Jan. 8
Senior Men Short Program
Some friends and I had traveled to Philips Arena just over three years ago for the Tour of Gymnastics Champions following the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. I remember the policies being really strict then. My friend had a small clear Tupperware bottle of water as we were entering through the ticket collection and bag screening area. They made her pour out the water in the bottle before we could enter the facility.
It would be learned at the end of the week that some food was allowed inside. The door screening security did open up purses and camera carrying cases before allowing entrance. There was no use of a wand across bodies or checking of coats and pockets. Cameras were completely allowed, of course with the no flash rule announced. Stuffed animals and some flowers were being thrown on the ice after performances. Although I was asked by a neighboring seat holder why flowers weren't being given out, so it was largely stuffed animals. No items were for sale in the arena for this purpose as far as I could see although there were bears being sold in the food court indoor area that connected Philips Arena and CNN Center.
When I handed my ticket to the agent at the door, it made the hand ticket scanner beep. The agent re-scanned the ticket, it beeped again, and she sent me on through the doors. Once I arrived at my seat location, I discovered it was the row in back of the sound system and music controls. There wasn't much knee room in that row, and the sound equipment did provide some view obstruction of skaters starting a program near center ice. I didn't really think much of it at the moment since it was such a close seat in proximity to the ice surface. About midway through the Men Short Program, some Philips staff came and got those of us that were sitting in those first couple of rows behind the sound equipment and gave us tickets to seats in another section. They indicated that the seats we had were sold by mistake. The beeping on the hand scanner had been an indicator to reassign the seat. The reassigned seats weren't as close to center ice, but were fairly comparable as far as number of rows back from the front. When I later looked at the pictures I had taken while sitting in my original seat, I realized more the obstruction of the area in which I had first sat.
I reprised my role of being a student of the game. I had my writing notebook, skating element descriptions and computer printed media guide of skaters and was juggling those along with my camera in my hands. I'm not satisfied with my jump recognition improving. Hence, you'll see descriptions such as "double jump" because I couldn't identify the type (salchow, toe-loop, loop, flip and so on) or if I'm really having a time "jump combination" because I couldn't allocate the type or the number of revolutions of each jump. It's discouraging. But, I find that different skaters have different looks and approaches to the jump takeoffs, so that throws another wrench in things. So, I like the spins, moves in the field and like to look for the different styles that skaters I don't see or read much about have going. Still, I got at least one question per competitive program I attended each day from those sitting nearby and once an arena worker: 'What are you writing? What are those notes for? What's all this for?' and so forth regarding my many learning accessories. So, the questions happened at Worlds and at Nationals, but didn't happen in Canada at Four Continents.
I looked forward to the Men short. I have become more of a men single skating convert as of late and eagerly awaited discovering what everyone had to offer, especially those that escape the broadcasts often. Dick Button and Terry Gannon could be seen in the broadcast booth a few rows up behind Kiss & Cry.
My notes are not indicative of all elements of the programs.
Michael Villarreal
single axel
jump
the soft music goes techno
spin
2.5 - 3.8
Matthew Savoie
guitar music
spread eagle
triple axel
triple flip-triple
camel spin
triple lutz
final spin combination
Some members of the audience stood at the end of his program.
5.0 - 5.6
Daniel Lee
double jump - hand touched down
camel spin - turned upwards
spin
footwork
2.2 - 4.3
Jordan Brauninger
Kenny G music
lunge
footwork
double axel
triple lutz-triple
combination spin
3.8 - 5.1
Derrick Delmore
music is Fever
triple flip-triple
high leg kick
triple axel
fell on triple lutz
footwork
combination spin
circular footwork
split jumps
He looked happy afterwards.
4.1 - 5.4
Dennis Phan
Sorry no notes and don't know why.
3.1 - 4.7
Jordan Wilson
fell on triple axel
triple flip-double
sit spin - travelling
jump - hand touched down
3.0 - 4.3
Johnny Weir
Valse Triste
triple lutz-triple
triple axel
camel spin
triple flip
footwork
combination spin -included pancake position with arms dangling down
I almost didn't recognize Johnny at first with his darker hair. He was calm, cool, and smooth the whole time. A woman sitting a few rows behind me started screaming out (in raves) at his unique positions in the final combination spin. It was fun.
4.9? - 5.8
Timothy Goebel
fell on quad
spread eagle
popped axel
sit change foot sit spin
fell on triple flip
combination spin
stiff skating and shoulders
3.2 - 5.3
Rohene Ward
music is Gypsy Kings
fell on triple axel
fell on quad
fell on triple lutz
sit spin - low positions
rhythmic footwork with him clapping in the choreography
combination spin
split jumps
combination spin with interesting positions
He's definitely the most flexible of the men single skaters I have seen. It showed up nicely in his positions in the spins. He's got long limbs and incorporated them with the grace moves and showed ballet training.
2.5 - 5.2
Justin Dillon
triple
double lutz-double
footwork
camel to sit spin
combination spin
3.6 - 4.7
Mauro Bruni
tango music
double axel
fell on lutz jump
camel to sit spin to spiral position with his hand on a knee
My totally irrelevant to skating comment: He's a cutie pie.
2.8 - 4.7
Evan Lysacek
triple axel-double - pumped his fist
double axel
sit spin - low positions
circular footwork
triple flip
camel change foot camel spin - travelling
footwork - drew cheers out of the audience
camel to sit to camel to sit to pancake to scratch spin
He was happy at the end. He bent over, pumping his fist. He received a partial standing ovation.
4.5 - 5.8
Nicholas LaRoche
triple lutz - fell
triple axel - fell
sit change foot sit spin
triple lutz
sit spin
camel to sit spin
3.4 - 5.2
Benjamin Miller
Rachmaninov Concerto No. 2
fell on triple
double flip-double
fell on jump
sit spin
straight line footwork
3.1 - 5.0
Parker Pennington
His coach, Carol Heiss Jenkins, sent him off with a salutation before he started.
fell on triple axel
jump combination - stepped out of second jump
camel spin
camel to pancake to sit spin
2.9 - 4.8
Michael Weiss
quad-triple - quad had a two footed landing
fell on triple axel
footwork
sit spin
triple lutz
sit change foot sit spin
footwork
4.9 - 5.8
Scott Smith
He was taking deep breaths before going out to take the starting position on the ice. He skated to clock music that sounded like ticking and chiming in the music score.
triple axel
triple-triple - two footed landing
sit spin
triple loop - stepped out of the landing
School bell rung in the music to end the program. He received a hug from his coach.
4.5 - 5.5
Ryan Jahnke
triple axel
triple lutz-double
sweeping arm motions in the choreography
camel spin
triple jump - stepped out of the landing
camel to outside edge camel to sit spin with interesting positions
4.5 - 5.7
After Jahnke skated, some people backstage directed two flower girls out to the logo at center ice. The flower girls were out there for several minutes as the backstagers and parts of the audience tried to steer them toward whatever offending material that prompted the move. I didn't see it. The ice was colored and whatever was out there must have been quite small. The flowers girls couldn't find anything left on the ice and were eventually called back to the off ice area.
The Jumbotron showed various audience members through the cameras that were turned into the crowd during skater breaks and ice resurfacing. Some people caught on camera would gasp and hide their faces in avoidance while others would wave and cheer at the chance.
Ryan Bradley
New York, New York (Start Spreading the News) - I always think of the cream cheese commercial with this music
triple axel - he landed it with a big smile
triple lutz-double - he almost touched a hand down on the triple
camel to sit to camel to sit spin
triple flip
camel spin
straight line footwork - audience cheered
He gave an energetic performance. He was very happy at the end and calling out to the audience.
4.7 - 5.8
Braden Overett
Latin music
triple axel - high, but he turned out of the landing
lutz in jump combination - stepped out of the lutz
combination spin
triple
sit spin
4.0 - 5.4
Matthew Lind
He received cheek kisses from both of his coaches before taking the ice.
triple lutz-double
triple jump
sit spin - low positions
double axel
sit change foot sit spin
He was a soft skater and had balletic arm movements. He was waving and blowing kisses in Kiss & Cry.
3.7 - 4.9
I was happy for Johnny Weir. He drew to skate early and still managed to maintain first place after the short program ended. I remember first seeing Johnny during the 2001 U.S. Nationals broadcast and have enjoyed his skating style since. I remember thinking at the time, wow, how could someone start skating as late as the age of twelve years old and be so good.
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