Monday, March 24 - Men Qualifying Free B & A
Emotional for the Men
After Group 3 of ice dance practice ended, I stayed in the arena for the Men Qualifying groups since there were no more than thirty minutes until the start. I found the section of my assigned seat, which was behind the arrangement of media booths and a little to the right. I sat toward the front of that section since the attendance at that point was sparse, and I figured some people might not come during the day and would be arriving later in the week. I proceeded to finish eating my breakfast that I had brought in my purse and started readying my pamphlets and notebooks.
A man sat down two seats to my right. After the first ice resurfacing, he struck up conversation with me. He was curious about the number of booklets I had and the notes I was taking. He asked me if that was my real seat, and I had to admit that no, I was assigned further back and was seated there temporarily until someone else came that had that seat. He explained that he had the two seats next to where I sat. He asked me to come sit in the seat in which he was sitting. I said amused, 'Why? Is something going to jump out at me?' He said, 'No, just come look at this seat.' When I sat down, the railing of the stands in front of that seat directly obstructed a good portion of the lower right section of the ice from view. We decided since the attendance was still sparse to sneak into another section. There were seating attendants in each section who checked tickets upon each spectator's entrance into that section from the hallway of the arena. However, if the attendants took a break or walked to another section briefly, some moving around could be done.
We sneaked down into the section in front of ours that was designated for coaches, skaters and their families, but it was sparsely populated down there as well. It actually turned out to be a great seat for the men's event. I could see the jumps, pattern across the ice and movements on all corners without obstruction. It was the section directly back of Kiss & Cry, so I could see the skaters as they left the ice. I could also better see the action in the media booths. I learned that my new partner in crime, Kieran, a middle-aged man, had actually skated himself and had had an interest in becoming an ice dancer. He had previously been to several U.S. Nationals and the 2002 Olympics. He was actually the nicest guy.
My comments on the Men Qualifying B.
Manuel Segura of Mexico - Spiderman soundtrack:
black costume with gray streaks
camel spin
combination spin - travelling and appears to stop early
He doubled a lot of jumps and seemed to sort of give up at the end.
Tech: 3.1-3.5
Pres: 3.5-3.8
Brian Joubert of France - The Untouchables soundtrack:
fell on triple axel
fell on another triple in the corner
double lutz
triple jump
spread eagle - nice
spins - nice
triple flip
fell out of the entrance into his final spin
I was sorry to see his meltdown. I felt the marks were a bit generous.
Tech: 4.6-5.3
Pres: 4.8-5.6
Ice dancer Nora Hoffmann and Julia Sebestyen of Hungary came to sit in the skaters' section at this point.
Stanick Jeannette of France - L'Enfant Pure:
fell on first triple
doubled next triple
singled next triple
flying camel to sit spin - had turned out positions
sit spin to pancake spin
touch down on next triple
double lutz
double jump
triple lutz
spin with interesting lean and forward position
spread eagle not held very long
triple jump
combination spin - camel with hands linked behind his back to sit to sit with broken arm position
He's a very nice spinner, but the jumps were not there today.
Tech: 4.1-4.7
Pres: 4.6-5.2
Zoltan Toth of Hungary - Night On a Bald Mountain:
Dracula program
triple
triple
triple lutz-triple combo
sit spin - position could be lower
soft, lyrical section with twizzles
triple lutz - scratchy landing
triple loop
footwork down left side of rink
double jump
double axel
spread eagle - held for a long while
He had a nice slow section towards the end of the program, but he may suffer from how long it remained slow.
Tech: 4.4-5.2
Pres: 4.2-5.2
Ilia Klimkin of Russia - Sunny Boy:
spin that has 'Walk Like an Egyptian' arm positions
triple axel-triple combo
popped next jump
another interesting spin
fell on next jump attempt
camel spin led right into triple
birds tweeting in the music
spiral
triple lutz
camel to sit to camel to sit to broken leg sit spin combo
besti squat with severe backward lean
jump in far corner
triple
fell on another triple-triple combo
camel
This was not his best skate. I had hoped for better. He received rather good marks.
Tech: 5.4-5.6
Pres: 5.6-5.7
Sean Carlow of Australia - The Dragon's Heartbeat:
Australian team has a special call for him as he takes his starting position on the ice
fell on first triple
fell on next jump
spread eagle
single loop
camel to sit to change foot sit spin
double jump
touch down on triple into double
sit spin
fell on jump - it took him a little while to get up
fell on next jump
sit spin - travelling, not down far enough
He lost wind toward the end of the program and looked tired.
Tech: 3.0-3.8
Pres: 3.2-3.9
Ivan Dinev of Bulgaria - Kismet:
begins with rocking on the ice in a ski wedge position
brief spread eagle
double flip
triple axel-double combo
triple lutz
spread eagle
triple
triple
His straight-line footwork was more dramatic than what has been seen yet.
Tech: 5.2-5.6
Pres: 5.2-5.6
Gregor Urbas of Slovenia - Two Guitars:
music sounds like Plushenko's gypsy music from some years back
triple lutz-triple - touch down
triple axel - two foot landing
sit spin with arms folded in
triple flip
sit to scratch spin
triple lutz
headless spin - slow and head could be back farther
lunge
double
camel to sit to change foot sit to headless spin - this headless is better
Tech: 4.3-5.1
Pres: 4.5-5.1
Sergei Davydov of Belarus - Criminal St. Petersburg:
music sounds like marching band - heavy percussion
triple-triple combo
good speed
triple axel
camel spin
dance sequence right in front of the judges with one-foot turns - heavy beats in music fit the dancing
triple loop
triple lutz
sit spin
piano music emerges and more defined melody begins
triple lutz
lunges and turns in lunge position with hands behind his back
combination spin - didn't hold any of the positions long enough
final jump
straight line footwork
Tech: 5.4-5.6
Pres: 5.3-5.7
Michael Weiss of the U.S.A. - Malaguena/Concerto de Aranjuez:
triple-triple
triple
sit to scratch spin
slow part in choreography
one foot turns with hands behind his back
triple axel-triple
triple - landing a little shaky
backward spiral with hand on his knee
double axel
triple flip
triple
triple lutz
spin
lunge and turns
straight-line footwork with hops
camel spin
Good to see him skate well two days in a row (yesterday's practice and today). He received a standing ovation.
Tech: 5.3-5.8
Pres: 5.5-5.8
Roman Skorniakov of Uzbekistan - The Professional soundtrack:
triple axel-triple combo
stepped out of second triple axel
triple flip
triple loop
sit spin with low positions
spread eagle
triple lutz
spread eagle - inside and outside
combination spin
He skated well. He was very happy at the end of the performance and waving before he exited the ice into Kiss & Cry. He is coached by Tatiana Malinina, and I didn't even recognize her on the Jumbotron when she was looking happy and sitting with him in Kiss & Cry. She looks very different, but well. Marks possibly a bit low.
Tech: 4.5-5.3
Pres: 4.3-5.2
Takeshi Honda of Japan - Riverdance:
ski wedge position rocking forward and back
quad-triple combo
quad - stepped out of landing
triple axel
sit spin
choreography time after front loading - sweeping arm motions
triple loop - finished close to the boards
triple
footwork from short end of the rink to the other
death drop into sit spin
spread eagle - inside and outside
double jump right in front of the judges
triple lutz
sit spin
straight line footwork - toe steps with fast feet
Tech: 5.6-5.8
Pres: 5.4-5.9
Dong-Whun Lee of South Korea - Legends of the Fall soundtrack:
soft part with sweeping arm motions
Overall, he has a gentleness in his skating. He stepped out of and doubled many jumps, and this is his downfall.
Tech: 3.8-4.5
Pres: 3.9-4.5
Karel Zelenka of Italy - Light Cavalry:
military music with red and black military outfit
fell on triple axel
triple-triple
triple flip-double
spread eagle
camel with hands linked behind his back
stepped out of triple
triple
brief spread eagle
final spin - good positions
Tech: 4.2-5.1
Pres: 4.3-5.1
Min Zhang of China - Don Juan de Marco soundtrack:
Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman instrumental piece
triple-triple
quad
triple
camel spin
stepped out of triple flip
combination spin
He appears to be working on his artistry and softness.
Tech: 5.4-5.8
Pres: 5.2-5.7
Stanislav Timchenko of Russia - Jesus Christ Superstar:
circled a pattern down the ice
triple axel
triple
triple axel-triple combo
camel spin
fell on triple loop
flying camel
stepped out of triple
He ended the program right in front of the judges with the final pose.
Tech: 5.0-5.5
Pres: 4.9-5.6
Ryan Jahnke of U.S.A. - Cinderella:
nice arm positions
triple axel-double
triple-triple
triple lutz-triple (stepped out of second jump)
camel spin
spiral
double axel
triple lutz - with hand over the head
sit spin with interesting positions
triple loop
triple
sit spin
He received a standing ovation from the crowd. Good marks for his first trip to Worlds.
Tech: 5.4-5.7
Pres: 5.3-5.8
Kristoffer Berntsson of Sweden - Fear Is the Key/Paper Tiger:
touch down with back leg on first triple
touch down on triple lutz
flying camel
triple
fell on triple
triple
death drop into sit spin
Tech: 4.0-4.9
Pres: 4.0-4.8
Tomas Verner of Czech Republic - One Man's Dream/Victory:
red suit
started program close to judges
triple axel
triple-triple combo
triple lutz - two foot landing
camel spin
double loop
triple
triple - stepped out
broken leg sit spin - low position
music gets faster
split jump
lunge
double axel
lunge
scratch spin
Tech: 4.3-5.0
Pres: 4.4-5.2
Clemens Jonas of Austria - Jesus Christ Superstar:
Kieran prefers this version of Jesus Christ Superstar music selection to Timchenko's
triple loop-double
fell on triple lutz - severe lean in the air
camel spin - inside edge
sit spin
fell on double axel
lunge - held a long time
camel to sit to scratch spin
popped jump
straight line footwork into a popped jump
sit spin
Russian split jumps
sit spin
Tech: 3.2-4.3
Pres: 3.3-4.3
Wow, I never thought I'd have so much fun at a Men's event! I'm a total ice dancing and pair skating person. However, the twenty men's free skates just blew by and before I knew it, Group B was over. Another peculiar thing was that I was feeling emotionally attached to the skaters and their successes. During that first group of men that were having such technical problems, I was feeling sad with them. It must be difficult to train so hard, make it to Worlds and not skate the way they wanted. I felt like I had been through the practices with them and wanted them all to do well. I didn't even leave my seat between qualifying rounds. I got up to stand and stretch a little, and then had some snacks from my purse. Part of the reason I didn't leave was because I thought the security attendants might not let me back into this section of seats if I went out and came back, but Kieran took the chance.
My comments on the Men Qualifying A.
Juraj Sviatko of Slovak Republic - Music by Safri Duo/Beethoven:
dressed like a bumblebee - black pants with yellow and black striped top
triple axel
combination jump
triple loop - shaky landing
triple-triple combo
double lutz
double axel
camel to sit to camel to sit spin - held on to foot on last sit
sit change foot sit spin
Tech: 4.2-4.3
Pres: 4.1-4.3
Vakhtang Murvanidze of Georgia - A Little Serenade:
triple axel
double
triple loop
camel
triple axel-triple
triple flip-triple - swung around on landing of second triple
double
triple
camel change foot camel spin
triple lutz - two foot landing
besti squat leaning backward
triple - swung around on landing
Tech: 4.6-5.2
Pres: 4.7-5.4
Kevin Van Der Perren of Belgium - The Mask of Zorro soundtrack:
triple-triple-triple
triple axel-double - delayed takeoff for second jump of combo
double axel
triple lutz
death drop into sit spin
sit spin with hands linked behind his back
backward spiral
camel spin
footwork sequence that has a sword fighting feeling
sit spin combo that ends with scratch spin
The crowd really reacted to his opening three jump combo.
Tech: 4.8-5.4
Pres: 5.0-5.4
Bradley Santer of Australia - Aegina from Spartacus:
double lutz - a lot of lean in the air
double
fell on triple flip
lunge and turns in the choreography
spiral
stepped out of double loop
single
popped lutz
sit spin - not low enough
another sit spin - same problem
double jump
death drop into sit spin
Unfortunately, too many mistakes to get into. Wide overall range of marks - 2.8-4.0?
Tech: 2.8-3.5
Pres: 3.0-4.0
Tim Goebel of the U.S.A. - An American in Paris:
triple
quad-triple
stepped out of triple
touched down on triple
spread eagle
quad
swung around on landing of triple
sit to camel to sit spin
triple
circular footwork
triple flip
spread eagle
low hydroblading move
sit to scratch spin
Crowd gives standing ovation - I guess it is for all of the Americans. Presentation marks are high.
Tech: 5.7-5.8
Pres: 5.5-5.8
Maciej Kus of Poland - Romeo & Juliet:
fell on triple lutz
triple
triple
fell on triple lutz
sit to camel to sit spin
double axel
triple-double combo
triple
sit spin
double
Tech: 3.8-4.3
Pres: 3.8-4.3
Evgeny Plushenko of Russia - Carmen:
black and red outfit from last year's free program
quad-triple-triple
triple axel-triple
triple
triple
triple
dances and Latin posing for the judges
triple lutz
triple
camel spin
fast footwork sequence - looked better than the one in St. Petersburg program
death drop into sit spin
combination spin - fast rotations.
He has the best speed so far. Interesting that he chose to provide variety and do Carmen while most of the men are doing the same program for qualifying round as the long program. He received the first standing ovation for a non-American skater.
Tech: 5.8-5.9
Pres: 5.9-6.0
Gheorghe Chiper of Romania - Groove Maker/Triangle/Saint Luce:
triple axel
triple lutz-triple - swung out landing
triple
spread eagle - inside
fell on triple axel
imaginary juggling in front of judges in circular dance sequence right into triple
more flirting with judges by dancing right in front of them
triple lutz
camel spin with hands linked behind his back
triple - touch down
death drop into combo spin
This is the guy who has been walking around backstage with his wife and young daughter. He is married to his coach, and she patted his back and neck when he entered the Kiss & Cry area.
Tech: 4.8-5.3
Pres: 4.8-5.4
Aidas Rekyls of Lithuania - A Passion for Tango:
held foot up by high by his head
triple
double loop
fell on triple lutz
stepped out of triple
sit spin - nice positions
spread eagle
triple flip
camel spin - head could be lower
triple-double - two foot landing on second jump
lunge
Jumbotron showed him doing rabbit ears in the Kiss & Cry. He seemed happy to be at Worlds.
Tech: 3.5-4.0
Pres: 3.7-4.2
Andrejs Vlascenko of Germany - Count of Monte Christo soundtrack:
wearing cape and gloves
triple-triple
death drop into sit spin
fell on triple flip
double flip
straight line footwork down left side of rink
combination spin
spread eagle
single
double loop
interesting upright spin
triple
stepped out of triple loop
camel to sit to crossed legs sit to scratch spin
Tech: 4.4-5.0
Pres: 4.8-5.3
I looked down and saw Canadian broadcaster Dave Randorf with a hand microphone standing in front of the CTV/TSN screen set up on the back side of the Kiss & Cry wall, facing us. He was doing a monologue in preparation for the upcoming Canadian men in the next group.
Emanuel Sandhu of Canada - Ninkov Latora/Slow and Sassy/Take California:
I was too busy watching his skate to take notes. He did make at least two mistakes, and I was hoping he would be able to start strong. Still, live he has a nice presentation, and the spins were very good and fast.
Tech: 4.5-5.5
Pres: 5.0-5.7
Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland - Chocolat soundtrack:
My two favorites were back to back, so I didn't have much time to exhale. Again, I was too engrossed to take many notes. Stephane's performance was superb! All the jump landings were remarkably smooth, and his spins and musicality with the dancing sections in the choreography were divine. His coach and those waiting for him in Kiss & Cry gave him a group hug at the swinging door to Kiss & Cry as he was coming off the ice. They kind of assisted him in walking to sit down in Kiss & Cry. He received a standing ovation from the crowd, and this was actually the only standing ovation that I personally participated in during the entire World Championships.
Tech: 5.4-5.7
Pres: 5.5-5.7
Yon Garcia of Spain - Circus Medley:
Now another good one for me follows the previous two. How did this draw order happen? I have no time to lose focus.
white pants, red and blue vertical stripes on white shirt with yellow sleeves
miming in front of the judges area
sit change sit spin - good positions
split jumps
more nice spins
I am sad that the jumps are not there today. This is a delightful and entertaining clown program, and he has a refined and smooth presentation style. He likely won't make the cut to the short program. I thought earlier today that I might leave to go to the pairs practice going on simultaneously at the Convention Center, but I'm glad I got to see these performances here for this reason.
Tech: 3.4-4.1
Pres: 3.7-4.1
Aramais Grigorian of Armenia - Angelic et Nakon:
fell on opening triple - great deal of ice flew up
double
triple
hops in circular sequence
triple with scratchy landing
double
sit spin - travelling and could have a lower position
Tech: 2.8-4.0
Pres: 3.2-4.1
Jeffrey Buttle of Canada - Concerto for Cello & Orchestra:
triple
spread eagle
triple lutz - swung around on landing
spiral
triple axel-triple combo
death drop into sit spin
spiral
spread eagle
spiral - changes directions
touched down on triple axel
ina bauer - moved in a circle
lunge
hops in the choreography
spin combination - ends in pancake spin
He has good ice coverage as far as using all corners and full surface of the ice.
Tech: 4.9-5.4
Pres: 5.1-5.7
Silvio Smalun of Germany - Suite No. 4 in D-minor:
orange shirt that has shredded sleeves
triple-double combo
fell on quad
triple
triple-triple - fell on second jump
double
sit spin's exit opens out with a knee to the ice - choreography
triple lutz
triple
toe stepping backwards on the ice
spin combo - nice positions
spread eagle
fell on triple
besti squat
straight line footwork - skated with his hands held out from his sides like Edward Scissorhands
Interesting program. Some personality.
Tech: 4.4-5.1
Pres: 4.6-5.5
Ari-Pekka Nurmenkari of Finland - Cyrano de Bergerac soundtrack:
music reminds of Anissina/Peizerat's free dance music from last season
triple lutz
triple
triple
sit spin
single
fell on triple lutz
double
stepped out of triple axel
Tech: 4.0-4.8
Pres: 4.0-4.8
Chengjiang Li of China - Star Wars soundtrack:
quad-triple
touch down on another quad
camel spin
triple-triple - flirted with touch down on first jump
triple lutz
triple
camel spin with change foot - slow at the end
puppet miming with use of his hands and head near the judges area
triple - leaned forward on the landing
triple
straight line footwork - fast
He waved and did the peace sign and raise the roof motions in Kiss & Cry.
Tech: 5.5-5.8
Pres: 5.3-5.6
Konstantin Tupikov of Ukraine - The Millennium Show:
familiar music piece - another one that reminds me of a wedding song
triple
triple flip - two foot landing
camel spin
stepped out of triple
triple loop
camel spin - slow
besti squat
spiral
triple - two foot landing
triple
stepped out of triple
Tech: 3.5-4.7
Pres: 3.9-4.7
Sergei Kotov of Israel - Music by Bond:
triple
triple lutz
double flip
triple loop
fell on triple
music goes into Winter for straight line footwork and he even does Yagudin-like footwork for a bit
double
He had good energy as even on the end of jumps he swishes his hands about.
Tech: 3.6-4.4
Pres: 3.7-4.6
You wouldn't believe it, but my wrists were hurting because I had tried to clap loudly for everyone. My hand was tired from writing, too. But, it was worth it to see that there is life outside of the North American men skaters and the other select skaters that we see often. Now, I had but a short time to rest my hands before the Pairs Short Program.
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