2018 Nepela Trophy Free Dance

[pearly]

Aside from the fact that I actually do take pills for ADD plus a light antidepressant, for now disrupted sleep cycle+lack of quality sleep+Junhwan's FS music cut being a living terror.

Are you missing sleep to watch skating or for other reasons?

 

[sk8dc]

I liked their lifts a lot - complex but she never hit an awkward or ugly position and had good flow into and out.

 

[Ichatdelune]

Are you missing sleep to watch skating or for other reasons?

Time zones do contribute, but it's more me being a night owl by nature and life not allowing that.

 

[WeakAnkles]

Victoria SINITSINA / Nikita KATSALAPOV
Country: Russia
Music: Bach’s Air; Praeludium and Allegro in the Style of Pugnani, by Kreisler (Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major by Bach)
Choreography by: Alexander Zhulin
Costumes: White satin dress with an absolutely beautiful cut for her, basic black for him

Program Layout:

Twizzles - much more controlled though I suspect he missed a rotation in the third set. Check the videotape please!
St Line Lift
Diag (?) Ste Seq
Stationary Lift
NT Step Seq
Dance Spin
Rotational Lift - a bit curvy this.
Chor Lift
Chor Character Step Seq to that horrible souped up "classic" music thing the Russians always do. This absolutely destroyed the mood for me.
Chor Spin

Well slowing down the tempo has done WONDERS for these two. It's all so much more CONTROLLED and flowing and clear. It's essentially the high Russian style and it suits them, but it IS, let's face it, a throwback.

SCORE: 120.46 and that is MASSIVELY MASSIVELY overscored.

But it does tell you that B/S have a SERIOUS rival on their hands.

 

[WeakAnkles]

I have SUCH a new appreciation for you WeakAnkles for the PBP. I think I'm doing OK, but not as good as you lol.

The RD is easy but the FD is a NIGHTMARE because it's hard to tell a Full lift from a Choreographic one, etc. So if I screw up if its a choreographic lift and not a 'REAL' lift, you know why! LOL! And teams are really muddying the intent of the Choreographic Character Step Sequence by not dancing around an axis, being unclear, etc. And with camera work it's hard to tell if a step sequence is midline or circular or serpentine. I absolutely DEMAND that each dance team email us program layouts before each event. LOL!

But it is fun and let me tell you, you learn BOATLOADS about programs and how they're constructed.

You're a sweetheart for doing the other event.

 

[[email protected]]

But it does tell you that B/S have a SERIOUS rival on their hands.

B/S retired or was it meant to be S/B?

....yes, not massively but overscored. Same as H/D in the US. 195-200 is the area for P/C. These guys do not perform like they are past 180s yet.

 

[Mrs. P]

The RD is easy but the FD is a NIGHTMARE because it's hard to tell a Full lift from a Choreographic one, etc. So if I screw up if its a choreographic lift and not a 'REAL' lift, you know why! LOL! And teams are really muddying the intent of the Choreographic Character Step Sequence by not dancing around an axis, being unclear, etc. And with camera work it's hard to tell if a step sequence is midline or circular or serpentine. I absolutely DEMAND that each dance team email us program layouts before each event. LOL!

But it is fun and let me tell you, you learn BOATLOADS about programs and how they're constructed.

You're a sweetheart for doing the other event.

I think for the GPs, there are element sheets, so we'll have those!

 

[LadyB]

dorispulaski, remember our conversation yesterday? Now they actually played Volare during intermission!

 

[WeakAnkles]

Time zones do contribute, but it's more me being a night owl by nature and life not allowing that.

I have the exact same problem and it is a beyutch when you start REALLY waking up at 11 pm. So I tell people, yes I'm a morning person -- a 3 in the morning person, thank you very much!

topic:

 

[WeakAnkles]

B/S retired or was it meant to be S/B?

Listen, I'm trying to write down elements on paper then type them up here all in the space on a few minutes, so please forgive any typos. I'm only human!



Uhm, yes it should be Stepanova and Bukin {aka S/B}. My bad!

ETA: And yes, I agree H/D were massively overscored too. And don't talk to me about the Italian judge at Lombardia handing out 5s to Guignard and Fabri like it's Free Gift Day. 5s! In the first competition of the year. You're not fooling anyone Judgy.

 

[lauravvv]

But it does tell you that B/S have a SERIOUS rival on their hands.

Bobrova/Soloviev are not skating this season, as far as I (can) know. They haven't announced anything, but last season they were telling that they were either going to take a year off or retire altogether, or probably Bobrova was going to retire and then Soloviev would perhaps consider skating with another partner. In short, it was all very unclear, but it doesn't seem like they could be competing this season. So it's Stepanova/Bukin who could have a serious rival on their hands if S/K keep skating like this and keep being scored so generously. Or did you actually mean S/B, and simply swapped the first letters of their last names accidentally?

 

[WeakAnkles]

Bobrova/Soloviev are not skating this season, as far as I (can) know. They haven't announced anything, but last season they were telling that they were either going to take a year off or retire altogether, or probably Bobrova was going to retire and then Soloviev would perhaps consider skating with another partner. In short, it was all very unclear, but it doesn't seem like they could be competing this season. So it's Stepanova/Bukin who could have a serious rival on their hands if S/K keep skating like this and keep being scored so generously. Or did you actually mean S/B, and simply swapped the first letters of their last names accidentally?

Yes it was a tpyo!

 

[nocturnalis]

Although S/K looked a mess in practice, I wasn't worried about the performance. Remember, they have had the Test Event, a Russian Cup event, and now this competition in subsequent weeks. I'm surprised they didn't drop out. If I were them, I would so another Senior B so that I can make the Golden Spin as back up if I don't make the GPF.

 

[Ice Dance]

Way to go, Quinn & Lorraine!

Also I really enjoyed Sinitsina & Katsalapov's RD in this event. Liked P&M's RD and F&G's FD.

 

[Ice Dance]

Although S/K looked a mess in practice, I wasn't worried about the performance. Remember, they have had the Test Event, a Russian Cup event, and now this competition in subsequent weeks. I'm surprised they didn't drop out. If I were them, I would so another Senior B so that I can make the Golden Spin as back up if I don't make the GPF.

They missed their post season last year and didn't end their season well. They need a strong pre-season to reestablish themselves among the top Russian teams and prior to the GP. Since they weren't seeded, they have to travel away from home for both GPs and will be in relatively deep fields for both (as S&K will make those fields deeper since there will also be seeded teams there). And Skate Canada generally isn't the best place for a top Russian dance team to make their argument so Bratislava first is a wise choice. S&K also lost out on at least a level of funding at home because they didn't complete Russian Nationals last season. And because they had no post season, they are 25th in the World Standings and can use the points. So S&K needed the Challenger event here. Along with the experience & confidence building, it will move them up the World Standings list, improve their start order on the GP, and aid with funding. Not to mention give them a very good argument as at least Russia's number 2 relative to Zagorsky & Guerreiro.

I thought Sinitsina & Katsalapov looked strong & ready here. Prefer the RD (loved the faster part toward the end). But they did their job in the FD, and I'm sure they really needed that confidence boost after the end of last season.

 

[dorispulaski]

Sinitsina and Katsalapov won convincingly here, but a glance at the protocols shows they need to do significant work on their levels.

They both got level 2 on the one foot step, Nikita got level 3 on the twizzles, they got level 2 on the serpentine step, and a level 3 on the rotational lift, for a base level of 42.58. By contrast, McNamara and Carpenter only lost a level on the diagonal step (level 3) for a total base level of 45.33, so it wasn't like this was an impossibly tough tech panel.

In fact, their base value was lower than the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 10th place teams in the FD

Work needed.

And the third place team, Popova and Mozgov of Russia, had the lowest base value of the event.

.