2018 Lombardia Trophy Highlights: Your thoughts?

[gsk8]

Hi Folks!

Check out some of our photos from Lombardia!

Now that the competition is over, what were your favorite highlights of the event? Feel free to talk about costumes, elements, scores, etc. Everything goes!

We are also looking for those who have a bit of writing skillz! We'd love to see a paragraph of each discipline highlighting the top three along with your thoughts. The staff will be watching and someone may win a free season pass to the competition forums if you haven't already got one Get those creative and technical juices flowing and show us your journalistic abilities! One-liners are welcome, just keep out the snark

A big congrats to the winners below who gave great recaps on previous events and earned a free season pass!

IceBallerina JGP Linz *
Fluture JGP Linz *
MalAssada JGP Kaunas

* Two were selected from Linz as there were no winners from JGP Bratislava

 

[sweetice]

I have see little about pairs and dance, and i wasn't that enthusiast from the ones i want to see.

My ladies's highlight was the confidence of Tuktamysheva, more than the programs. We knew about that from her social activity, but her skating and jumps really make think that this can be a good season for her, both at GPs and nationals.
The choices of music of both free programs of Samodurova and Yamashita aren't of my taste. I was displeased for what happen to Sakamoto on the combo of the short, i hope to see her better on the GP.

The men competition was more interesting, overall. Shoma's short was impressive and the one of Rizzo is both beautiful and nationalistic. Aliev's style of skating is still my favorite, between them, but he really need to get some consistency. Lazukin did also good, it's surely trying to make up its limits with more consistency. Tomono did some mistakes, but right now it's still the one i hope to see take the third japanese spot at Saitama.
The free seemed really tiring for everyone. Who knows if it's the time limitation, those 30 seconds in less, or just the physical condition.

 

[Tolstoj]

A little rant against Rizzo's FP program.

Last year The Beatles FP was a nice novelty (plus he came almost out of nowhere so it was basically his debut). This season Rolling Stones, i'm sorry but it is starting to feel a bit like skating karaoke, a little gimmicky.

Franca Bianconi has arguagbly the best young talents from Italy in Mens and Ladies figure skating right now, she needs to step up her game and work on actually competitive programs: i think he can handle more important classical pieces, and i know Massimo Scali worked on his programs so i'm sure they can pull off something waay better than that.

The surprise here was Andrei Lazukin, he has improved on pretty much everything: the SP was really nice, the free was a little messy but he fought for everything (previous seasons it would have been a splatfest). His skating skills were already pretty good, but this time i can see the commitment to the performance, spins and jumps (the air position in the quad toe is textbook Mishin) looked more solid and also both programs are nice. Plus he's in good shape considering he had already skated clean few days before at the Test Skates. I've to say all Mishin skaters look ready for the season.

Dmitri Aliev -> besides the fake running at the beginning and the end of the program, his free is actually nice, another proof that Averbukh is a good choreographer and maybe Eteri was the one pushing too much for the gimmicks.

Shoma Uno -> the SP was very impressive, the free a splatfest (and i thought the choreography also looked a little bland)

 

[sweetice]

Last year The Beatles FP was a nice novelty (plus he came almost out of nowhere so it was basically his debut). This season Rolling Stones, i'm sorry but it is starting to feel a bit like skating karaoke, a little gimmicky.

Severe but fair.

 

[Alex D]

I think its really nice that people can earn a free pass, if you do this for each event, i might enter later this year, once my situation has improved.

 

[anonymoose_au]

Liza winning the the Ladies was a crowning moment of awesome! I thoroughly enjoyed both her programs!

Go Empress!

 

[bennorii]

I found this moment kinda heartwarming. During the ladies' victory ceremony, Sofia almost trips on the way to the podium, but is able to regain balance by holding onto Liza's legs (sounds weird I know, but watch for yourself!). They exchange a hug, and Liza helps her onto the podium.

 

[ElSoteroLoco]

Severe but fair.

i thought the same exact thing!

 

[Lester]

I haven't seen Liza's FP yet but the SP blew me away. I even liked the "costume" (is it temporary?). She looked amazing.

 

[halulupu]

For me, clearly Liza was the highlight of this event. She absolutely delivered. Very nice programmes, sp and fp both suits her very well. It seems like she never enjoyed skating more than now. She is skating confident and with implacable technique. Some people might say that she should add another triple in her fs, otherwise the 3a is not worth the risk and mishin is not doing the math correctly. I completely disagree. All she needs to do now is winning and showing the rest of the world, especially the Russian world that she is here to stay. Strategically this layout is absolutely brilliant because she is winning without showing everything she has. Regardless what the other do she can at every moment go for the next level.
Imagine how hard this must have been after the last disappointing seasons and the enormous depth in the russian ladies field. She showed real strength, endurance and patient. A real athlete and fighter.

I must say I expected more from kaori. That sp was a mess. She fought back in the fs. I am not sure if the direction she is going with the fs - ethereal and flying style - is right for her. She is a powerhouse with beautiful jumps. Why not showing that? For me her ethereal arm movement are not coming very natural, they seem very much trained that way. Still I am not too much concerned, its still very early in the season, its a long flight from japan to bergamo and she showed character in the fs after the disastrous sp. Go girl!

Last one I choose to discuss is sofia. She did a great job, 2nd in her first senior competition - well done I would say. She is rather untypical for a mishin protege. While she has a nice technique her jump height is a bit underwhelming. On the other side she is showing some serious interpretation skills (lets say not mishins strength). She clearly is a nice sight on the ice. I don't think she is a real contender for the Russian 3rd European and world spot at this point though. But she is still developing, seems in a transition phase at the moment and I am pretty sure there is much more to come from her the next competitions and seasons. Lets give her some time.

[sorry for my spelling errors]

 

[Baron Vladimir]

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva was an obvious highlight of the ladies competition. She landed that 3A and proved why she is our queen of the lutz, while spicing up her performances with some of her recognazible body movements, flirting face and charisma. Also proving why some of TSL comments are just a bad taste. Welcome back Liza! Papa Mishin can be proud not just for her, but for Samodurova too. While grabing the silver she demonstrated big personality skating to Nyah and Cher. Yamashita beating Sakamoto for bronze is a good achievement also. What else stood out for me are Viveca Lindfors SP (welcome back Finland too!) and Ivet Toth's choreo movements. Very enjoyable! Mens SP competition went very well where Shoma was on top on his game. Lazukin should be mentionned for skating clean with quads, but i personally liked Aliev smooth body movements and Phillip Warren's hair. I would like to have that. And speaking about the hair style here comes the new queen of it - Natalia Zabiiako. She looked just beautifull serving us that synchronized sword fighting along with her partner and stylish long programs dress later. It was a good senior debut for Boikova/Kozlovski who won the silver while Della Monica/Guarise certanly pleased the home public grabing the bronze. But I think the Spainish pair could be very happy with their skating. What also pleased the public (and Italian FS union) is definitely Guignard/Fabri score. Some big numbers there! Very good performances by Parsons and Hurtado/Khaliavin and im expecting those programmes to grow during the season. I sadly didnt watch all the performances, it was a busy weekend Now re-looking at the scores, the most interesting fact for me is lying behind mens long programes scores. Its just weird to see PCS being generally higher than TES. And that only in men, while in other categories distance beetwen TES and PCS became even bigger, in favour of TES. I guess after removing one of the jump pass, some other things in the scoring system should be revisited too.

 

[4everchan]

what i mostly remembered : sleeping through it... even when I woke up to watch it... i fell asleep on the couch.

 

[Marius]

Lombardia Trophy has been, instead, a great event, IMO.
I loved the Ladies Competition. Maybe is because I have a soft spot for Liza in my heart since her victories throughout the 2014/2015 season, but I enjoyed very much the competition. The SP was really a surprise. Sakamoto was on fire in practice but completely failed in competition. I have to say the this SP has grown on me, but I still think it is not a great style on her; she isn't as polished as a Satoko or a Carolina, and I find her much more impressive on upbeat musics, or more light pieces (like Amélie). The second part of her Moonlight Sonata SP, last year, impressed me so much for the speed, the great jumps, the spins, her energy going together with the great 3rd Movement of the Sonata. This SP is still a little bit flat for me, most of all because it requires a softness and a musicality that Kaori still doesn't have (but she is growing on this). That said, technically it really was a disaster, no clean triples, no combination, spins all over the place. The PCS were definitely too high for what she delivered on the ice. Yamashita...sigh. Her SP music is difficult to listen. Really.. it completely took my attention and I didn't find a way to concentrate on her performance. She is very fast on the ice too but in her I don't see a WOW factor that will make her stand out among the Japanese girls. Her 3 Lz is impressive though, that must be said. Sofia's SP is.. I don't know. Maybe not my cup of tea. She is a performer and the mistake on the Axel was a shame. Liza's SP is good. Not great, choreographically is not that impressive, but she performs very well on this kind of music. Very energetic Step Sequence, even good GOEs on the spins (good for her!). Shame about the fall on the combination, but the 3Lz was huge as usual. Viveca Lindfors was 3rd after the short with a clean SP, she is not my type of skater, and for sure is not at the level of potential of all the above mentioned ladies, but that SP was clean and with great technical content.
In the free, Sakamoto was much more convincing. Though the program is still not great for her, IMO, she did very well. The program is full of interesting transitions and choreographic moments and here I could see how much she is working on feeling the music. The jumps were there, her 2A-3T-2T is still very impressive, one thing that is ridiculously wrong for me is that her 3 Flutz got the same GOEs as Liza's 3 Lutzes. She is definitely going into the jump with an inside edge and the judges should not ignore it. Other than that, I was impressed by her speed on the ice. Mako, I don't want to be harsh on her, but this FS wasn't great last year and isn't great this year. She did two 3Lz-3T and while I find the height and length on her jumps very impressive, I wasn't as impressed by the overall looking of her 3-3s. Average spins, not that great neither in the step sequence nor in transitions.. I don't know. Sofia was very energetic in her FS. Very good interpretation and performance level throughout the skate, good spins, but she is not as fast as the Japanese ladies on the ice and her jumps are very tiny and this is what let her down. She is consistent enough usually but has not the qualities that make her stand out. She is far more in trouble in Russia than Yamashita is in Japan. And I'm a little bit sad because I like her joy and energy on the ice! Liza's FS was not great choreographically. I have to say that I din't like the program per se, is usual Liza, all jumps and then great energy in the Choreo Sequence. But I am really happy to see her consistent and confident once again. Hopefully her layout will change with a 3-3 and a 3F over the course of the season. She was overscored in the PCS department, for me, but deserved her victory. That 3 Axel is so close to be landed once again and I'm rooting for her!
The Men competition also was great for me. Particularly in the SP. Shoma's SP is fantastic. Great costume, great choreography, energy, it's a style that suits him very much. Great spins (is it me or those were even better than in the recent past?), gorgeous step sequence, too high GOEs on the jumps. For me this SP is already one that stand out but he needs to work on the interpretation (he is really good in body movements but I'd like to see more connection to the music in the facial expression). Lazukin was also great: he is very polished, soft knees, great jumps (that 4T was huge) and lovely musicality. Aliev did better than I expected after the Test Skates, where he was a complete disaster. The 4S was really solid in this competition, gorgeous arm movements and amazing interpretation and musicality. He is an artist on the ice. Than Matteo. What to say? He left me impressed. Great improvements in such a little time! Better steps, better spins, better choreo, better connection to the music, solid on the jumps (gorgeous 3 Axel!). Loved his SP from start to finish. Also loved Kazuki's SP, the choreography is amazing and he feels the music. Shame about the mistakes but I hope he will grow with it. So soft and beautiful, great, bravo!
Tomono's FS is a worse fit, at least for me. I don't know, I just found it a little bit flat to be a Riverdance program. Maybe it is for the mistakes, maybe it is just some fire missing in the choreography and in the interpretation, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the SP. He is really solid on the 3 Axel, and I hope he will be more and more consistent with the quads in time for Nationals. Matteo's FS was a little bit disappointing. Even though I can see his improvements, this program is very similar to last year's Beatles FS. I hoped he could show us something fresh and new also in the FS but this was not the case. Technically, he is trying to improve with a 4T at the start and very difficult elements in the Bonus (3A, 3F-euler-3S, 3Lz). I liked the costume for the FS. Andrei fought throughout his program, but it was a good fight as he was able to nail almost all the planned base value. Quality-wise he needs to work on but still, impressive air position and height on his quads and very good musicality. Dmitri was reaaaaaally good! Gorgeous choreography and interpretation, amazing body movements, nailed all the technical elements (great fight on the first 3Lz combination!). What a shame about the invalid 3Lz-2T, but I wonder how could his coaches think to not let him jump an Axel type jump in the FS. It is a rule that it's there since years! Shame. And an interesting fact: after this week, Alexandra Trusova still has the highest recorded TES for both ladies and men, junior or senior, of 86.26 points. If not for the invalid combination, Aliev would have surpassed that score, but scores are scores and Trusova still reigns Shoma's FS... I don't know. I was expecting much more after the SP, and it was instead a little bit flat. I don't know.. too much crossovers, similar body movements to last year's program.. and also he was behind the music in the final Step Sequence on the 3rd Movement. He needs to work on this FS. I hope to change my opinion next time because I love Shoma and I think this program, skated well, has potential. Some jumps were a little bit awkward on the landings but overall great skating quality as usual. Good start of the season for him!
Pairs was the event I liked the least. Boikova and Kozlovskii have great potential but their programs are still very flat and I wasn't really impressed. They need something that'll make them shine. The good thing is that they are still very young and I think they could be the 2nd Russian Pair going into Beijing 2022 if they continue to improve. Della Monica/Guarise: I liked their programs. Vey energetic. The free has potential but unfortunately this time was a semi-splatfest. I think Tristan and Isolde suits them very much: very rhythmic music that let them take the time to nail the elements. I think that FS has great potential and I hope they will have another great season! Zabiiako and Enbert impressed me. Their style changed so much, and for the better. The SP was very original and the FS was very enjoyable, apart from the big mistakes. I also found Natalija's new hairstyle to be amazing, and the costumes in the FS were fantastic too. They are no more the "boring couple", but this year they could be one of my favorites. Liked them very much and hopefully they'll continue to improve with their materials.
For the Ice Dance. I loved Guignard/Fabbri's FD. It was really beautiful.. romantic, fluid, happy, full of interesting transitions and skated with great speed from start to finish. With C/L on their way to retirement, this will definitely be G/F's breakout season and they have found the right program to really leave a good impression. I also liked the Parsons' FD, though I have to say that the last part was the one I liked the most: I found them more enjoyable when they skate to upbeat music, but they are probably aiming to grow with more soft pieces. This is definitely a step in the right direction if they want to improve. Ice Dance in USA is really interesting at the moment: Hubbell/Donohue, Chock/Bates, Hawayek/Baker, the Parsons, McNamara/Carpenter, maybe the Shibutanis returning next year... It will be interesting to see how these teams push each other towards new improvements. Hurtado/Khaliavin... she is a diva. Her look for the RD is mind-blowing, just gorgeous I loved the first part of their FD on "The Great Gig in the Sky". Vey modern and interesting. I was a little bit disappointed about the 2nd part though... too soft and too in contrast with the 1st part. Overall a very good program though! Great improvements for them, and I really like their style.

 

[ladyjane]

Lombardia Trophy has been, instead, a great event, IMO.
I loved the Ladies Competition. Maybe is because I have a soft spot for Liza in my heart since her victories throughout the 2014/2015 season, but I enjoyed very much the competition. The SP was really a surprise. Sakamoto was on fire in practice but completely failed in competition. I have to say the this SP has grown on me, but I still think it is not a great style on her; she isn't as polished as a Satoko or a Carolina, and I find her much more impressive on upbeat musics, or more light pieces (like Amélie). The second part of her Moonlight Sonata SP, last year, impressed me so much for the speed, the great jumps, the spins, her energy going together with the great 3rd Movement of the Sonata. This SP is still a little bit flat for me, most of all because it requires a softness and a musicality that Kaori still doesn't have (but she is growing on this). That said, technically it really was a disaster, no clean triples, no combination, spins all over the place. The PCS were definitely too high for what she delivered on the ice. Yamashita...sigh. Her SP music is difficult to listen. Really.. it completely took my attention and I didn't find a way to concentrate on her performance. She is very fast on the ice too but in her I don't see a WOW factor that will make her stand out among the Japanese girls. Her 3 Lz is impressive though, that must be said. Sofia's SP is.. I don't know. Maybe not my cup of tea. She is a performer and the mistake on the Axel was a shame. Liza's SP is good. Not great, choreographically is not that impressive, but she performs very well on this kind of music. Very energetic Step Sequence, even good GOEs on the spins (good for her!). Shame about the fall on the combination, but the 3Lz was huge as usual. Viveca Lindfors was 3rd after the short with a clean SP, she is not my type of skater, and for sure is not at the level of potential of all the above mentioned ladies, but that SP was clean and with great technical content.
In the free, Sakamoto was much more convincing. Though the program is still not great for her, IMO, she did very well. The program is full of interesting transitions and choreographic moments and here I could see how much she is working on feeling the music. The jumps were there, her 2A-3T-2T is still very impressive, one thing that is ridiculously wrong for me is that her 3 Flutz got the same GOEs as Liza's 3 Lutzes. She is definitely going into the jump with an inside edge and the judges should not ignore it. Other than that, I was impressed by her speed on the ice. Mako, I don't want to be harsh on her, but this FS wasn't great last year and isn't great this year. She did two 3Lz-3T and while I find the height and length on her jumps very impressive, I wasn't as impressed by the overall looking of her 3-3s. Average spins, not that great neither in the step sequence nor in transitions.. I don't know. Sofia was very energetic in her FS. Very good interpretation and performance level throughout the skate, good spins, but she is not as fast as the Japanese ladies on the ice and her jumps are very tiny and this is what let her down. She is consistent enough usually but has not the qualities that make her stand out. She is far more in trouble in Russia than Yamashita is in Japan. And I'm a little bit sad because I like her joy and energy on the ice! Liza's FS was not great choreographically. I have to say that I din't like the program per se, is usual Liza, all jumps and then great energy in the Choreo Sequence. But I am really happy to see her consistent and confident once again. Hopefully her layout will change with a 3-3 and a 3F over the course of the season. She was overscored in the PCS department, for me, but deserved her victory. That 3 Axel is so close to be landed once again and I'm rooting for her!
The Men competition also was great for me. Particularly in the SP. Shoma's SP is fantastic. Great costume, great choreography, energy, it's a style that suits him very much. Great spins (is it me or those were even better than in the recent past?), gorgeous step sequence, too high GOEs on the jumps. For me this SP is already one that stand out but he needs to work on the interpretation (he is really good in body movements but I'd like to see more connection to the music in the facial expression). Lazukin was also great: he is very polished, soft knees, great jumps (that 4T was huge) and lovely musicality. Aliev did better than I expected after the Test Skates, where he was a complete disaster. The 4S was really solid in this competition, gorgeous arm movements and amazing interpretation and musicality. He is an artist on the ice. Than Matteo. What to say? He left me impressed. Great improvements in such a little time! Better steps, better spins, better choreo, better connection to the music, solid on the jumps (gorgeous 3 Axel!). Loved his SP from start to finish. Also loved Kazuki's SP, the choreography is amazing and he feels the music. Shame about the mistakes but I hope he will grow with it. So soft and beautiful, great, bravo!
Tomono's FS is a worse fit, at least for me. I don't know, I just found it a little bit flat to be a Riverdance program. Maybe it is for the mistakes, maybe it is just some fire missing in the choreography and in the interpretation, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the SP. He is really solid on the 3 Axel, and I hope he will be more and more consistent with the quads in time for Nationals. Matteo's FS was a little bit disappointing. Even though I can see his improvements, this program is very similar to last year's Beatles FS. I hoped he could show us something fresh and new also in the FS but this was not the case. Technically, he is trying to improve with a 4T at the start and very difficult elements in the Bonus (3A, 3F-euler-3S, 3Lz). I liked the costume for the FS. Andrei fought throughout his program, but it was a good fight as he was able to nail almost all the planned base value. Quality-wise he needs to work on but still, impressive air position and height on his quads and very good musicality. Dmitri was reaaaaaally good! Gorgeous choreography and interpretation, amazing body movements, nailed all the technical elements (great fight on the first 3Lz combination!). What a shame about the invalid 3Lz-2T, but I wonder how could his coaches think to not let him jump an Axel type jump in the FS. It is a rule that it's there since years! Shame. And an interesting fact: after this week, Alexandra Trusova still has the highest recorded TES for both ladies and men, junior or senior, of 86.26 points. If not for the invalid combination, Aliev would have surpassed that score, but scores are scores and Trusova still reigns Shoma's FS... I don't know. I was expecting much more after the SP, and it was instead a little bit flat. I don't know.. too much crossovers, similar body movements to last year's program.. and also he was behind the music in the final Step Sequence on the 3rd Movement. He needs to work on this FS. I hope to change my opinion next time because I love Shoma and I think this program, skated well, has potential. Some jumps were a little bit awkward on the landings but overall great skating quality as usual. Good start of the season for him!
Pairs was the event I liked the least. Boikova and Kozlovskii have great potential but their programs are still very flat and I wasn't really impressed. They need something that'll make them shine. The good thing is that they are still very young and I think they could be the 2nd Russian Pair going into Beijing 2022 if they continue to improve. Della Monica/Guarise: I liked their programs. Vey energetic. The free has potential but unfortunately this time was a semi-splatfest. I think Tristan and Isolde suits them very much: very rhythmic music that let them take the time to nail the elements. I think that FS has great potential and I hope they will have another great season! Zabiiako and Enbert impressed me. Their style changed so much, and for the better. The SP was very original and the FS was very enjoyable, apart from the big mistakes. I also found Natalija's new hairstyle to be amazing, and the costumes in the FS were fantastic too. They are no more the "boring couple", but this year they could be one of my favorites. Liked them very much and hopefully they'll continue to improve with their materials.
For the Ice Dance. I loved Guignard/Fabbri's FD. It was really beautiful.. romantic, fluid, happy, full of interesting transitions and skated with great speed from start to finish. With C/L on their way to retirement, this will definitely be G/F's breakout season and they have found the right program to really leave a good impression. I also liked the Parsons' FD, though I have to say that the last part was the one I liked the most: I found them more enjoyable when they skate to upbeat music, but they are probably aiming to grow with more soft pieces. This is definitely a step in the right direction if they want to improve. Ice Dance in USA is really interesting at the moment: Hubbell/Donohue, Chock/Bates, Hawayek/Baker, the Parsons, McNamara/Carpenter, maybe the Shibutanis returning next year... It will be interesting to see how these teams push each other towards new improvements. Hurtado/Khaliavin... she is a diva. Her look for the RD is mind-blowing, just gorgeous I loved the first part of their FD on "The Great Gig in the Sky". Vey modern and interesting. I was a little bit disappointed about the 2nd part though... too soft and too in contrast with the 1st part. Overall a very good program though! Great improvements for them, and I really like their style.

Nice review, comprehensive too. It's a pity the pairs event (usually my favourite) was a bit of a let down, although I must admit that I enjoyed watching DM/G and Z/E a lot. Starting with the second couple, I really find it amazing how they have managed to lose their blandness (I'm sorry but I thought their programmes last season were ever so boring), and have actually become interesting to watch. It might have been a bit of a splatfest (though some of the elements went well), but it was an enjoyable programme, and those lines are very beautiful. I'm sure they will improve the coming months, and the basics of the programme are just fine. DM/G regrettably made a big mistake on one of the lifts (somehow he couldn't lift her above his head, but whose 'fault' it was exactly is not up to me to judge) but their free programme was very good. Different. Now get rid of those mistakes, and these two will flourish. And the costumes are great. I expecially like his, but they're quite impressive together (No, I don't mind if anyone disagrees on this, but I thought the costume department did a very good job). I also liked it how they reacted towards each other at the end of the programme. Both made (big) mistakes of course, but I didn't see them blaming one another. Good vibes, and of course the season is young. Kudos, and I hope they will improve too the coming months.

In Dance I preferred the Italians - and they won, so I'm not alone on this one - but I am wondering whether there was perhaps a bit too much of the 'knee skating' in that programme? Don't get me wrong, I like this programme a lot. Just not sure whether the judges will continue to support this. I liked the Parsons, but then I usually do. And isn't Sara Hurtado just great? Nice and fierce, excellent expression.

 

[Skater Boy]

I really loved Liza She really is trying hard and good for her. I love her sense of style; not my cup of tea but she is really trying. I like that she is going backto her bread and butter 3A. She also has a realand solid 3lutz.

 

[elektra blue]

what can i say? if anything this was the competition of surprises, the ladies sp at least. who walks in the conclave as a pope walks out as a cardinal, sakamoto was the obvious gold medalist for many of us, but she bombed; on the other hand tuktamisheva, after a couple of bad seasons and the costant rising of new younger talents in her homeland, wasn't expected to be in such a good shape (let's be honest here, she was great and has a gorgeous technique, but it won't be enough once she face the top girls) kudos to her! spiking of her program, i found it empty actually, i hope they add some coreography and she can deliver it. my other ladies highlight is ivett toth, she's a performer with a great style.

about the men, well...i enjoy matteo rizzo all the time, but he's like a dolce & gabbana commercial, if you look for a clichè about italy you can find it there. last year he did "torna a surriento", this year "volare", what will he use next year? "funiculì funiculà"? i'm glad he's adding quads, hopefully he'll manage to land them in the near future. aliev was my favourite man but i'm biased here i just love him, his programs suit him and he looks pretty much into them. i really can't add anything that hasn't already been sayd about shoma uno, he was great in the sp, he really climbed the stairway to heaven


trend allert: odd versions of well known classics (mako yamashita i'm talking about you)

 

[ElSoteroLoco]

what i mostly remembered : sleeping through it... even when I woke up to watch it... i fell asleep on the couch.

Lol! Honestly you say what I be thinking something. I’ve seen your comments in other posts. Lol. One day we should grab a drink. Lol.

 

[gsk8]

We have picked a winner and all the posters received a PM. Thanks again for participating! Get ready for the next one!