There's a little bit of a word association game for you! So, it's the week of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. This year it's even more special because it is the final determining factor in the selections for the Olympic team. All of America's best are in Spokane this week hoping to have that magical moment that will give them the chance of a lifetime to represent the US and compete in Vancouver in just about a month.
The competition gets underway tomorrow, but practices are in full swing and, thanks to the awesome NBC affiliate in Spokane, they are being streamed live on the internet for crazies like me to watch, analyze, and blog about!
Well, the pairs are up first. Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker are the well-knowns in the first group. And I would define their practice as Efficient. It wasn't spectacular. It was far from perfect. They ran through their long program, barely. The placed a lot of elements and that was about it. The his a 3-2 combo, Rockne missed the 2a, Keauna landed it. She fell on the last throw (literally about 8 seconds before the end of the program). She also had a really strange trip just skating backwards. What made it a good practice, though, was that as soon as they were finished with their run through, they went back to every element that needed work and simply did it correctly then moved on. The did clean side-by-side 2 axels, 2 beautiful, crisp, clean throw 3 salchows, much improved side-by-side spins, and several GORGEOUS lifts. Seriously, I could watch this team do these lifts all day. There's just no doubt, no hesitation, and the positions they incorporate are unique and beautiful.
Also in the first group were the teams of Dobb/Jacobsen and Castelli/Shnapir. Each had some interesting elements, but they don't have the polish or the sure-footedness of the top teams.
Already I've noticed, though, that I miss the days of a classic death spiral. Everyone now tries to have something special, some new "feature" to rack up the points but these new fangled leg positions and all are just not as aesthetically pleasing. Same with sit spins, laybacks, and even spirals. Alas, these are the days of the Code of Points; gone are the days of simple, classic positions and moves.
Group B next.
Tiffany Vise and Don Baldwin are in this group. Turns out, they not only have great chemistry ON the ice, but off it as well. They're one of those real-life couples here. Don's brother, John, is engaged to his partner Rena Inoue (who are competing in Spokane as well). Must run in the family.
Anyway, they looked pretty good. They're one of the rare couples that skate in opposite directions, meaning he rotates one way in jumps, and she rotates the other way. It's like the difference in being right handed and left handed. Olympic champ Kristi Yamaguchi skated opposite her partner in her pairs skating days with Rudy Galindo. Makes for some interesting shapes and lines throughout their programs. Tiffany and Don hit a nice double twist, clean side-by-side 3-toes, and a nice throw 3 salchow. They also had some really interesting lift positions. Overall, a nice short program for them. I'll be interested to see how it translates to the competition and matches up against the top pairs.
I lost the online stream for a while, and when it came back there was a live news team there who did reports every 5 minutes or so. It's interesting, being someone who feels pretty knowledgeable about the sport of figure skating who also happens to be in the communications industry to watch someone nearly crash and burn because they know nothing about what they're trying to say. It was rough, but it is nice to see figure skating getting such a generous amount of air time on local stations in Spokane.
The actual time spent on watching the skaters for the next hour was minimal, so I didn't really see much. Brooke Castille and Ben Okolski were in group D and I just love what they do on the ice. They're not the most consistent, but when they're on, it's something special to watch. I feel the same way about Keauna and Rockne. These two couples just have *it.* Whatever *it* is, they've got it.
Brooke and Ben landed a nice throw 3 salchow, Brooke had a VERY deep knee bend at the end, but it was complete and clean. I also noticed that their side-by-side spins were in great unison and they were lovely to watch.
The live reports are over and the team cleared out, but apparently forgot to set the live feed back up. I've got sound but no picture. This should be interesting.
Now for some impressions from the men.
Evan was in the first group. There's no denying he's the favorite. Hopefully that pressure doesn't get to him, though he's handled it pretty well thus far this season. He started things off with a few warm up jumps. Then hit the run through of his long program all guns blazing, pulling out a quad toe at the top of the program. Nice to see that element back in his skating. He's probably the most complete skater the US has to offer, but without the quad he may be leaving some points on the table internationally. If he can incorporate it, he should have every bit as good a chance at Olympic gold as the Evgeni's and the Nobonari's of the world. And boy is he skating like a champion. What a difference from even a year ago.
Jeremy Abbott had a rough go of it today. He tried the quad several times and finally landed one. But he fell twice in his short program run through. He stayed on the ice until the crew came out for resurfacing and he seemed to have sorted things out a bit by the end of the session.
Adam Rippon is going to be big. I'm going to say that now and come back to it when he's the champion to beat. The kid has more potential in his little finger than most could ever dream of having. He's smooth, mature, his jumps are solid, his technique is clean. He's got the goods. And he makes it all look effortless and beautiful. He is going places. Mark my words.
Didn't see much of Johnny or Ryan due to some technical difficulties with the live feed, but overall it was a good dose of skating today.
The real test, of course, is how much of what we saw today transfers to the competition ice. That's the test of who is really champion material.
Tomorrow it begins!
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