HomeSense Skate Canada International continued Saturday in Quebec City, Quebec with the Pairs, Ladies Free Skating and the Original Dance. HomeSense Skate Canada International is the second of six event of the 2007/2008 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The athletes compete for a a global prize money of US $ 180, 000 per individual event of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating and receive points according to their placements. The top six skaters/couples then qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Torino, Italy in December.
Pairs, Free Skating Program
The Pairs opened today’s competition in the Colisee Pepsi. Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy of Germany skated away with the gold medal. Canada’s Jessica Dubé/Bryce Davison earned the silver and the bronze went to Yuko Kawaguchi/Alexander Smirnov (RUS).
Performing to “L’Oiseau” from Cirque du Soleil, Savchenko/Szolkowy produced a throw triple flip, a triple toeloop-double Axel sequence, a triple twist, throw triple Salchow in the last seconds of the program and difficult lifts that were all graded a level four by the Technical Panel. The only major error came on the side by side triple Salchow which Szolkowy singled while she put her hand down. The European Champions earned 119.19 points (61.19 element score/58.00 program component score) which added up to a total of 188.63 points. “We competed at Skate Canada in 2005 and won, and now we won again, so Canada has good ice for us”, Szolkowy joked. “Our program wasn’t clean today, but it was better than in the last competition (the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf end of September). We’re getting better and better. Our goal for the Cup of Russia is as always to skate our best and to win”, he said.
Dubé/Davison’s lyrical program to “The Blower’s Daughter” included a double twist, side by side double Axel sequence, a throw triple Salchow and loop as well as good lifts and a level-four pair combination spin. However, Dubé went down on the side by side triple Salchow. The Canadians scored 111.08 (59.92/52.16), which was a new seasonal best for them. They racked up a total score of 174.20 points and are already qualified for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final after a first an second place in their two events. “Our main goal for the Grand Prix was to get a medal, and now we’re on the way to the Final. We’re really excited about it”, Dubé commented. “It went pretty well. Obviously there were a couple of errors, but we enjoyed every second of it (the performance in front of a home crowd)”, Davison told the press.
Kawaguchi/Smirnov risked the quadruple throw Salchow right out of the gate but she stumbled on it and put her hands down on the ice. The team from St. Petersburg recovered quickly to complete a side by side triple-double toeloop sequence, level-four lifts and a throw triple loop, but their triple twist was flawed and Kawaguchi missed the side by side double Axel. Kawaguchi/Smirnov were awarded 105.19 points (58.11/48.08) for their routine to “Love Story” and remained in third place at 165.19 points. “We tried the quad throw Salchow and I am happy that I didn’t fall on it”, Kawaguchi explained. “I am glad that we put it into our program at an ISU competition. We had a mistake in another place, and I am not pleased about that”, she continued, referring to her fall on the double Axel.
Anabelle Langlois/Cody Hay delivered a solid performance to finish fourth at 156.67 points. They hit a triple-double toeloop combination, triple Salchow as well as a throw triple loop. Langlois only stepped out of the throw triple Lutz. Tiffany Vise/Derek Trent (USA) were fifth. There only mistake came when he two-footed the side by side triple toeloop (147.52 points). Meagan Duhamel/ Craig Buntin (CAN) slipped from fifth to sixth place after he struggled with the solo jumps (144.16 points).
Savchenko/Szolkowy pocketed 15 points and are scheduled to compete next at the Cup of Russia in Moscow where they will meet Kawaguchi/Smirnov again, who got 11 points in Quebec.
Ladies, Free Skating
Mao Asada of Japan rebounded from a sub-par performance in the Short Program to capture the title at Skate Canada. Yukari Nakano, also from Japan, moved up from fourth to earn the silver medal, and the bronze went to Canada’s Joannie Rochette.
Asada, who stood in third place following the Short Program, opened her routine to “Fantaisie Impromptu” by Frederic Chopin with a solid double Axel. She hit a triple flip-triple loop combination (but the second jump was underrotated and downgraded), a triple Lutz, loop, a triple flip-double loop combination and two more double Axels. She also was awarded a level four for three of her four spins and a level three for the straight line footwork, but got only a level one for her spiral sequence. The 17-year-old picked up 119.58 points (61.74 element score/57.84 program component score) and moved up to first at a total of 177.66 points. “Today I was able to perform my program and I felt relieved. Skate Canada was very important to me to get to the Grand Prix Final. I felt the pressure after being third in the short program”, Asada told the press. Asked about not going for the triple Axel today, she answered: “Today it was important to me to skate a clean program. I was afraid to mess up the rest of the program if I try the Axel. I also was confident that I can win without the triple Axel.”
Nakano nailed the first triple Axel in international competition since Skate Canada 2005 (it was rotated there but she stepped out of it) and followed up with a triple flip-double toe, a triple Lutz, Salchow, triple toe-double toe-double toe and a triple Salchow-double toeloop combination. Skating to “Capriccio Espagnol”, the Japanese only doubled her second flip but earned a level four for her two combination spins and the flying sit spin to score 113.49 points (62.53/50.96), improving her previous personal best of 111.14 points. “The pressure to get into the Finale was high”, Nakano said. “I was not happy with my short program, but in the free program I did everything I was able to do at this point. I also see things I can work on.”
Rochette’s dynamic performance to “Don Juan” by Felix Gray featured a triple Lutz-double toeloop combination, a triple flip, loop as well as another triple Lutz and Salchow, but she ran out of steam towards the end, singling the second jump in her planned triple toeloop-triple Salchow sequence and the last double Axel. The Canadian Champion picked up 112.70 points (59.98/52.72) which added up to 168.18 points. She moved up from fifth to claim the bronze medal. “Of course I felt the the pressure more being in Canada”, the 22-year-old admitted. “The home crowd was very loud in the beginning, and I really had to concentrate on my program. I’m doing the Cup of Russia in two weeks and I hope improve my short program there.”
Emily Hughes (USA) dropped from second to fourth. She landed five triple jumps, but doubled her Lutz (162.42 points). Reigning World Junior bronze medalist Ashley Wagner (USA) was ranked fifth in her senior Grand Prix debut. She delivered a solid performance that contained six triples (150.06 points). Overnight leader Laura Lepistö (FIN) plummeted to 7th after some errors.
Asada collected 15 points and is headed for the Trophee Bompard in Paris, France, later this month. Nakano earned 13 points and will compete again at the Cup of Russia. Rochette has 11 points and will also go to Moscow for the Cup of Russia.
Ice Dancing, Original Dance
Today’s competition concluded with the Original Dance. The Original Dance for the 2007/08 season is the Folk/Country Dance.
Canada’s Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir strengthened their lead ahead of Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte (ITA). Pernelle Carron/Mathieu Jost of France moved up one spot to third.
Virtue/Moir put out an excellent dance to the traditional Russian piece “Dark Eyes”, completing intricate yet smooth footwork, a curve and rotational lift and combination spin. They were awarded a level four for all their elements but for the twizzles in the non-touching footwork sequence and received 61.20 points (33.00 element score/28.20 program component score), a new personal best for them. So far they have accumulated 97.45 points. “Tessa and I were excited about our performance tonight. It was a lot of fun to skate in there in front of a very excitable crowd. We really just enjoyed the experience and we’re hoping to build on it for tomorrow”, Moir said.
Cappellini/Lanotte had chosen a Gypsy Dance from the Balkans and showed fast steps, earning a level four for their circular and the midline step sequence asw well as a straight line and rotational lift that were also graded a level four. The Italians scored 53.90 points (29.60/24.30) and defended their second place with a total of 86.13 points. “I think we can improve our dance a lot. It is tricky, and we still don’t skate it as well as we could. We want it to become smoother”, Cappellini explained. “We were thinking of doing Italian Folk, but we welt the Gypsy dance suited us better”, she added.
To the delight of the crowd at the Colisee Pepsi, Carron/Jost had chosen a popular Quebecois country dance named “Dégéneration”. The Lyonnais executed a curve lift with changes of positions and rotational lift as well as a level-three circular step sequence and a level-four spin to collect 52.43 points (29.60/22.83), improving their previous personal best by almost five points. The couple now has 80.70 points so far and moved up from fourth to third place. “We are not surprised to be in third place, because we have good programs”, a confident Jost commented. “We are confident that we can stay in the top three. Last week (teammates) Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat were on the podium at Skate America, and we have to medal here in order to compete with them. It is a race between us and them”, he added referring to Pechalat/Bourzat’s second place finish at Skate America.
Melissa Gregory/Denis Petukhov (USA) produced a solid Irish Jig to “Lord of the Dance”, but their circular and side by side step sequences were only graded a level two and they slipped to fourth (79.83 points). World Junior Champions Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev (RUS) were ranked fourth in the OD with an entertaining Russian dance to “Kalinka” and moved up to fifth at 75.25 points.
HomeSense Skate Canada International concludes Sunday with the Free Dance and Men’s Free Skating. For full results please see Results.
