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2009 Four Continents Figure Skating ChampionshipsOriginal Dance, the Pairs Long Program, and the Men's Short ProgramFebruary 6, 2009
The 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships continued with the Original Dance, the Pairs Long Program, and the Men's Short Program. Ice Dance (Original Dance)Ice dance was once a waiting game for skaters as they waited their chance to move up the ranks as the teams ahead of them retired from eligible competition. It used to be that at the end of an Olympic cycle, you could count on most of the more experienced teams to move on to other things, with the occasional team sticking around for a chance at a world medal. Under the new judging system, skaters no longer have to wait their turn, and it is providing for some interesting results in a sport that used to be rampant with protocol judging. "I think that it is awesome that teams are being rewarded for technical difficulty as well as the performance aspect at young ages," said Tessa Virtue. "It's great to see the depth in skating and to see so new talent coming along. It's exciting, and it's inspirational for our sport." For example, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada burst onto the world scene just two years ago. In their Worlds debut, they finished in sixth place, and then moved up to second last season. Here at the Four Continents Championships, the duo is still not back to their original form before Virtue's injuries, but they are pushing to win their second straight title.
"It's definitely not the same pain that I felt before the surgery," explained Virtue. "It is sort of the after-affects. I'm putting a lot of pressure in it now, but it's really not that bad." Virtue and Moir skated an up and down Charleston that shows great potential should they be able to make up for lost training time. An energetic lift that the duo has coined the 'Rio Wrap', named for Virtue's favorite sandwich shop, was a highlight of their program. "(Coach Marina Zoueva) wanted me to do something twisty, so we worked it out on the floor, and this is what we have come up with," Virtue explained. Though the Canadian champs lacked unison in some segments of the program, they felt their routine was much improved since nationals a few weeks ago. "We are very, very happy with the performance," Moir said. "We work to improve at each competition, and we are content in know that we have done that here." The team scored 60.90 points in the original dance, and their total score of 97.30 points puts them slightly ahead of their training mates Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White. Davis and White skated a more secure program than the leaders, but the U.S. Champions were unable to match Virtue and Moir in the program components. In fact, the two teams actually tied on the technical elements score. Davis and White could have threatened for the lead, but did not receive a level four on a normally solid element. "It's always great to get the first element out of the way," White said enthusiastically. "And to nail the twizzles like that sets a good tone for the rest of the program." "Technically, the only thing that we are really disappointed in is our spin," confessed Davis. "We only got a level three, but really we are happy with the overall performance." "The callers will typically tell you why you didn't get the levels that you prepared for," White continued. "It's not a little secret. We'll go home and work on it." Skating to a peppy Charleston medley, Davis and White settled for second place in the original dance with 60.42 points, and with less than two points separating the teams, are breathing down the necks of the leaders. In third place, with perhaps the performance of the afternoon, were American upstarts Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates. The 2008 World Junior Champions skated a wildly entertaining swing program that earned the highest technical elements score of the competition. "It's extremely exciting," Samuelson said with a smile. "We used to look up to these skaters, and now we are being competitive with them. It's such a great feeling." The U.S. silver medalists earned the most level fours in the original dance, earning just one level three on their midline steps. "I think that the biggest thing for us to improve upon is to mature," Bates admitted. "This is our first year competing with the big guys and we are a young team. We can do the technical things, but we need to work on the maturity level and the connection between us in order to take things to the next level." Samuelson and Bates scored 59.48 points for their efforts, and have accumulated a total of 90.89 points, moving them ahead of Canada's Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier who were third after the compulsory dance. The Canadian silver medalists also skated well, using ragtime music as the backdrop to their original dance in which Poirier sported a drawn in moustache for some added panache. The Canadian silver medalists also skated well, using ragtime music as the backdrop to their original dance in which Poirier sported a drawn in moustache for some added panache. The home country audience appreciated the young team's enthusiasm, and showered them with applause as they finished the program. "We had lot of fun out there," Poirier said. "We know that that helped the performance, and allowed us to bring out the character of the program to the audience." Crone added, "It was extremely better than what we did at nationals. We have worked hard on the twizzles and expression since then, and I think that we did those things well. So, we are both happy with what we did out there." Crone and Poirier scored 56.36 points in the original dance, and slipped to fourth place overall with a total of 88.79 points. Teammates Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje maintained their fifth place position, as did sixth place finishers Americans Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre. Pairs (Long Program)
In the 11-year history of the Four Continents Championships, China has won 17 of the 33 available medals. The dominance is even more impressive when you consider that skaters representing China have won eight titles in this competition as well. Qing Pang and Jian Tong are carrying on that legacy, winning their fourth title and second in a row over perhaps the toughest field that this event has ever assembled. The gold medalists won big this week, placing first in both segments of the competition, and defeating the silver medalists by more than nine points. "Before we came to this event, we were very excited especially because this is going to be the venue for the 2010 Olympics," Tong explained. "We tried to live up to our own expectations, and we were able to do that." The Chinese Champions opened with a double Axel-double Axel sequence and then set the tone for the rest of the program by nailing their triple toe loops. The team showcased a high flying triple twist lift along with two beautifully executed throw triple jumps - a Salchow and a loop - to win the competition. "Last year there were problems with my jumps," admitted Pang. "I went home and worked on them, and so now I am pleased that my hard work has paid off." Tong added, "We worked on two things with (Pang) last summer. The first thing was to strengthen her leg muscles so that she would jump better, and the second part was to increase her weight so that she could do better on the lift of the jump." Skating to a medley of sassy tango music, Pang and Tong performed with tension and passion from start, and were rewarded with the best component scores of the afternoon. The 2008-09 Grand Prix Final Champions scored 129.34 points in the freeskate, and 194.94 overall, eclipsing their personal best by three points. Finishing in second place in their first trip to the Four Continents Championships were Canadians Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison. The team skated a great program to the music of Carmen, and only had one error on the throw triple Lutz. "We're really happy with the way that it went," Davison said. "We're pretty sure that there were a couple of errors, like hitting the board on the first lift, but other that that, it was a solid program." Like the winners, Dubé and Davison landed a double Axel-double Axel sequence near the start of their program, but instead of toe loops, the duo opted for a nice set of triple Salchows. The Worlds bronze medalists also earned a level four on all of their elements save for the step sequence. The Canadian Champions see this competition as a positive step towards the World Championships next month. "There were some rough spots there," Dubé confessed. "but there is still room for improvement as we head towards Worlds." Dubé and Davison earned 121.26 points in the freeskate, and 185.62 points in total to win the silver medals. Finishing in a disappointing third place were the reigning World silver medalists, Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang of China. Hampered by an injury to Dan Zhang's knee, the duo made two major errors- a singled intended triple Salchow and a bobble on one of their lifts. "We didn't have much opportunity to train together because my partner's knee was feeling worse just a month ago," Hao Zhang explained. "I have been hesitant to train with her, so we are lacking practice." Skating to The Yangtze River, Zhang and Zhang never really looked like themselves, seemingly skating in a fog from start to finish. Still, the 2006 Olympic silver medalists earned 111.78 points in the freeskate, which allowed them to maintain third overall. However, their total score of 174.98 points is far from a personal best. Canadians Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin had a rough outing in the freeskate, placing sixth, but were able to hold on for fourth place on the strength of their short program. The team made errors on their triple Salchows and the throw triple loop in their Tosca program, and were disappointed with their performance. "It felt like more of a fight tonight," admitted Buntin. "We did the best we could. I think that we got most of our levels, but it just wasn't happening tonight." The Canadian silver medalists scored 106.35 points in the freeskate, and 168.43 points overall in their first Four Continents Championships as a team. Moving up from seventh after the short into fifth place overall, were U.S. Champions Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker with an uneven performance marred by mistakes on their solo jumps in the program. "Not our best – but we're saving that for Worlds," said McLaughlin. "We had some mistakes with our jumps, but our goal today was to perform – so, we're satisfied, but not completely." Skating to West Side Story, McLaughlin and Brubaker looked somewhat mechanical on several of their elements, but managed to place fourth in the freeskate despite the errors. The 2007 World Junior Champions earned 109.85 points for their freeskate, giving them a competition total of 164.01 points. "Skating at our first international championships is definitely a different kind of pressure," admitted Brubaker. "But sometimes we put too many expectations on ourselves which is how the somewhat mechanical look comes into play." U.S. silver medalists Caydee Denney (15) and Jeremy Barrett (24) skated a strong program that moved them up to sixth place overall after a dismal short program. In fifth place after the short program, USA's Rena Inoue and John Baldwin plummeted to seventh place overall with a mistake-filled program. Men (Short Program)
Skaters always dream of that one perfect skate when all of your elements are flawless, the crowd is on your side, and oh yeah - you place first in the competition. Canadian Patrick Chan did all that in the Men's Short Program in his home country. The two-time and reigning Canadian champ was clearly the class of the field, landing perhaps the best triple Axel of his young career, along with beautiful spins and textbook perfect step sequences. Chan also landed a great triple flip-triple toe loop combination and a solo triple Lutz in the program. "I didn't feel the greatest as I waited for my turn to skate," admitted Chan. "I didn't feel as confident as I did at Nationals, but after I landed the Axel, I started feeling better." Skating to Tango de los Exilados, Chan's program picked up momentum with each perfected element, until the audience burst out of their seats with 10 seconds still remaining in the program. "I didn't know that the audience was standing so early in my program," Chan later said, "but I could definitely hear them, and it was amazing." "I took full advantage to really play the crowd and to enjoy it," the 18-year0old continued. "I gave myself chills. I know when I have chills at the end of the program, I know it was a good program." Chan not only scored the second highest short program score of the night, but his technical elements score of 50.30 points is the highest total ever recorded. All of Chan's technical elements were given positive grades of execution, rewarding him with 10.70 points more than his base value. The 2008-09 Grand Prix Finalist scored 88.90 points overall, and carries a seven-point lead heading into the freeskate. American bronze medalist Evan Lysacek also had a great program tonight, but Chan was just too good for the two-time Four Continents Champion. "While waiting in the final warm-up group to get on the ice, Patrick was finishing. Seeing Patrick's score come up, and knowing that he had done one of the best short programs ever, was inspiring," Lysacek said appreciatively. Lysacek opened with a fine triple Axel, and then landed a clean triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination in his Bolero program. On his next element, a triple flip, the 23-year-old earned an edge alert from the technical specialist - a problem that has plagued the two-time U.S. Champion. Like Chan, Lysacek also received positive grades of execution on each of his elements, but only earned 4.9 points more than his base value. However, he seemed pleased with his efforts, choosing to see this as an improvement over his most recent competition. "I leaned on my coach as I always do," said Lysacek in reference to his disappointing loss at last month's U.S. Championships. "He always has the right advice for me, and he explained that as an athlete, you have great performances and bad performances." Lysacek added, "This performance is a definite step up from U.S. Nationals, and I am just trying to gain momentum as I look forward to the World Championships in my hometown." In total, Lysacek earned 81.65 points, a slightly higher total than his season's best. Finishing in third place was Japan's Takahiko Kozuka. The two-time and reigning Japanese silver medalist opened with a nice triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination, but struggled on the landing of his triple Axel. "Even when I was at home in Japan practicing, the Axel wasn't in the best form," admitted Kozuka. "But I did practice it a lot, so maybe that is why I was able to get it so close. I just went for it and tried to finish it up." Kozuka's Take Five program was smooth and controlled, but lacked the spark of both Chan and Lysacek. His short program total of 76.61 points is well below his personal best, but he is still in the hunt for a medal. "I didn't have a great warm up," the 19-year-old explained. "I had a little bit of errors. Once I started skating the program, I made one little mistake, but that is good enough for me." The newly-crowned American champion, Jeremy Abbott, had a magical opening to his Adagio program, sailing through his most difficult elements. After landing a textbook triple flip-triple toe loop combination and a credible triple Axel, Abbott fell on his easiest jump, a triple Lutz. "This definitely was not my best," admitted the 2008-09 Grand Prix Final Champion. "Fortunately this is not a one-program competition, and I have lots of opportunities to earn points in the freeskate. I'm kind of killing many birds with one stone here in preparation for future competitions. I am using this competition to put the quad into the freeskate before Worlds, and I am getting to try it in the Olympic venue as well." Later in the program, Abbott also touched his hand down on his circular steps, possibly costing him a level and earning him a negative grade of execution. The 23-year-old relied on his trusty program component scores to keep him within earshot of the podium, scoring a total of 75.67 points. Teammate Brandon Mroz followed up his surprising silver medal winning performance at last month's U.S. Championships with a spectacular display of technical wizardry that is fast bringing attention to the high school student. The U.S. silver medalist skated a clean program, tripling the Axel, a Lutz-toe loop combination, and a flip. Mroz earned the third highest technical elements score of the night, and his total of 75.05 points puts him in fifth place heading into the freeskate. Japanese champion Nobunari Oda had a disappointing program, struggling on the landing of both ends of his triple Lutz-double loop combination. The 21-year-old missed fifth place by .01 of a point, scoring 75.04 points for his efforts. Canada's Vaughn Chipeur sits in seventh place, while China's Jialiang Wu is in eighth. Canada's Jeremy Ten (ninth) and Kazakhstan's Denis Ten (10th) round out the top ten. The event continues with the Free Dance and the Ladies Long Program. |
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Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada maintained their overnight lead after their Charleston routine in the Original Dance.
China's Qing Pang and Jian Tong won the Pairs title after placing first with their tango routine. 
Canada's Patrick Chan, 18, leads the Men's Short Program after his routine to Tango de los Exilados.