Funeral For A Friend (Elton John), and unfortunately missed his axle this time. He has made great strides since last year - can't wait to see him at Canadians.

Hugh Yik used Rocketeer soundtrack, opened with a triple triple combination, but then popped a number of jumps into singles. Still a very strong competition for him - great to see him back skating again.

Daisuke Takahashi landed a quad toe (two footed but he stood up), but missed his triple axle. He has very nice fluidity and presentation.

Takeshi Honda tried a quad toe (fell), a quad flip (two footed), and finally a clean quad toe. He also missed his axle. His music was the soundtrack from The Mummy. He wore all black - I'm sure not what he will be wearing by the GP. I love the arm movements in this program.

Jeff B. did his long program from last year. He fell on the opening triple, and missed his axle as well, but came back to land a few triples. His presentation, as always, was great. I'm sure he just had to get the nerves out early - by Canadians he will be awesome :)

[number1_elvis_fan]

Can anyone tell me exactly what the ladies in the top 3 landed in terms of jumps, it would also be nice to know what Lesley Hawker landed. Thank you.

Kyle

[Dragonlady]

Ladies LP:

Jennifer Robinson skated to a violin concerto, don't know which one, in a tasteful black dress I've seen before. Her new dress probably isn't ready. Jen opened with a 3Z/2T and then tried a 3S/3L. The back end of that combo was under-rotated and two footed but she stood it up. next jump was a 3F, but she doubled her loop and her Salchow. She did a nice 2A and then fell on her second Lutz. The program had lots of details and Jennifer skated with a lot more speed than I've seen previously.

Lauren Wilson skated to Masquerade Waltz - a piece I love. She fell on her opening 3Z but did a good 3F followed by a 3S/2T, then a 3L and fell a second time on her second lutz attempt. She did a nice 2A and then a 3T. Her spins are much improved and the choreography was really nice. If she can nail the lutz, she should make the Jr. GPF.

Jillian Sheard was skating to an opera score. I'm not an opera buff, but I thought it might be LaTraviatta (the opera music in the movie "Moonlighting" in any case). Jillian opened with a 2Z followed by a 3F. She had problems with her 3S, putting a hand down but standing her feet, barely. Next jump was a 3T, then another 2Z. She used the 3-turn entry into the 3L but fell. Her layback was lovely, and she finished up with a 2A and lastly a 3T.

Leslie Hawker skated to Dr. Zhivago and opened with a 3Z/2T combo, followed by a 3F. She fell on her 3S, tried it again and doubled it. She did a nice 2A and then fell on her second lutz attempt and her loop. She did a nice 3T and finished with a 2A.

Shizuka Arakawa's LP was disappointing in terms of jumps. She opened with a double flip, tacked a 3-turn on the end of her 3S, did a gorgeous 2A but fell on her loop and at that point I stopped making notes. Her LP dress was a dance dress with a very long full skirt with the fishing line in the hem. The skirt set very high in the bodice. When she jumped or spun, it was almost up in her face and very distracting.

Please remember this is a summer comp and the jumps missed, doubled or not landed should not be taken too seriously. This is simply an opportunity to try the programs out and get some judge feedback. I was thrilled to see so many jumps landed at this stage. A couple of years ago Jennifer landed NOTHING in her LP at Thornhill. She fell or doubled everything. I was very impressed to see her trying a 3/3 at this stage. I was also impressed to see her increased speed.

[number1_elvis_fan]

Alright thank you, it looks like our ladies our improving at this stage and should do well this season. Thank you.

Kyle

[luckiest1]

I don't believe Shizuka Arakawa skated in the long programs - the Japanese lady in the final flight was introduced as Rie Takeuchi (sp?).

[Dragonlady]

Yes Rie Takeuchi was the skater. Arakawa did indeed withdraw after the SP. I tried to edit my post but my time was up.

[Xiaoxue]

Much thanks to Sweetie, Dragronlady, Luckiest1 and Francis71 for the detailed reviews.

[shopper]

do we know why shizuka didn't skate?

[Dragonlady]

Lots of skaters withdraw from summer comps, or only skate one phase of the competition.

[TRAxel]

I would like to thank everyone for thier reviews also :)

[shopper]

supposedly this year skaters had to do both parts of the competition. couldn't just do one...

[number1_elvis_fan]

Thanks everyone for the reviews. It is good to see Jen landing 4 triples as well as Lauren this early in the season. Maybe if she skates like she did at worlds, she can surprise at Skate Canada. I'm hoping she gets at least a medal at four continents this season. If she gets the triple-triple, and from what it sounds like her speed has improved, she may just challenge. Good for Lesley Hawker to land a triple lutz. as well as a few other triples, she could be the surprise of this years Canadians. Here's hoping Jeff Buttle can get that quad and triple axel and challenge as well. It looks alright for Canada.

Kyle