Liberty Open

[mskater13]

Just a question... I received the competition schedule for the novice short program, but I entered the long program too. They wrote on the schedule that if you signed up for more than 1 event you might get another schedule separately. But that was almost a week ago, and I still haven't received the schedule for the long program yet. I might not have gotten in, I guess I'll have to call. did this happen to anyone else?

[Daisy2]

We did not receive a schedule yet. I thought they were to post the schedule on their website on June 13. Do you have a copy of the full schedule that you could let me know when the intermediate ladies events are?

[Sylvia]

Liberty schedule as of June 10th:
http://www.udel.edu/udfsc/2003LibertySchedule.pdf

[land64shark]

I am SOOOO not happy with the Liberty competition! I received a letter today from the LOC telling me that my juvenile skater will not be able to do her intermediate short program. I sent in the entry back on April 20.
The Liberty website had an update on May 7 that said they would no longer be accepting entries for int. shorts from juvenile skaters. I naturally assumed my skater was in. The LOC said I would get a refund for the second event and if I wish to cancel entirely, they will give me a full refund for the juvenile event also. Well that's all well and good, but I don't think the airline is going to very sympathetic for her non-refundable ticket. Why didn't they tell me way back then? I don't want her to go for just the one event. It's a major hassle and expense from Florida.

I also would have re-aranged our family vacation had I known. I'm very unhappy.:evil:


Oh yeah, I haven't received any event schedule yet either.

[Arsenette]

Any ideas if they are going to release a list of competitors?? I know where our skater is going to compete but I don't know who she is competing against. There seem to be 5 Novice Groups.

[Sylvia]

I don't believe the LOC will be posting the groups online (they didn't last year, nor did they post official results), but IF they do, it would be at:
http://www.libertyskating.com

You might have to wait for someone to get a program (comp. starts tonight) who might be willing to type out some of the skaters' names!

[Arsenette]

Oh.. I'll know by the weekend where our skater ended up but not sure what the ordinals are or the judges. Thanks. I have link to the website on our Calendar - just hoping someone was reporting ;)

[Terri C]

If anyone can give a review of the Intermediate Men Short for tommorow night that would be GREAT!!!:D

[sunshine21]

If anyone is going to watch Novice ladies can you try to post results

[haribobo]

I plan on going to Liberty today and will post results tonight from all Intermediate-Junior events (no senior today). I will be watching some of the junior ladies groups, novice men, and junior men, so I can report from those either late tonight or tomorrow morning (depending on computer availability-- my own isn't working at the moment).

I'm also going Thurs-Sat... :)

[kgl2]

Keeping my fingers crossed for Wes Campbell in Jr. Men! Go Wes!

[haribobo]

I'll start with the big news event and add more later...

JUNIOR MEN

Typing up in order of how I would rank them, since I don't have full results...

1. Jason Wong- 3z-2t, 3f, 2ax. Same disco type music with whistles blowing that he had last season. Pretty good spins, overall looked a little cautious but good and solid. It was great to see at this clean and well-skated program on a night when many others were hit or miss. Impressive for this point in the summer!!

2. Wesley Campbell- 3z-3r (fell on loop), 3f, 2ax. Slow romantic type music. Excellent spins, very nice program, strong skating.

3. Craig Ratterree- 3z (turnout) - 2t (turnout), 3f, 2ax. Awesome circular footwork, great spins. Loved the program and attitude/conviction he put into it. I think it was his SP from last season as well. Definitely looked to be right up there challenging for the lead. Great posing/dancing ability.

4. Egor/Igor Matsipura- fall on 3ax, good 3f, great 2ax. Excellent spins and footwork. His skating is of very high quality. Some famous classical music that I couldn't name. I have now seen it spelled Egor and Igor. So anyone know which is right?

5. John Coughlin- 3z-2t, 3f, 2ax. Camel good but slowed down, pretty good footwork. Spanish music.

6. Andrei Griazev- 3ax-3t great!, 2f stepout, 2ax. Lots of great presentation and footwork, skating quality is + EXCEPT he had a really rough time with all of the spins, I think he got deductions on all of them. Made me wonder if he was injured. If his spins were on, he probably would be in first place. I was surprised to see he was as high as third, but I suppose that 3ax-3t gives him a much higher base mark than most of his competitors. He's really a great skater and looks to be senior-level now. Yagudin was there as coach, and Andrei looks to have picked up a lot of the same flair from his mentor. Definitely one to watch...

7. Luis Hernandez- 3r-2t nice, 2ax, popped flip. Nice stroking, great speed and coverage, spins ok. Lovely to watch.

8. Jordan Miller- 3z-2t, 3f (tight), 2ax. Spins need some work. Toc. and Fugue, I think. Much improved over last year overall.

9. Michael Solonoski- 2z-2t, 2f, 2ax. On the Waterfront. I think he was looking for the triples but they ended up as doubles tonight. Nice spins. The program overall is more cohesive and better skated overall this year as compared to last year. His skating seems more developed.

10. Sam Dafoe- 3z stepout-2t, 3f (swingy landing), fall on 2ax. Tango. Great movement and dance ability, awesome camel change camel, other spins pretty good, had a small trip in some footwork which was pretty cool...definitely had an original look with the long hair and black sleeveless shirt-- haven't seen that in competition before so I was wondering if it's legal...didn't look bad though. Cool program.

11. Mark McLeod- 3t-2t, 2f, fall on 2ax. Footwork and spins ok.

12. Steven Pottenger- 3f, fall on 3z, 2ax good. Spins fine. Must be tough to compete pairs and singles (as with Coughlin, Lynch, and Davison).

13. Nathan Evancho- 3f, fall on 3z, 2ax good. Same music as last year-- techno with a HUAH! ;) Nice flying sit, Fell on a camel spin. Overall a fun program but a little shaky.

14. Bryce Davison- 3s-2t fallout, 2ax, 2f. Hotel California. Very slow camel spins, nice footwork. I'd imagine he is stronger overall in pairs, but still enjoyable to watch.

15. Adam Aronowitz- fall on 3z, fall on 3f, 2ax with a foot scrape. Not bad skating, I've definitely seen him better. I think this was a new program, good for him for having the guts to try it when most others were using last year's programs. I think music was Cirque du Soleil. It looks like it will be a pretty cool program later in the season...

16. Michael Peters- fall on 3axel, 2ax fine, pop flip. Spins were great. Music was Gravity of Love by Enigma, I believe.

17. Logan Giuletti-Schmitt- 2ax, 3s (hand down)-2t hop out, 2f. Had a problem on the combination spin, footwork was interesting, good. Overall not bad though.

18. Kevin Curtis- Fall on 3r, 3f foot down, 1ax. Paso Doble. Good spinning and skating as always.

19. Peter Kozodoy- 3t (fallout)-2t, 2f, 1ax. Spins need work, Huge splat on footwork section. Nice flying sit, great timing and expression of the music. Fun to watch.

20. Geoffrey Varner- fall on 3z, 3f good, fall on 2ax. Trip during footwork. Spins need work. Pearl Harbor.

21. Joseph Lynch- fall on 3z, fall on 2ax, 2f stepout. Spins slow, an off night I guess.

22. Andrew Goldman- fall on 3s, fall on 2ax, 2f fallout. Music was Blue Man. Slow spins, slow skating. I've seen him in novice pairs, he is pretty good there.

[Arsenette]

Oh dear haribobo..

Novice Ladies - Group E??

I know what Amanda placed (2nd) but who else was in her flight and how did she do in your eyes?

[haribobo]

NOVICE LADIES Group E Highlights (I missed groups A-D)

In order of skate

Amanda Wiest- 2ax, 2z step 2t, 2f. Bolero. Spirals and spins ok, good choreography and presentation. Enjoyed watching her skate-- seeing as she was one of only 2 skaters in this group to land a clean 2axel and otherwise skate relatively clean, I think her 2nd place was deserved. Parekh, Yee, and Manzuri were right up there too, but were not quite as clean and solid on this night.

Ami Parekh- 2f (floaty!), 3s turn 2t, fall on 2ax. Classical. Excellent spins and great spirals. Very nice to watch.

Jasmine Manzuri- 2ax (slight cheat?), 3s (2foot)-2t, 2f. Flamenco Guitar, Jesse Cook maybe? She was fast! Very good spirals and spins.

K. Fabian- fall on 2ax, 2f, 2z-2t. Cute program, nice moves, pretty good footwork and spins.

Lisa Yee- 3s-2t, fall on 2ax, tough good footwork right into 2f, really appreciated that. Great spins, ok spirals. Found her skating to be honest and of solid, good quality.

M. O'Leary- 2ax (slight underrotation), 3s (slight underrotation, hop)- 2t, 2f. Good spins, spins ok. Nice flow and speed, an exciting quality to her skating.

Nicole Tahtouh- 3s turn 2t, 2ax great, 2f. Swan Lake. Excellent spins, I somehow missed the spirals, not really fast but good otherwise. Clear winner.

The other ladies in this group were either having off/messy nights or not in the same league...

[Arsenette]

:bow: :bow: :bow: :bow: :mrgreen: :halo:

[haribobo]

NOVICE MEN SP FINAL ROUND

Top 3 were awesome!

1. Daniel Raad- great 2ax, 3s-2t fallout, 2f. West Side Story. Gorgeous skating-- he has a big fan in me!

2. Stephen Carriere- awesome 3z but fell got up for 2t, great 2ax, 2f. Excellent spins, wonderfully fun and stylish program to Shaft. Coached by Mark Mitchell.

3. Jeremy Anderson- pulled me out of the doldrums by skating way above the level set by his previous competitors in that first group. 3s-2t, 2ax skid but ok, 2f. Grieg/Hall of Mountain King-- techno version. What a sense of style and fun this guy has too! Awesome footwork which was very hard and absolutely amazing to watch. Great program. Amazing for someone in the first group to pull first place ordinals, but they were not undeserved.

4. Daniel Eison- 2ax, 3t stepout-2t, 2f. Nice flying camel, good overall.

5. Deavers- 2f, 2ax, fall on 3s. Nice footwork, nice fly sit.

6. Crabb- missed him while going back and forth to junior ladies.

7. Mark Vaillant- missed most of him too. I saw him hit the 2ax though. I think he's given up the Charlie Brown shtick for something more mature. Good job.

8. Specht- 3s barely, no combo, 2ax turnout, 2f.

9. Zinsmeister- 2ax. 3s-1t, 1f. Mistake on flying sit spin, I kinda zoned out during this performance...Music was It Had to Be You, I think.

10. Briccotto- fall on 3sal, 2ax turn, 2f. Nice footwork but tripped, not bad overall. Music Leroy Gunn.

11. Cohen- fall on 2ax, 2z-2r, 2f. All I wrote was "nice!" Music was I/Z's Rach Variations, I believe.

12. Weisberg- fall on 3s, 1ax, 2f Nice flying camel.

JUNIOR LADIES GROUP A

1. Marina Aladjikova- 3t-2t great, 2ax great, 1f. OMG this girl is amazing. Great spins and sprials, awesome flying sit. Her skating just blows me away, in a group with some very strong skaters, she was far and away the class of the field. Excellent presentation.

2. Katie Thordarson- 3t2t great, 2ax, 2f. Music was Close Without Touching, by David Arkenstone. One of my favorite skating pieces...loved the music, loved the program, very much like the skater. Spirals ok and needs more tension and conviction, and needs to hold some moves out longer. But good spins, lovely performance.

3. Kristina Moore- 3z turn 2t, 3f stepout, 2ax foot down. Secret Garden or something? AKA generic pretty music- ugh! Excellent spins, good job. She is looking very strong this season so far.

4. Michelle Cantu- 3z-2t, 3f (2ft.), 2ax fall. Pretty strong- senior quality.

5. Jamie Troutman- 2z-2t, 2ax, 2f. Scary music. OK spins, good spirals.

6. Jenny Erica 2.5s-2t, 2ax, 2f. Tango. Decent skate.

7. Haley Ellis- 2ax (hand down), 3r (stepout)-2t, 3t. Exquisite choreo, I think I wrote this for her?

8. Ashton Blust- 2ax (2ft) to 2f, fall on 3s. Pretty good spins and spirals

9. Nicole Champion- fall on 3r, fall on 2ax, 2f ok. Very cool footwork section to music.

10. Sarah Farley- pop sal, 2f, fall on axel, or popped it? Good energy and spunk as always but this really wasn't her night.

To tired to go below this...

JUNIOR LADIES GROUP B

Only really saw Meissner and Choi-Smith.

Kimberly Meissner- 3z-2t, 2f, 2ax. Great spins and spirals, good footwork. I shall call her The Professional! She always goes out and gets that job done. One of the most consistent and impressive skaters I have seen. When she takes the ice everyone shuts up and watches. She looks like she could have a great future in this sport, and is already having a great "current and past." Music was percussive middle eastern, or something like that. Looking forward to her free skate.

Erika Choi-Smith- 2ax, pop lutz- 1t, 2f. She seemed to be sick and must have been tired from her NAC event last week. I think she hit her 3z in warmup, I wasn't looking but there was a big roar when she jumped...

I missed Group C entirely-- sorry all! :p

[land64shark]

Junior ladies group C short was on Tuesday. Anyone know anything?

[Terri C]

Anybody know anything about the Intermediate Men's Short???

[Sylvia]

Originally posted by Terri C
Anybody know anything about the Intermediate Men's Short???

INTERMEDIATE MEN SP FINAL (top 6 only)
1. Zachary DeWulf
2. Adam Rippon
3. Nicolas Albizo
4. Alexander Zahradnicek
5. Kevin Sun
6. Paul Tran

[Schmeck]

haribobo, thanks for taking the time to post your reviews!

I haven't seen Haley Ellis skate for a few years, since she was an intermediate, but I loved her presentation/style back then. Her father was very sweet - he cheered just as loudly for Sarah Farley that day as for his own daughter :D

Schmeck

[Erin F]

Thanks so much for your review haribobo!

Originally posted by haribobo
JUNIOR LADIES GROUP A

1. Marina Aladjikova- 3t-2t great, 2ax great, 1f. OMG this girl is amazing. Great spins and sprials, awesome flying sit. Her skating just blows me away, in a group with some very strong skaters, she was far and away the class of the field. Excellent presentation.

I've never seen Marina skate singles, but she competed Jr Pairs at 2001 Canadians and she was the best thing about that event--awesome presentation, very musical, and just had star quality written all over her. She hasn't had all that much success with her singles lately, I think partly due to injury (at one point she quit completely), so it's nice to see her doing well. I wonder about the possibility of her doing pairs again, though...how does she look for size? When I last saw her she was tiny, but a lot can change between 12 and 15.

[tulip]

Originally posted by Erin F


I've never seen Marina skate singles, but she competed Jr Pairs at 2001 Canadians and she was the best thing about that event--awesome presentation, very musical, and just had star quality written all over her.

ITA Erin! I am glad to hear she's looking good!

[haribobo]

Whoops I kind of overslept today and am not even sure if I have a ride back if I do go....don't wait up for my reports tonight-- I don't think I'll make it there today. But a few others are there so maybe they'll post some info.

[Debbie S]

Thanks for the reports, everyone. My rink is about 40 minutes from The Pond/Liberty, and we had a skater at the 5:30 FS session yesterday who's competing in the Int. Ladies SP and Juvenile LP (she had made the final round for the Int SP). I don't know her name, just that she's from North Carolina and has blond hair that she had in a ponytail. She was practicing a 2 lutz-2 toe-2 loop combo that looked awesome. Her stroking was beautiful, too.

I'll probably head up to Liberty on Saturday after show rehearsal at my rink. What is the food situation like there? In other words, is there a snack bar/food stand that sells reasonably edible food, or are there places nearby, or should I bring some of my own? Also, what's the parking situation like? I assume, b/c it's a big rink, that there are plenty of spaces on the lot, right?

Hey haribobo, hopefully we'll run into each other Saturday (I'm 5'0" and have shoulder-length brown hair). Who else from here is going? I imagine our leader (Adrian) will be there, Louis probably too.

[Terri C]

Debbie,
The skater you described could be McKenzie Jackson, but don't hold me to it!

[haribobo]

FOOD: There is a snack bar that is usually being attended to. All I had from there was a hot dog and chips, that was good. They also sell hamburgers and chicken tenders and french fries, and soft pretzels, and muffins. It looks pretty good to me. :)

Parking-- yep there is quite a sizable lot. I'd imagine you'll be able to find somewhere to keep your car without too many problems.

Yeah, I believe Louis and probably Adrian will show up there on Saturday. Just look for the dorks taking notes-- that's us! :) I am 6' and have brown hair. Come introduce yourself to us-- we are easy to spot cause we generally travel in packs and take notes, and we don't bite! ;) Hope to see you there.

[adrianchew]

Not Saturday, I'll be there by Friday evening. :P

[Arsenette]

Hey.. did anyone go tonight? Oh well ;)

Hey Adrian.. when you go tomorrow can you let me know what the results to the Novice Short Final Round was?

I'm following and posting here on our website (http://www.prfsf.org/Calendar.htm). :mrgreen:

[Trillian]

Originally posted by haribobo
we are easy to spot cause we generally travel in packs and take notes, and we don't bite! ;)

Now, see, if you did bite, you'd be even easier to spot. ;)

Thanks for the reports, everyone. One of these days, I AM going to make it to this event...

[haribobo]

Ann posted all the results on Skatefans. Go here:

http://www.frogsonice.com/gateway/skatefans/maillist.html

LOL Trillian, thanks for the laugh! :)

[Skatewind]

Originally posted by haribobo
Come introduce yourself to us-- we are easy to spot cause we generally travel in packs and take notes, and we don't bite! ;)
The sheep in wolves clothing, instead of vice versa. :P

Thanks for the links to the results. Would love to hear about pairs if anyone can post info.

[snowflake]

i saw some of junior pairs and all of senior (4 teams in each event)

junior pairs
1st: shantel jordan and jeremy barret (southwest fsc)
enormous throw 3sal that had enough room for a quad! side by side jumps (forgot which ones) were nice. very nice program, nice lifts!

2nd: jessica dube and partner (canada)
didnt really see them, arrived at the end of their program

3rd: andrea varraux and david pelletier (udel)
nice presentation however elements werent complete. pop on throw 3sal and mistakes on side by side jumps. (sorry that i cant remember it all)

4th: ??? didnt even see this team

senior pairs
1st: laura handy and jeremy allen
very nice program...clean! nice throw 3sal and side by side jumps! smooth transitions and lifts as well as difficult "dismounts" from lifts. very polished skate

2nd: amanda ?? and mark ladwig (southwest fsc)
nice program.. dont remember too much tho. im sure it was clean. spins were a little off, but recovered well. nice team as well

3rd: jackie jimenez and miguel allegre (southwest fsc)
another nice program. landed throw 3sal, he doubled his side by side 3sal and she landed her 3sal. good chemistry for a brand new team! cant wait to see how theyll improve for regionals

4th: emma phibbs and devin patrick (virginia?)
many mistakes in this program. started out nicely, she had problems with side by side 3 toe, landed throw 3sal tho. almost fell out of lift. side by side spins were rough as well as the pair spin. almost had a cardiac arrest 3 times.

sorry i wasnt too much in detail...i didnt expect to be posting this so i didnt pay too much attention. hope this helps

[Debbie S]

Thanks haribobo! I'll look for you. Adrian, looking forward to seeing you again, and since you'll be there tonight, I'll expect a full report on Michael Weiss's SP. :)

And if anyone is bored on Saturday morning, you can travel down I-95 to Ice World in Abingdon, MD and watch me rehearse a group number to "Colors of the Wind" while trying to get the hang of waving a ribbon stick. :) And hopefully by tomorrow, my bruises from literally falling on my face at my lesson Wednesday will have faded somewhat.

LOL, Trillian!

[Skatewind]

Originally posted by snowflake
almost had a cardiac arrest 3 times.
Yikes! Good luck to them in the LP.

Thanks for the updates everyone.

[alexaandra]

Did Michelle Cantu really land a clean triple lutz, that's great!! It was time here in Mexico we had a decent skater, and she also works very hard!I'm so happy for her.

[Louis]

Senior Ladies Short Program

1. Tiffany St. Bernard/Charter Oak Flamenco music
2axel, 3lutz/2toe, 3toe(hand down). Typical Galina
Zmievskaya choreography with lots of shaking and toe
steps. Short on the back half of the combo spin.

2. Megan Stewart/SCNY Out of Africa
3loop/2toe, 3flip(fall), 2axel(hung on). I think I might
have actually placed this performance first because the
overall quality of skating was markedly better. Lovely
choreography. Aside from the fall on the flip, the only
deduction I saw was for being short of revolution on
the layback.

3. Cynthia Phaneuf/Canada The Promise
3toe/3toe(fall), 3flip(underrotated, fall), 2axel. She
did an RBI spiral that made my heart stop; I'm not sure
I've ever seen one on a deeper edge. Both the combo
and the flip were clean in warmup.

4. Darya Zuravicky/SCNY Gypsy folk
3flutz(fall), 3flip but a looong pause between the steps
and the jumps, 2axel(hung on). Very very fast circular
footwork. Explosive power and height in all of the jumps.
Impressive relation to the music, audience, & judges.

5. Stacey Pensgen/Genesee Yanni
2lutz(step out)/2toe, 3toe from steps, 2axel. All other
elements fine but not remarkable.

6. Lisa Horstman/Du Page Ottmar Liebert
fall on 3loop, gargantuan 3toe(a little forward), 2axel,
good spins and step sequences.

7. Andrea Varraux/UDel Shrek
2axel, 3salchow/2toe, popped loop from steps, bobble on the
flying camel, and some travel on the flying camel. Pleasant
performance quality.

8. Alexandra Tregre/Atlanta Paint it Black
3toe landed almost in a lunge but kept the free foot off,
2loop(foot down)/2toe (Was aiming for a triple), 2axel landed
almost in a lunge and with a quick turn forward. Other elements
well done.

9. Jane Bugaeva/SC of NC Tango
2axel, 3flutz(fall), 3flip(fall). I have to rave about the
construction of this program, which features a full-length
straight-line footwork sequence into the 3flip and a serpentine
footwork sequence with all sorts of tricky rotating lunge moves.
This is a piece of choreography that would be challenging for
even the world's best skaters. Jumps were fine in warmup.

10. Krissa Miller/SC of Lake Placid Born on the Fourth of July
2axel, 3lutz(step out)/toe axel, popped loop. Every time I see
her skate, I am impressed with the amount of improvement she has
made in areas that are VERY hard to improve. (I.e., basic stroking,
carriage, jump technique)

11. Mariam Mohajer-Rahbar/All Year Strictly Ballroom
3lutz(two-footed and step out)/2loop, 3flip(landed forward after 2.5
revolutions), 2axel.

12. Susannah Hall/Lilac City Bolero
3salchow(fall), 2axel, 2flip

13. Chloe Katz/SC of NY Close Without Touching
soaring 2axel, 2toe (pop with awkward landing so no combo),
popped salchow landed on two foot. Beautiful choreography.
Beautiful connecting moves. Beautiful skating. Her spiral
sequence covered double the amount of ice in half the time it
took most of the other ladies to complete that element.
Definitely one of the brighest female pairs prospects (she also
skates novice pairs) I've seen in quite some time. She has the
basic skating ability and enough jumping ability to go very far
in pairs.

14. Holly Bugbee/Charter Oak something from Cinema Serenade
3toe(landed forward after 2.5 revolutions), 3flip(landed forward
after 2.5 revolutions)/2toe, 2axel(hand and foot down)

15. Kristin Tudisco/SC Boston Eclipse by Cirque du Soleil
2axel, 3toe(fall), 3salchow/2toe. The axel and salchow were both
clean but landed with a wide free leg and possible underrotation.

16. Jennifer Park/Washington FSC bizarre version of Firebird
3salchow(fall), popped loop, 2axel(fall)

17. Alibel Alegre/Southwest Florida Cirque du Soleil?
3loop/2toe, 2salchow, waxel. Wide free leg on the loop; perhaps
two-footed?

18. Laura Wetzel/Penguin generic pretty music
3salchow(1/4 turn cheat)/2toe, 2axel(half turn cheat), 2loop(step out)

19. Lauren Thomas/Johnstown Finale from Moulin Rouge
3toe(landed forward after 2.5 revolutions), 3loop(landed forward after 2.5
revolutions; no combo), 2axel.

20. Melissa Glasscock/Washington FSC
21. Megan McNeil/Suncoast
22. Nicole Scrima/UDel
23. Kristin Shearer/SC of Mt. Lebanon
24. Lisa Plumeri/Twin Ponds


Senior Men's SP

Michael Weiss skated a separate exhibition earlier in the day when I was
still at work. Music was Henry V, and jumps were 4toe(two-footed)/2toe,
2axel, and 3lutz(two-footed) according to what I was told by a friend.
Apparently he had only been working on this program for four or five weeks.

Had it been a competition, Derrick Delmore likely would have at least
challenged Weiss with 3axel, 3flip/2toe, and 3lutz. I inadvertantly missed
half of Delmore's program (that has been my luck lately), but the half I saw
was very strong. Music is "Fever."

Justin Dillon was second. 2axel, popped flutz, 3loop not directly from
steps. Great program to Warsaw Concerto.

Matt Lind took third with last year's program to Michael W. Smith's
"Prayer for Taylor." Popped axel, 3lutz/2toe, 3flip(two-foot and step out).
Beautiful sit spins, contrary to the myth that tall skaters cannot do sit
spins.

Mauro Bruni was fourth with a flamenco program. 3flutz(step out)/2toe,
3flip(fall), 1axel.

Richard Reyor rounded out the field. 3flip(fall), 2salchow, 1axel.

A lot of the guys scratched, but I'm told that Johnny Weir will skate the
long program tomorrow. He practiced after the men were finished and looked
good with several triple-triple combos but no quad attemps that I saw. (I
didn't stay for the whole practice.)

I also caught bits and pieces of the Junior Ladies Group C Qualifying.
Kimberly Meissner landed four (lutz, loop, and two salchows) of her
planned six triples in a very impressive performance. Julian Burns did
a 3loop/2toe combo and a couple of triple toes.

That's all for tonight. Will try to make it for the second half of novice
ladies onward tomorrow.

[mikey]

Very happy to hear that Justin Dillon is still skating...

[Louis]

Novice Ladies Final Round Free Skate

I arrived in time for the second half of the novice ladies
free skate competition, and I ended up seeing the top
seven by luck of the draw.

1. Christine Zukowski/UDel Korobushko
3salchow, 3lutz(!), 2axel, 3toe, 2loop, 3toe/2toe,
3salchow/2toe. FIVE triple jumps, including a lutz.
In novice!

2. Julia Cannarozzo/SCOB Jalousie/Carmen
2axel, 3salchow/2toe, 2flip/2toe, 3loop, 2lutz,
3salchow, 2axel in sequence with a 2flip. Another
clean program, and it's only July! Gorgeous
presentation -- gets my vote for most improved
skater of the competition.

3. Danielle Shepard Gypsy Rhapsody
3loop(two-footed, underrotated), 3toe(two-footed),
2axel/2toe, one-foot axel turn 3toe/2toe, 2axel,
2salchow(foot down), 2lutz. Very speedy.

4. Nicole Tahtouh/UDel Capriccio Espagnol
2axel(hoppy), 3loop(step out), 3salchow, 2lutz,
2flip/2toe, 3salchow(no combo), 2flip(foot down),
2axel(hung on).

5. Kristin Zinsmeister/PSC&HS Rach 2, Mvt 3
3loop(underrotated, two-footed, both hands down),
3salchow(wrapped), 2axel(wrapped), 2flip,
2flip/2loop, 2lutz/2loop/2loop.

6. Jenna Syken/Ice Works Prince of Egypt
2axel/2toe, 1toe, 2loop, 2axel(hung on),
3salchow/1toe, 2lutz, 2flip.

7. Melanie Drogseth/SCOB Afternoon of a Faun
3salchow/2toe, big 2lutz, popped toe loop, 2loop,
1axel, two walleys into a popped salchow,
2flip/2toe(hopped out). Beautiful layback.

I didn't see the rest of the novice ladies; sorry!



Junior Men's Final Round Free Skate

1. Wesley Campbell/Nashville On the Waterfront
3loop, 2axel/2toe, walley-reverse walley-3lutz,
3salchow, 3axel(fall), 3flip(fall). Beautiful
connecting moves, crisp spin positions, excellent
fluidity.

2. Geoffry Varner/Stockton Turandot
3flip, 3lutz, 3salchow/2toe, 2loop, 3toe(fall),
2axel, 2lutz/2toe(hung on).

3. Egor Matsipura The Bolt
2axel, 3flip(hung on), 3lutz/3toe(underrotated and
two-footed), 1loop, 3lutz(fall), 3salchow,
3toe(hung on), 2axel.

4. Jason Wong/SCOB Spanish medley, including Aranjuez
1flip, 3axel(fall but fully rotated), popped lutz,
3loop, 3lutz(fall), 2toe/2toe, 3salchow(hung on).
I like the program, which is fully of subtle nuances
that are not quite there at the moment but will develop
with time.

5. Jordan Miller/Jackson Hole The Planets
3flutz/2toe, 3flip, 2axel, 3flutz from spirals,
3flip-turnout-2toe, 2loop, 3toe(fall).

6. Luis Hernandez Don Juan de Marco?
3loop(scrapey), 2lutz, nice 3toe, 2flip(quick step forward),
3salchow, 2axel(step out)/2toe. Very fast and fluid.

7. Craig Ratterree/Washington The Professional
3flip, 3lutz(hand down)-turn-2toe, popped loop,
popped salchow, 2axel, 3axel(underrotated, two-footed,
and stepped out but stayed on his feet), 3toe(saved),
popped salchow into 1toe.

8. John Coughlin/Silver Blades medley of movie music
2axel/2toe, 3lutz/2toe, 3loop(underrotated and
two-footed), 3flip(step out and hand down), 3lutz(fall),
3salchow, 3toe, 2axel(step out). I'd have had him higher
since he went for everything and landed three clean
triples and two nice combinations.

9. Steven Pottenger/Dallas Remember the Titans
Opened with a great 2lutz/3toe combo, but it went
downhill from there until the last 2axel.


Senior Ladies Free Skate

1. Cynthia Phaneuf/Canada obscure classical piece that Sylvia knows :)
2axel, 2loop, 3lutz(!), 3toe, 2salchow, 3flip(step out and hand
down), 2lutz, 3toe/2toe. Kind of a hit-and-miss performance
jump-wise, but lots of highlights between the jumps. Very
musical circular footwork sequence that was applauded by the
audience.

2. Jane Bugaeva/SC of NC Skater's Waltz and similar pieces
2axel, connecting steps to 3lutz(fall),
3flip(foot down)-turn-2toe, 3loop, steps into walley into
3toe, 3salchow(two-footed), split jump into steps into
3toe(fall). This program is *packed* with connecting
steps, including a nifty serpentine footwork sequence,
and I was glad to see that rewarded by the judges. Jumps
were fine on warmup, which featured a successful attempt at
3loop/2loop and an unsuccessful but decent attempt at
3toe/3toe.

3. Tiffany St. Bernard/Charter Oak Masquerade Waltz
2axel, 3lutz(two foot and step out)/2toe, 3toe(step out)/2toe,
2axel, 3salchow, 3toe, 2flip. A good performance technically,
but the lack of interpretation of the waltz rhythm was jarring
at times.

4. Lisa Horstman/Du Page Pearl Harbor
Huge 3toe, 3loop(little touchdown), 2lutz/2toe, 2axel,
3salchow(big smile), 2flip, 3toe(fall), 1axel. A few people
thought she should have place higher, but the amount of
end-to-end skating was bordering on excessive. I love her
power and her big jumps, though.

5. Darya Zuravicky/SC NY Lamento d'Ariane
2loop, 3flutz(step out), 3flip, 3toe(step out)/2toe(foot down),
3salchow, 2axel. Good power but slightly wild.

6. Alexandra Tregre/Atlanta Classical
2axel, 3toe(touchdown), 3loop(fall), 2lutz, 3salchow(save),
2axel-turn-2toe, 2flip, walley-3toe/2toe. Nice presentation,
as always.

7. Holly Bugbee/Charter Oak Miss Saigon
2axel, 3toe(two-footed and underrotated), 2salchow/2toe, 2loop,
tano 2lutz/2loop, 2flip, 2axel in sequence with 2toe.

8. Krissa Miller/SC of Lake Placid Carousel Waltz, I think
2axel, 3lutz(fall), 3loop, 3salchow(step out), 2flip, 2lutz,
2axel.

9. Susannah Hall/Lilac City Swan Lake
2axel, 2salchow, 3loop(fall), 2flip, 2salchow/2toe(fall), 2axel/2toe

10. Mariam Mohajer-Rahbar/All Year Batman (and Apollo 13?)
3lutz(fall), 3loop(landed forward after 2.5 revolutions),
2axel/2loop/2loop, 1flip, 1lutz, 2toe, 2salchow

11. Jennifer Park/SC of No. VA Chaplin
Opened with a gorgeous 3loop but popped or missed everything else

12. Kristin Tudisco/SCOB piano
2axel/2toe, 3flip(two-footed and cheated), 3salchow/2toe,
popped toe, 2axel, 3salchow(fall), 2lutz. Underrotation on
most of the harder jumps.

13. Stacey Pensgen/Genesee vaguely Middle Eastern music
2lutz(step out), 3toe(fall), 2axel(step out), 2salchow,
2flip(held on), 1axel, 2lutz, 2toe.

14. Megan Stewart/SC NY Warsaw Concerto
3loop(fall), 3lutz(fall), popped axel, 3flip(fall), 3salchow,
3loop(stumbled out), 2toe/2toe, 2axel(stepped out). Mental block?
She can land all of these jumps just fine. Overall quality is
among the best in the field, as evidenced by the short program
placement.

15. Laura Wetzel/Penguin Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Harder jumps lacked completed rotation, but very good speed and
nice spins.

16. Nicole Scrima/UDel
17. Alibel Alegre/SW Fla.
18. Megan McNeil/Suncoat
19. Kristin Shearer/UDel


Novice Pairs Free Skate

Vlassov/Meekins Mission Impossible/Pink Panther
3twist(!), Kazakova/Dmitriev air lift into throw 3salchow(foot down),
SBS 2lutzes(he stepped out), SBS 2flips, throw 1axel, SBS axels
into 2toes (he stepped out of both). Fast, explosive pair
elements. Great potential.

Settelin/Goldman UDel
3twist(another one!), SBS 2axels(she two-footed), throw 3salchow(fall),
one-handed lasso lift, throw 2loop, SBS 2flips to 2toes (she stepped out)

Katz/Lynch were uncharacteristically off.


Junior Pairs Free Skate

1. Jordan/Barrett SW Fla. Nutcracker
throw 3loop(two-footed), SBS 3salchows(she fell), 3twist(beautiful), SBS
2axels(hers wrapped) into 2toes, throw 3salchow(just a little scrape of
the free foot), amazing upside down drape lift (that's the best description
I can come up with).

2. Galleher/Coughlin Silver Blades/Colo. movie music
SBS 2axels(she two-footed) into 2toes, throw 3salchow(fall), 3twist(slightly
cheated but a good try), 2flips(she singled), throw 2loop.


Senior Pairs Free Skate

1. Evora/Ladwig SW Fla. Scheherazade
3twist 1/4 turn cheated but with a good catch, throw 3salchow(fall), SBS
3salchows(both had major problems), throw 2loop, SBS 2toes into 2toes.
Nice lifts, including one-hand lasso and no-handed star. Good
"Sale/Pelletier" death spiral.

2. Jiminez/Alegre SW Fla. Reflections of Passion/Standing in Motion
catchless 3twist(not sure if it was intended to be that way or not!),
SBS 3toes(she fell), SBS 2axels(she two-footed),
throw 2salchow(two-footed popped triple attempt), throw 2loop(fall out),
2salchow-half loop-hop-2toe. Not bad at all for a new pair. I'm not
crazy about the physical match, but I can get past it because they're
both such strong technical skaters. They had some interesting moments
in the program like a dance lift in the middle of their circular footwork,
a camel spin move that evolved into a back outside death spiral, and a
forward inside death spiral entered from a forward spiral.

[Louis]

Junior Ladies Final Round Free Skate

1. Kimberly Meissner/UDel Pines of Rome, I think
3flip(fall), 3lutz/2toe, 3salchow, 3loop, 2axel, 3toe, 3salchow/2toe,
2axel. Amazing. Good speed and razor-sharp precision in everything
she does. She could medal on the JGP if she skates like this. Her
technique is as close to textbook as it gets, and there are truly
no technical weaknesses whatsoever in her basic skating. Look out,
world.

2. Kristina Moore/Washington Sleeping Beauty
3flutz(double threes)/2toe, 3flip, 3loop, another 3flutz(!), 3toe,
2salchow/2toe, 2axel(step out). Another five-triple performance.
Wow. Not the same refinement of presentation, but you can't argue
with the triple count.

3. Julian Burns/Capital City classical music
3loop/2toe, 2flip, 2lutz, 3toe/2toe, 2axel(fall), Charlotte to 3salchow
(slightly leaning forward on the landing), 3toe(fall). Beautiful
precision in her skating.

4. Vanessa James/Washington Shine/Libertango/Gypsy Rhapsody
3toe/toe axel, 1salchow/1toe, 3loop(two-footed), 3toe(fall),
3salchow, 2axel, 2lutz, 2flip. Up, down, and occasionally all
over the place, but definitely fun and festive.

5. Jessica Dube/Canada Danse Macabre
2axel, 3salchow(fall out), 2flip(awkward), 3lutz(gorgeous!),
2salchow(awkward), 2toe, 2loop, 2lutz(foot down), waxel. Well,
there was a gorgeous 3lutz but not much else to judge. I assume
most of the doubles were popped triple attempts since they looked
somewhat awkward and open.

6. Marina Aladjikova/Canada Don Quixote
3toe(step out)/2toe, 2axel(fall), 3salchow, 2loop, 1lutz, 2axel(fall out),
1salchow, 2flip. Good job with the music.

7. Leah Agler/SC NY Warsaw Concerto
2axel, "3"lutz(basically one turn on the ice), 3salchow(foot down),
3loop(two-footed and underrotated), 3toe(same problems), 2flip/2toe,
2lutz from steps, walley to 2salchow.

8. Caroline Miller Turandot
3lutz(fall), 2toe, 2axel, 2flip, 2loop, 3salchow(fall), 2lutz

9. Teresa Lin/SC of No. Va Scheherazade
2axel, 2flip, 3loop, 3toe(fall), 3salchow(foot down), 2axel/2toe(swung
around), 1toe, 2lutz.

10. Sandra Rucker/LA Freedom/The Giving/Freedom Battle
2axel, 3lutz(fall out), 3flip(fall), 2lutz/toe axel, 3loop(fall),
3salchow(two-footed and stumbled out)

11. Sarah Farley/NEFSC Rhapsody in Blue
1axel, 3toe(fall), 2flip(hung on), popped salchow, 2loop/2loop, 2flutz,
3toe(cheat and step out)/2toe, 2axel/2toe.

Senior Men's Free Skate

I didn't stay for results but am pretty confident about my rankings, other
than maybe 5 and 6.

1. Johnny Weir/UDel Doctor Zhivago
3axel/3toe, 3salchow, 3axel, 2lutz, 3flip, 3loop. All business. No
emotion, even when the program was over. Exactly what he needed to
show the USFSA, in my opinion. I'm hopeful for an international.
The program and his basic edge quality were gorgeous, and he wasn't
even skating all out.

2. Scott Smith/SCOB some jazzy piece that sounded like Kenny G
3axel(step out), 3toe(saving a place for a quad?), 4salchow(whee!),
3lutz(hung on), 3loop, 3axel(two-footed)/2toe, 3flip

3. Derrick Delmore/Washington James Bond
3flip/2toe, 3salchow/2toe, 1axel, 2lutz, 1axel, hydroblade to 3salchow,
2axel. The choreography is great, but I don't think he had the kind of
training time he needed to pull off both the jumps and the choreography.

4. Justin Dillon Sorcerer's Apprentice (again, not that I'm complaining!)
2axel, 2flutz/2toe, 3salchow(step out), 1flip, 3toe, 2loop,
3flutz(fall out), 3toe/2toe. Many great touches throughout the program.

Mauro Bruni and Matt Lind were five and six in some order. Mauri managed
a 3salchow/2loop combo and Matt managed a clean double axel and a couple
of two-footed triples. It's still early in the season. Richard Reyor
rounded out the field.

That's it for this year's Liberty. Back to the insanity of real work
and my crazy six-week graduate crash course in Finance,

Louis

[Annes]

Thanks so much for the wonderful reports! It sounds like Phaneuf will be a contendor this year (if not on the JGP then the Nationals!). I hope Delmore gets a decent assignment.

[haribobo]

NOVICE LADIES FS FINAL

Very interesting and dramatic competition towards the end...nationals could be amazing, and it's very upsetting to think that at least 2 of these top 6 skaters won't even get to Nationals cause they are all from the east coast. Top 2 skates could have made the podium at Nationals in past years, and 3-6 were very strong for novice level as well.
1. Zukowski- 3s, 3z, 2ax, 3t, 2r, 3t-2t, 3s-2t. Spins ok. Camel had a little problem. Everything else great. Skated to Bond.

2. Cannarozzo- 2ax, 3s-2t, 2z-2t, 3r, 2z, 3s, 2ax, 2f. Nice opening section, good split, regal quality. :)

3. Shepard- 3r (2foot), 3t (foot down), 2ax-2t, inside axel to 3t, 2ax, 2z. Great fly sit, nice Charlotte, Sandhu spin, really great program.

4. Tahtouh- 2ax (stepout), 3r (stepout), 3s, 2z, 2f-2t?, 3s, 2f (stepout), 2ax (slight cheat). Spins ok. Not bad overall-- her performance in the qual round was quite impressive, this one not as much.

5. Zinsmeister- 2.5 loop hand down, 3s (tight), 2ax (tight), 2f, 2f-2r, 1ax, 2f -2r-2r. Abt's Rach music, nice choice. Very nice spin in speed and positions, so strong. Great job.

6. J. Syken- 2ax-2t, 2r, 2ax, 3s-1t, 2z, 2f. Good layback, strong and solid program to Prince of Egypt, nice choice of music. I liked watching this, and I think the performance skated full-out later in the season can be wonderful.

7. Drogseth- 3s-2t, 2z, 2r, 2ax, 2f-2t stumble, a few pops...nice dropped layback. Prelude/Faun was music, again nice. With all the mistakes this was pretty underwhelming, but I can see this being lovely later in the season too.

8. Oberstar- 3t (cheat), 2ax-2t, 2r, 3s (cheat), 2f stepout, 2.0 ax, 2f-2t. Wow with the flexible spins and spirals, some were slow. Tall skater, skated to Vanessa Mae.

9. Oster- fall on 3z, 3t, 2ax (stumble), 2r, fall on 3s, 2ax-2t good, 3s fall, 2f-2t. Layback not held long enough. Little sprite of a skater, skated to Yanni I think.

10. De Rita- 2ax-2t, fall on 2z, 2ax low, 2f-2t fallout, 2r, 2t. Nice spins, scratch traveled at the end.

11. Manzouri- 3 (z, t, or f? nobody was sure), 3s-2t ok, 3r (cheat), 2ax (cheat), 2r, 2z-2r-2r. Interesting footwork, Spins fine. Jumps need some work in getting the technique better and full rotations.

12. Solorio- 2ax-2t, falls on 3s, 3t, and 3r, bad 2z, fine on 2ax and 2f. Really unattractive layback spin, most spins mediocre.

13. Candela- pop axel, 2f good, fall on 3s, 2r, 2z, 2ax stepout, 2t, 2f-2t. Very nice blue dress. Nice usage of arms. Much more exciting to watch compared to last year.

14. Griffin- 2z great, 2t, 2f, fall on 2ax, 2r, 2s, 2z-2t, 2r, 2f. Good positions on spins, nice skating and flow. Skated to A Beautiful Mind.

15. Basile- 2ax (tight), 3t fallout, 2f, 2r-2r ok, 2.0 ax-2t, 2z step 2t, 2s. OK, I must say I was horrified with this performance, because a lot of choreography was just a little too reminiscent of Sasha's free skate THIS PAST SEASON TO THE SAME MUSIC- Rach, that is. The choreo in the final footwork is identical, minus the actual difficulty of the steps that Sasha did. I'd have to give this performance a very low presentation mark because of this, I really hope the judges discussed this with her. Also, spins were poor and slowed down, not a strong performance in it's own right. Ina Bauer was very nice. But in all, this program was a joke to me, and I don't understand this placement either- I was thinking more in the bottom 2.

16. Wagner- 2r, 2z-2r-2t not so good, 2z, 1.5 ax, 2r-2r, 2s stepout, 2z-2t-2t, 2f, 1ax. Poor spins. Unimpressive-- another overmarked skate, IMO.

17. Pflumm- 2ax-2t, 2f-2r, very wonky 2s-2t fall, 1ax, 2r, 2z, 2f. Nice spins and fast.

18. Kinney- 2z, 2ax-2t, fall on 3s, 2f, 2r, fall on 2ax, 2f-2t stepout, 2z?. Addams Family. Nice camel, awesome layback in both speed and posit. Performance was fine but got visibly tired towards the end.

19. Yee- 3s-2t, 2t (stepout), blew axel attempt, 2r, 2z-2t, 2f. Layback unattractive. Overall and slow and uninteresting performance with slow spins and lots of empty spots. I saw her short program and this young lady is capable of some very fine skating. She fell in the warmup and I got the sense she was just trying to make it through...watch out for her later in the season-- she's much better than this performance.

20. Murray- 2r, fall on 2ax, 2f-2t, 2t, 2z-2r, 1ax, 2z. Spins mediocre. Slow and uninteresting program. Solid double jumps besides the axel, though.

[haribobo]

INTERMEDIATE LADIES SP FINAL

1. Vlassov- 2ax-2t, 2f, 1ax big! Fast skating, Layback could be improved in speed and position-- spins and footwork very good. Well deserved win-- impressive.

2. Cammarata- 2f nice, 2ax-2t, 1ax. Good layback, footwork ok. Also quite impressive.

3. Vicari- 2f nice, tano 2flutz?-2t, 1ax. Good footwork, stumble in the end pose which didn't really cost her at all. She struck me as a great skater, and I guess that was enough to put her ahead of the skaters with tight, possibly slightly cheated 2axels.

4. Lecheler- 2f, 2ax-2t (tight), 1ax great. Layback and footwork good. Strong skate.

5. Traunero- 1ax, 2ax-2r? (tight), 2f. Good layback which spun fast, good footwork. Little sprite of a thing. I think right now she just needs to grow a little to have more presence on the ice.

6.Gerevasio- 1ax, 2z-2r, 2f all good. Awesome combo spin, nice layback could be faster, great split, footwork ok. Overall a very strong skate.

7. Rosenthal- 1ax, 2f, fall on 2ax. Footwork good, layback ok.

8. Schrader- 2z-2r, 1ax, 2f. Excellent layback, great split, great expression and footwork and spins.

9. Clifford- 2f, 2z turnout 2r, 1ax. Good footwork, spins pretty good. Skated to Chocolat.

10. R. Tran- 2ax und. and fallout, 2f, 1ax. Cool running entry to camel, catchfoot spin, footwork good.

11. Baxter- 1ax, 2f-2t?, 2f. Layback short of rotation I think, and bad leg position, spin combo could be better, expression good.

12. Matsuoka- 2f, 2z-2t (fall on 2toe), 1ax good. Excellent layback, great spins, nice job.

13. Jackson- 2z-2r, 2f, 1ax. Good layback with catchfoot, footwork could be improved.

14. Stout- 2z-2t, 2f?, 1ax. Layback has bad back position, combo spin ok. I like the way she moves on the ice.

15. Lee- 2.0 ax stumble, 2f, 1ax. Layback bad leg position, nice expression in footwork.

16. Oskvarek- 1.5z came out on 2feet, 2f, 1ax. Great combo spin, layback ok, nice and perky performance to jazz.

17. Lawver- 2.0 ax (stepout), 1ax, 2f ok. Mistake on spin, I think. Footwork meager. Combo spin pretty good. Skated to Can Can.

18. Doan- 1ax stepout, 2z-2r hop, 2f, awesome layback, footwork and combo spin great, bummer about the jumps cause it was great otherwise.

19. Hyatt- 1ax fall, 2z-2t fall on 2t, 2f fine. Very nice layback, combo spin good, footwork ok.

20. Franczak- 2z (2foot), 2f, 1ax. Mistake on layback had to do it again, problem on combo spin, footwork good.

21. Sudhisasanakul- blew 2ax attempt, 2t-2t?, 1ax stumble. Spin ok.

[Debbie S]

Thanks Louis and haribobo for the reports and results. I figured Kimmie Meissner won her event - besides the jumps, she was quite ahead of the others in basic skating and presentation. I'm curious as to the final results from Juvenile Ladies. I didn't get to see them, but according to Sandra's report on SkateFans, McKenzie Jackson (who practiced at my rink this week) did well.

It was great to meet and see everyone from the board who was there. Good luck in Finance, Louis. I'll know the feeling in a couple of months. :)

Hopefully, I'll be able to make it to regionals, although it looks like I'll miss Derrick Delmore as he's doing Finlandia and will probably get a bye.

This was my first year going to Liberty and I enjoyed it. It was quite a change of pace from Nats and Worlds - cool to see competitors in the stands and walking around before and after their events. After she competed, Leah Agler and her mother/coach came and sat in the row in front of me and cheered on her competitors.

Several skaters that I know are competing next week in Wilmington - not sure after yesterday's marathon that I want to travel that distance again, but I'll probably go. After all, it's skating!

Btw, one of the people I was with, an adult male skater who is president of the skating club at my rink, looked across the aisle at the 'Net crew and asked me what was with all these people taking notes. I explained the concept of Internet boards and report postings to him. I also helped him out in identifying jumps (he's only been skating for a year and he's doing dance). He started calling me "Debbie Button"! :)

[Trillian]

Originally posted by haribobo
7. Drogseth- 3s-2t, 2z, 2r, 2ax, 2f-2t stumble, a few pops...nice dropped layback. Prelude/Faun was music, again nice. With all the mistakes this was pretty underwhelming, but I can see this being lovely later in the season too.

Drogseth was kind of iffy in the summer results last season too, mostly because she was still struggling to get a consistent double axel and triple sal, but she really came through when the time came for regionals and junior nationals. I'm hoping we can expect the same thing this season, because I've always found her basic skating to be miles ahead of other skaters at her level and I'd love to see her continue to succeed. I know Easterns is going to be brutal in novice again this year, so I guess we'll see.

I'm quite interested in seeing how the season turns out for Alex Vlassov--right now it's looking like he's got strong national medal contenders in novice (Danielle Shepard), intermediate (his daughter Julia), and juvenile (Lauren Girard) ladies, plus novice pairs (Vlassov & Meekins). Makes me think we might have another "developmental coach of the year" in New England before long.

Thanks everyone for the reports, and hope you all had fun at the event! :)

[Arsenette]

I saw results to Novice Ladies Freeskate Finals.. How about Novice Freeskate A-E from Friday?

[adrianchew]

Vlassov's daughter is an interesting observation - she could easily skate a level up in both her disciplines, but isn't doing so.

Think I'll post some random thoughts about Liberty off my head since others have posted elements...

Men's competition was quite a treat, full house Sat night too. Johnny Weir is looking really strong, no quads yet from what I saw, but all his triples look solid enough and he's got flair for the music that Timothy Goebel will never get in a lifetime.

Derrick Delmore's program was really fun, even if his jumps left him for the night. Really clever chereograpy, interesting positions in spins including inverted camels. I really enjoyed this program, even more so than Johnny's I'd say.

Scott Smith pulled off the quad sal, but he needs works on the other aspects of his artistry, which he's got time yet to develop.

It seems the US men are seperated into two camps - those who have the artistry, and those who have the quads - and none that can combine both like Yagudin/Plushenko have done.

For pairs, Jiminez/Alegre seems to be an interesting pairing. Its still early for this pairing - they show really great unison on SBS spins, but she seems the weaker of the two on the jumps. Jordan/Barrett is still a matchup that I find hard to give full credit to some of their elements - the size differential is really an unfair advantage, and I worry they're pushing too much with some of the elements - she's still really tiny, and those throw triple jumps they attempt just don't have any ease at all and not very good success ratios to them.

Think I'll save ladies for another time.

[NickB]

Originally posted by haribobo

12. Matsuoka- 2f, 2z-2t (fall on 2toe), 1ax good. Excellent layback, great spins, nice job.


Aww darn! I saw her in March at the Green Mountain Open (a much smaller competition hosted by the Vermont Skating Club), and absolutely loved her! Before seeing her I had no idea an intermediate skater could be so good -- she certainly turned me on to lower levels of skating. But I can't believe she made the exact same mistake in the short here as she did there (falling on the 2nd jump). I thought it was just a fluke. Haha, I made myself paranoid by thinking she probably fell because she saw me sitting by myself taking notes and I made her nervous. ;) Of course the judges are doing the same thing and what they think actually counts, so I suppose that doesn't make total sense...:P

[Sylvia]

Originally posted by Arsenette
I saw results to Novice Ladies Freeskate Finals.. How about Novice Freeskate A-E from Friday?

I have a few notes from Group E :) and all the results/placements for A-E and will post them as soon as I can (if not tonight, then sometime on Monday).

[Sylvia]

Originally posted by Annes
It sounds like Phaneuf will be a contendor this year (if not on the JGP then the Nationals!). I hope Delmore gets a decent assignment.

FYI, Delmore already had an international before he competed at Liberty -- Finlandia Trophy in October.

Originally posted by Louis
1. Cynthia Phaneuf/Canada obscure classical piece that Sylvia knows :)

I tracked Phaneuf's FS music down after her JGP in Montreal last September :) -- it's called "Quelques Jeux Interdites" (Francois Dompierre) performed by the Canadian group, Angele Dubeau & La Pieta. Phaneuf's coach, Annie Barabe, says that she is keeping both of last seasons' programs this year and upgrading the technical content (jumps). Phaneuf swept all 9 first place ordinals in the free skate on Saturday, making her the second non-U.S. lady to win the Liberty Senior Ladies FS for the second year in a row ;) (Daria Timoshenko won last year).

[Arsenette]

Originally posted by Sylvia
I have a few notes from Group E :) and all the results/placements for A-E and will post them as soon as I can (if not tonight, then sometime on Monday).

:bow: :bow: :bow:

[land64shark]

Originally posted by Trillian


I'm quite interested in seeing how the season turns out for Alex Vlassov-

Makes me think we might have another "developmental coach of the year" in New England before long.



I find this prospect quite troubling. Obviously Alex Vlassov can teach. But what message would the USFSA be sending if they applaud the way he holds his skaters down in levels that they don't belong? Julia is obviously WAY above her competition level(s) and I now wonder if it's the same with Lauren Girard.

I thought it was a terrible message that the USFSA sent when they featured Julia on their website (not that featuring Julia was wrong) and included a section about how awesome it was that she completed a clean triple toe in her warm up for juvenile and her comments that she "just wanted the judges to know what she was capable of". So this kind of thing apparently received the USFSA's blessing. How many triples do you think we'll be seeing in juvenile warm ups at regionals this year?

I find the whole thing to be unethical. Why bother to even have the different levels at all?

[Mayra]

I'm having a strong sense of deja vu Re: Vlassov and the now infamous 3toe in warm up. ;)

Muchas Gracias to everyone for all the great reports. 8-)

Out of curiousity, what is the age disparity between Jordan/Barrett?

[haribobo]

Shantel is almost 11 and Jeremy is 19.

[Arsenette]

Originally posted by Sylvia
I have a few notes from Group E :) and all the results/placements for A-E and will post them as soon as I can (if not tonight, then sometime on Monday).

Where is the beg icon ;)

Nevermind - I saw your post in Unseen skaters Board (http://www.unseenskaters.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=988&sid=4208f930791d6efdf1b619eebf235bd0)

[Sylvia]

Arsenette, I've posted all the Liberty results I managed to compile while I was there at:
http://www.unseenskaters.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=988
I'll try and write up my few notes on Novice FS Group E when I can.

I'm still missing results from -- can anybody help?:
Juvenile Girls FS (Saturday evening)
Novice Men FS Groups A & B (Thursday night)

If anyone has corrections and/or additions to the results, please let me know, thanks.

[Debbie S]

Thanks, Sylvia! :bow:

[blondeangl]

Originally posted by haribobo
Shantel is almost 11 and Jeremy is 19. wow they are 8 years apart? Can someone post a picture ive never seen them skate...

[Sylvia]

http://www.usfsa.org/events_results/results/200203/nacs-dieppe/pics1.htm

Scroll down to the Novice Pairs podium shot at the bottom -- Shantel Jordan & Jeremy Barrett won the silver at the NACS in Dieppe and are on the right (wearing red).

[WeBeEducated]

re: Shantel and Jeremy
It takes great control to land the throws she lands, execute the jumps and pair spins. She has enormous talent.
Jeremy isnt real tall and she comes to his shoulders...typical height difference in pairs, regardless of age.

[haribobo]

Yes....and I think they BOTH have enormous talent. They are probably the most fantastic junior pair I have ever seen. They have senior content in their free skate this year (sbs 3s and 2ax, throw 3's, and triple twist) which they seem to be getting consistent with. Best of luck to them and it's a shame they can't do the JGP because they could do awesome on it. Their Nutcracker FS just amazing.