2018 U.S. Int'l FS Classic Highlights: Your thoughts?

[ElSoteroLoco]

As much as I respect Satoko, and when I watch her, I like her spirit and craft but I just can’t ever remember anything about her programs. I certainly would never speak bad about her, because of all things, she’s consistent and professional.

I watched Brezinas performance and i thought his lungs were about to damn near collapse at the end of his program.

This competition was Vincent’s to win. But it didn’t happen and I’d give him a pass as he’s recovering from back injury and I know he will do better in later season.

 

[Tex]

LOVE Ashley and Timothy’s SP and LP this season! They have really put in the work and have grown as a team. Their drive and desire to succeed was very evident with how they fought in the LP.

Their SP seems to be a sequel of sorts to the upbeat portions of their Great Gatsby program. It’s a cute playful program that they both perform flawlessly. One thing that standouts in this program is their footwork sequence. This is definitely one of their strengths like last years SP.

Their arm movements in the LP program are exquisite and so well matched. They really put a lot of effort into this and other little details in this program that other teams neglect. They were definitely my favorite performers at this competition.

 

[composer]

I was a little disappointed at H/D program which seemed really generic. After watching the Parsons’ FD from earlier in the season which really effectively emphasized their similar lines I noticed here that H/D did not match in several places. Could be early season unpolish though. They really came alive towards the end for me when the music picked up tempo and I wish that section was longer.

In men’s I enjoyed Jimmy Ma - both his music and musicality. I hope he has a breakthrough at SkAm similar to how Mariah Bell did a couple years ago.

 

[chameleon]

PAIRS
Honestly it almost seems a little mean to talk about the Pairs, as the altitude clearly took its toll in the free skate. Cain/Le Duc won handily. You can tell they've put a lot of work into their pair elements, you can see improvements in the twist although there is still work to do. Their SP is great fun and really suits them, although I couldn't help but be grateful that this time they had the fun, high energy program as their short due to the altitude woes. Its A very dancey kind of program, almost makes you forget that they're pairs skaters until its time for the elements. The W./E. FS is very lovely and shows a different side of their skating. They were visibly fighting through it but I think it'll be a good vehicle from them later, emotional and elegant. Lu/Mitrofanov acquitted themselves well in the short. L/M are just up from juniors and you can see the rougher edges, but they have great promise, showing their potential in their strong elements in their SP. I don't know I have much to say about their free, even their usually strong SBS jumps weren't there. Alexandrovskaya/Windsor have a similar story- strong short, disaster free. I do think I really like their programs and packaging this year, especially the SP which we saw in better shape, although I wish they were using the original INXS version. Shout out to Deardorff/Settlage for making strides as a new team!

LADIES
While one always has to hold their breath for Satoko's rotations, she was as lovely and refined as ever. Her movements are always so precise and placed and her spins some of the best in the world. Her tango free is a nice change for her, and her short has the softer elegance she's known for. Satoko was also kind enough to get the mistake out of the way in her free skate early and fight for the rest of of instead of unravelling in the final minute like many of her fellow competitors. Eunsoo Lim has matured greatly in her move up to seniors, her power is great, and her charisma infectious. Her programs are a nice contrast for each other, and she is clearly having a blast in her Chicago FS, although one wonders that Raf isn't sick of it by now. I hope this is enough to get her another GP event! Yelim Kim rounded out the podium with two solid performances. There's something really fresh about her that I like, I'm glad she had a good competition here. Shout out to Yi Christy Leung, who has the coolest free skate of any lady I've seen this far. She keeps coming fourth and I hope she starts medaling soon.

MEN
Really glad to see Nam back on comeback trail after a rough couple years post growth spurt. He's more charming than ever in programs that really show off his personality. Brezina is still with us and as fun as ever. I'm happy he had a decent set of skates, considering. Jimmy Ma's SP was one of my favorite across the entire event, so fun and so him. I'm thrilled he got the host spot at Skate America and I hope he skates well there too! Vincent was one of the few skaters here to have a better short than free, but he fought hard to pull up in the standings after a rough SP. Both programs seem to suit him well and are great vehicles for his strengths as a skater and I look forward to stronger performances later in the season. His chronic underrotation issue is starting to get a little worrying, and I hope his back injury is healed.

DANCE
Hubbell/Donohue won as easily as expected, but I confess I'm a little unsure about their programs this year. Their tango RD I think just needs more mileage to get the steady smolder they're going for, and the twizzles are fabulous. I'm not sure I entirely get their Romeo and Juliet free dance. The early modern dance section is interesting and works the best, but the voiceovers are a little distracting. The "Kissing You" section dragged on a little for me, and I would like to see it balanced out a little more. Both programs seemed to fade a little at the end, but that might be the altitude affecting their performance in less dramatic ways than the other disciplines. Carreira/Ponomarenko made a very solid senior debut here. I'm uncertain about Anthony's facial hair gimmick, but they have strong vehicles to carry them through their first senior season. I especially liked their tango, but their free dance was very nice as well and suits them. Komatsubara/Koleto picked up their second challenger medal of the season with another set of good performances. Their free dance is especially good for them, particularly the lighter middle section with a lovely choreographic step sequence. They have a light, sweet connection that really enhances the performance. Shout out to Manta/Johnson for a great recovery after the unfortunate fall at the beginning of their tango romantica pattern, its extraordinarily difficult to just get right back in it and get any points. The rest of the program was very enjoyable, and their free dance is ridiculously fun. Can't wait to see them make their GP debut at Skate America!

 

[FanFan3256]

Love these programs!! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6uDrkm-D1g,
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fMSDXZUh5Fs, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c6mge7uZbLo, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XUzchzkitdQ,https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wfr4GAOjRdU, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kVOYLDQUGX4, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ozvBoRMV3F4
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lS_7zmqrrgo,
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ttRe08giXQs&t=60shttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NWRL2Xo_mbw&t=181s

 

[SnowWhite]

DANCE
Hubbell/Donohue won as easily as expected, but I confess I'm a little unsure about their programs this year. Their tango RD I think just needs more mileage to get the steady smolder they're going for, and the twizzles are fabulous. I'm not sure I entirely get their Romeo and Juliet free dance. The early modern dance section is interesting and works the best, but the voiceovers are a little distracting. The "Kissing You" section dragged on a little for me, and I would like to see it balanced out a little more. Both programs seemed to fade a little at the end, but that might be the altitude affecting their performance in less dramatic ways than the other disciplines. Carreira/Ponomarenko made a very solid senior debut here. I'm uncertain about Anthony's facial hair gimmick, but they have strong vehicles to carry them through their first senior season. I especially liked their tango, but their free dance was very nice as well and suits them. Komatsubara/Koleto picked up their second challenger medal of the season with another set of good performances. Their free dance is especially good for them, particularly the lighter middle section with a lovely choreographic step sequence. They have a light, sweet connection that really enhances the performance. Shout out to Manta/Johnson for a great recovery after the unfortunate fall at the beginning of their tango romantica pattern, its extraordinarily difficult to just get right back in it and get any points. The rest of the program was very enjoyable, and their free dance is ridiculously fun. Can't wait to see them make their GP debut at Skate America!

I had to rewatch their RD, because the first time all I could focus on was the facial hair :noshake: Seriously, I tried to focus on the program and it just threw me off so much that I couldn't

 

[skylark]

PAIRS - Ashley Cain and Timothy Leduc, what a Pair. I think they have that It Factor that elevates figure skating above doing the elements and measuring skating skills. What stands out to me about them are their beautiful lines and their command of performing, with charisma and personality. Even so, what elevates their pairs skating is their mutual commitment to making their movements harmonious, parallel, and in unison. They pay attention to angles, they align their limbs, and they move together with grace and energy. Their arms are so expressive. Ashley's facial expressions are the icing on the cake!

I really like the way Audrey and Misha skate with such beautiful posture and precision in their elements, but for me, the emotion and the expression are not there, and therefore it's a little ho=hum, even before the end of the short program. I feel the same way about Ekaterina and Harley. They're such a beautiful pair and have great potential, but the intention needs to be more from the inside out to maximize what they have.

DANCE - Christina Carriera and Anthony Ponomarenko have such an entrancing quality, which I think is created by their passion to skate. They're equal partners and are so well matched. I've been watching them with great interest and joy for several years now ... and I don't normally watch juniors. I like the gimmick of Anthony's facial hair for the RD, then shaving it for the FD. They both move their bodies with innate musical expressiveness. They did not disappoint, and I'm so glad they're finally competing as seniors.

Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue were a surprise to me ... chiefly because I'd read others' negative opinions of their free dance. But I loved it already. It's very unfinished at this point and I feel confident they'll be filling it in and developing the movements as time goes on. But what's striking is that there's such confidence in their skating. Maybe it's their edge quality that gives them such effortless speed. I did notice that in the first half of the FD, Zach was not quite up to Madi's sharp, decisive quality. But in the second half, he stepped up. It's not so much what Madison and Zach do, but how they do it, the quality of everything they do. Of course, all this is lifted several notches by their passion and their chemistry together.

MEN - The most interesting comparison to me is between Vincent Zhou and Nam Nguyen. Nam has regained control of his arms and legs after his growth spurts of the past few years, but more importantly, he's retained every bit of his charm. He loves to perform, and it shows that he wants to share his love with the audience. What a confidence booster this gold medal will be, and what a good start to this season.

Vincent has had similar challenges with growth spurts. What I love about Vincent is the sort of over-the-top from-the-heart quality that he oozes in every moment of his programs. He's all about the emotion of the music. I also find his jumps pretty thrilling to watch, fast and spinning. I especially admire his Rippon triple lutz. His talent really shows, when he can pull himself up from a disaster of a short program to win the long, by nearly ten points!

LADIES - Satoko and Eunsoo are a most interesting contrast. Satoko's artistry is partly perfectionist, and owes a lot to that quality. Her artistry is also more internal. Eunsoo's artistry is more about engagement, reaching out to pull the audience in to her performance. Eunsoo's facial expressions are very charming ...except that she lets go of them when she needs to concentrate on the next jump. That will get better with time, I hope. She was a real surprise to me in this competition, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her.

 

[skateluvr]

Satoko is exquisite. Highlight for me. Love Eunsoo Lim but Roxy hart requires Mariah Bell charm and outgoing performance. And I hope Hubell and Donahue get more respect. She will be more slender but one need not be sticklike to have good lines. I think she has a mature shape and that doesn’t take her elegance away.

 

[friedbanana]

In terms of FD, I've seen better from H/D. R&J seems like a bad move so far but hope my opinion changes.

Also good for Nam! Glad to see him doing well. He's had it rough the past couple of seasons. And Eunsoo and Satoko were delightful.

 

[princessalica]

I really enjoyed Ashley and Tim's performances. They really are working to get better.

Courtney Hicks, even with not having the best time I really felt like she did have moments when things felt like they had more flow. I'm not sure what it is about her, but many times there is an awkward stiffness in her skating, but there were some moments when that awkwardness disappeared and I really enjoyed her skating. She's one that I really want to like, but there were moments when I really did feel like she has improved.

in ID, H/D - I was trying to find the story within the dance, and the only moment I got it was when they died. Sometimes you get the story they are telling and sometimes you don't.

 

[gsk8]

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