POSTED: Saturday November 21st 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: HomeSense Skate Canada International Day One
2009/2010 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating
The 2009/2010 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating continued Friday with HomeSense Skate Canada International in Kitchener. The competition opened with the Pairs and Ladies Short Program, the Compulsory Dance and the Men’s Short Program. The skaters compete for 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 of the series will proceed to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Tokyo, Japan. HomeSense Skate Canada International is the sixth and last event of the series and thus the last opportunity for skaters to qualify for the Final.
Pairs, Short Program
Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy of Germany captured the Pairs Short Program with a new personal best score. Russia’s Maria Mukhortova/Maxim Trankov and Canadians Jessica Dubé/ Bryce Davison came in second and third.
Performing to “Send in the Clowns” and dressed in Clown costumes and wearing appropriate make up, Savchenko/Szolkowy delivered a strong performance that featured a high throw triple twist, a side by side triple toeloop and a triple twist. The two-time and reigning World Champions were awarded a level four for their spins, the death spiral and the lift and earned 74.16 points (40.48 element score/33.68 program component score), which was a new personal best. “We had a few mistakes in Paris (at the Trophée Bompard) and we’ve worked a lot, and were a bit nervous today, but the pressure is off for today”, Szolkowy commented. “Our performance today wasn’t perfect, a bit slow and we focused very much on the elements”, he added.
Mukhortova/Trankov opened their routine to “Appassionata” by Secret Garden with a high triple twist followed by an excellent side by side triple toeloop, but then Mukhortova put her hand down on the throw triple loop. The European bronze medalists produced difficult spins and got a level four for them as well as for the lift and the death spiral to score 65.80 points (37.12/28.68). Dubé/Davison landed a triple twist, but he caught her late. The 2008 World bronze medalists completed a throw triple loop and level-four spins, but Dubé singled the side by side Salchow. The Candian Champions collected 57.90 points (31.14/26.76).
Ladies, Short Program
To the delight of the home crowd, Joannie Rochette took the Ladies Short Program and set a new personal best score for herself en route. Alissa Czisny (USA) and Mirai Nagasu (USA) followed in second and third place.
Rochette’s elegant interpretation of “La Cumparasita” was highlighted by a solid triple Lutz-double toeloop combination, a triple flip and double Axel. The current World silver medalist picked up a level four for the flying sit spin and a level three for the other two spins, the footwork and the spiral sequence. She received 70.00 points (38.40 element score/31.60 program component score) and improved her previous personal best by 2.10 points. “I am really happy to do this (performance) after (Cup of) China. I was a bit disappointed there and I think I needed to change some things mentally. My goal tonight was when I step on the ice to feel more calm and relaxed. I think I achieved that. I still think that I can do better, so it is encouraging for the rest of the season”, Rochette said.
Czisny put out a strong performance to “The Mask of Zorro” as well, nailing a triple Lutz-double toe, a triple flip and double Axel. The U.S. Champion really shone in her fast and well centered spins and was awarded a level four for the layback and a level three for the combination spin, but the flying sit spin was only a level two. Czisny earned 63.52 points (36.60/26.92), which was a seasons best for her.
Nagasu’s playful program to “Pirates of the Caribbean” included a triple Lutz-double toeloop combination, a double Axel and a beautiful layback spin. However, she received some deductions for the triple flip for an edge attention (short take off with wrong edge).
Ice Dance, Compulsory Dance
The Compulsory Dance at HomeSense Skate Canada International was the Tango Romantica. The Tango Romantica is a romantic sinuous dance which expresses the soft, lyrical interpretive characteristics of the Tango. It must be skated with deep edges. The judges are looking for very erect carriage, precise timing and continuous flow. The difficulty of the steps should not be revealed in awkward or stressed upper body positions. The dance was created by 1976 Olympic Ice Dance Champions Ludmilla Pakhomova/Alexander Gorshkov and their coach Elena Tchaikovskaya. It was first performed in Moscow in 1974.
Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir of Canada danced to the lead in the Tango Romantica. France’s Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat came in second while Canadians Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje are currently ranked third.
Virtue/Moir gave a passionate performance of the Tango that earned them a new personal best score of 40.69 points (20.44 element score/20.25 program component score). “This is one of our favorite compulsory dances. It felt good to go out there and to skate in front of a home crowd and to obviously to start the week off on a good note”, Moir said. “It’s so fun (to compete at Skate Canada again after missing it last year due to injury). I’m not taking it for granted, that’s for sure. I was so sad that we missed it last year, and so it feels great to get back. Hopefully we are off to a good start and keep going”, added Virtue.
Pechalat/Bourzat interpreted the Tango in an elegant and lyrical way to score 35.55 points (17.56/17.99), which was a seasons best.
Weaver/Poje put out a solid and characteristic Compulsory Dance as well and posted a seasons best of 32.18 points (16.68/15.50).
Men, Short Program
Jeremy Abbott (USA) won the Men’s Short Program ahead of Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi and Denis Ten of Kazakhstan.
Abbott delivered a strong performance to “A Day in the Life” by The Beatles and reeled off a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, a triple Axel and a triple Lutz as well as difficult spins and steps. The reigning Grand Prix Final Champion got a level four for all three spins and a level three for both step sequences. Abbott picked up 79.00 points (42.60 element score/36.40 program component score). “I am very happy with how I skated and I am excited going into the free skating”, Abbott commented. “After Japan I really learned a lot about the (free) program and places that kind of needed a little tweaking here and there, and I feel a lot more comfortable with the program than I did in Japan. The program was still very, very new, it was less than two months old. Now it’s only two weeks older, but having gone through that experience I do feel a lot more comfortable and confident going into tomorrow”, he explained referring to the fact that he had skated well in the Short Program at NHK Trophy in Japan but then struggled in the Free Skating.
Takahashi opened his routine to a modern Tango titled “Cobe” with a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, but the second jump was underrotated and downgraded. The 2007 World silver medalist went on to complete a solid triple Axel and a triple Lutz. He was awarded a level four for the combination spin and a level three for the other two spins while the footwork was a level two. The Japanese scored 76.30 points (39.20/37.10).
Ten came as a little surprise. The 16-year-old impressed the crowd and the judges with an excellent program to “Sing Sing Sing” that featured a big triple Axel, a triple Lutz-triple toeloop combination, a triple flip and level-four spins. The crowd rewarded the performance with a standing ovation and the judges with a score of 75.45 points (43.60/31.85). Ten improved his previous personal best of 68.54 points significantly.
For full results please refer to www.isu.org. HomeSense Skate Canada International continues Saturday with the Original Dance, the Ladies, Pairs and Men’s Free Skating. An extended version of this report will be available later today on the website.
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Keywords · ISU · 2009/2010 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating · ice skating
Name: Devra Pitt-getaz
Organization: ISU
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