2007 Canadian Figure Skating Championships - Commentary à la Yizzle
I should not be wasting time on LJ because I am in self-prescribed hardcore playwriting bootcamp this weekend, only to be broken by figure skating, but I have a few quick things to say, so here goes.
Yay, skating! The 2007 Canadian Championships are taking place in Halifax as we speak, and my impression so far is that skating in Canada is definitely in a building period right now. We've got a bunch of relatively old, pre-established champions who may or may not make it to 2010, and then we've got a ton of youngsters with potential that may or may not pan out. There's not really a lot in between right now. Lucky for us, the entire world of skating is in a major state of meh! these days, so we can get away with not really having a powerhouse team and still win medals.
NOTE: There are video links throughout this commentary; usually the word "program" is a link, or something similar.
Ladiezzzz skating is in a sad state of affairs right now and is almost reminding me of the bad old days in which Susan Humphreys and Angela Derochie were able to win the title. Joannie Rochette has all the basic skills and great programs (especially her David Wilson-choreographed LP to music from the Don Juan musical), but as far as the mental aspect of the sport goes, she's on her way to being the next Josée Chouinard. RICK JAMES Mira Leung is the direct opposite; the girl has nerves of steel and can land jumps under pressure on a consistent basis, but dear God, her basic skating sucks. I'd seriously rather watch comeback kid Cynthia Phaneuf do nothing but a triple toe and triple salchow than watch Mira land six triples. Speaking of Phaneuf, her program (another David Wilson creation - he choreographed three out of the top four LPs in this ladiezzz comp) to Clair de Lune was beautiful and I was glad to see her back on the ice and smiling. It would've been a nice story if Lesley Hawker had finally made the world team at the age of 25, but with a lot of doubled jumps and general sloppiness, no dice. Overall, our ladiezzz program is such that if I were on the SC selection committee, I'd seriously consider sending no one but Joannie to Worlds, because she's the only world-class skater we've got. The girl who won the junior title today won with only a 3T and 3S, too, which does not bode well.
I didn't watch all the Pairs' SPs, but am very happy that Dubé & Davison are in the lead. I'm greatly looking forward to seeing the debut of their LP to The Blower's Daughter (yet another David Wilson creation!!) and wouldn't it be something else if they could pull off a win after being sidelined by injury for the entire fall season?? That being said, though, I think Marcoux & Buntin, who are less than a point behind D&D, will probably pull off the win, adding a fourth title to their string. Come to think of it, that's pretty sad right there - Val & Craig have improved greatly and are definitely worthy of international competition, but they are never going to be true world contenders unless they benefit from other people sucking on a particularly bad night (à la Eltsova & Bushkov or something, heh!). Poor Putnam & Wirtz had a disaster of an SP with a lift that didn't go up and missed jumps, and are buried in ninth; I fear that unless they make a big move upwards in the LP, they might be kaput come next season. Wah. :(
The men... DLSFJDLFSLDSKFJ, WHY? WHY, I ASK YOU? WHY IS IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO DISOWN EMANUEL SANDHU? My life would be so much easier if I could! WTF, Eman! After falling on his ass on the quad and managing NO COMBO (not even pre-novice level!), he's lucky to be in third. CTV were being total haterz and so was the crowd, which means that pretty much everyone is now a hater because Skate Canada have been hating on him since they realized that Jeff Buttle was money in the bank. Jeffy is so easy to love! Such a good boy. Such a cute boy! It would be so much easier to just disown Eman and turn all my energy to Jeffy instead of splitting it in half, but I can't do it. Siiiigh. Jeffy's program is a beauty - good work, David Wilson (yes, AGAIN... Wilson is raking in the wads hardcore this season!), even if the music is overused. And Chris Mabee! Yaaay, Chris! I've been wanting him to be on the podium at Canadians for ages and ages; I remember watching him as a teeny, tiny 13-year-old junior at 1999 Canadians in Hobottawa and being totally charmed. Also, all the stuff in the press about Jeffy and Chris being BFF 4EVER!!1one! is making me want to write angsty Emeffy in which Eman is jeluss of Chris. HAHAHA. I cannot write it now because I have too many other things to do, namely write my script and finish Semester 1 marking so I can write report cards, but I will write the Emeffy eventually!! Don't worry, foodsthatcan!
Finally, CTV got their act together and added and extra hour of coverage this year in order to show some ODs, which was awesome because they showed us the top six, which is more than we've gotten in ages. Weaver & Poje are very impressive for a team that has only been together for five months, but their program was rather simplistic and I felt they were gifted for the New Team! Impressive! factor a bit. I really like Karam & McGrath's program, but as much as I love Siobhan and Josh, tango isn't really their forté; Tracy was right when she said they needed more attack and aggression in their skating. They do better with edgework and softer, waltz-ish dances. I laffed evilley when Senft & Gislason skated and Eville Lauren screwed up on her twizzles. That's what happens when you're Eville! That being said, though, I would rather send anyone to Worlds than Lefebvre & Markov, so if it has to be Eville Lauren, spawn of GRATE JEAN SENFT, so be it. I was très amused that L&M were obviously getting dumped by the judges and hope it continues in the FD. As for our top two teams, Dubreuil & Lauzon's new OD is 3094843 times better than their FAKE TANGO from Skate Canada earlier in the season, but they skated like they were still thinking through parts of it. My heart, of course, belongs to Virtue & Moir, who continue to astound me every time I see them skate. Tracy Wilson has seriously gone crazy if she honestly believes they could be in the top five in the world, though. I mean, come on, Tracy. We all know those five spots are going to be some sort of mix of DenStavs, Tanith & Ben, DomShabs, DenSchoes and Marie-France & Patrice. Tessa & Scott will be lucky to crack the top ten on their first try at Senior Worlds. Oh, and as a side note, I really, really wish Tessa would go back to her natural hair colour.
Okay, a few hours have passed and now I am writing after the Pairs' and Men's LPs!
AHHHHH, Dubé & Davison WON!!!! No, they didn't skate clean - they had a few minor errors - but their LP to The Blower's Daughter is exquisite and might be my favourite program of the season (along with S&Z's Meditation). They are so CUTE! I heart this team and feel that they and Tessa & Scott have fulfilled my dose of cute Canadians to love for the next Olympic cycle. Also, total kudos to them for looking this good after injuries and surgery and being off the ice for most of the early season. Jess Dubé also shocked me with a very decent skate in the Senior Ladiezzz SP - she landed a 3F-2T combo and a beautiful 2A; sure, she fell on her 3S, but the actual skating and the program itself were extremely well-trained and very impressive.
Marcoux & Buntin had a bit of a meltdown, or rather, Val did, mostly; they looked off throughout the competition and I wonder how much their off-ice breakup has affected their training this season and their relationship in general. They just seem to have lost the spunk that made me like them in spite of myself. I am beyond annoyed that Langlois & Hay are going to Worlds; Eville Annabel deserves to lose everything, always, and I feel particularly bad for Wakamatsu & Fecteau - it would've been a storybook ending to their careers for Utako to compete at Worlds in her home country. Liz & Sean were fifth in the freeskate and finished sixth overall; with W&F planning to retire, that lets them keep a place on the National Team. I wonder about funding, though. They aren't officially part of the team anymore and if that means decreased funding, that might make the difference between them keeping going for another season or deciding to pack it in.
As for the men, OMG, Jeffy! His program is brilliant - no other male skater currently competing would be able to make that music work. I'm not sure about the costume, but s'okay. Ahhh, I want to squish him. *squishes Jeffy!* Eman managed to pull things together and land both his quad-triple (slightly wonky) and his first 3A (also a bit wonky), along with four other triples, and at least he rotated his second 3A fully before hitting the ice, but gaaaaaaaah. His choreography has been getting progressively stranger and lamer as seasons go by and with Jeffy around flaunting gorgeous David Wilson programs and other guys starting to grow into Wilson choreo, too, he can't afford that anymore! Seriously, it is a SHAME that Eman will never skate a David Wilson program, because I think the result could be absolutely amazing. But like... get Toller to do choreo! Get Sarah Kawahara! Just get... someone good! Chris looked totally ecstatic at his result and I barely even begrudge him the silver, since it's Eman's own stupid fault that he dug such a huge hole for himself in the SP. Finally, with kids like Patrick Chan (who climbed from eleventh after the SP to fifth overall - his basic skating is just stellar for such a young kid), who is only sixteen, Kevin Reynolds (who barely two-footed both a quad toe and a quad sal in his LP tonight!) and Joey Russell in our ranks, the Canadian men's program is looking pretty damn good these days.
Okay, I'm going to go watch D&D's LP again now, and then I'll get back to script-writing.
Yay, skating! The 2007 Canadian Championships are taking place in Halifax as we speak, and my impression so far is that skating in Canada is definitely in a building period right now. We've got a bunch of relatively old, pre-established champions who may or may not make it to 2010, and then we've got a ton of youngsters with potential that may or may not pan out. There's not really a lot in between right now. Lucky for us, the entire world of skating is in a major state of meh! these days, so we can get away with not really having a powerhouse team and still win medals.
NOTE: There are video links throughout this commentary; usually the word "program" is a link, or something similar.
Ladiezzzz skating is in a sad state of affairs right now and is almost reminding me of the bad old days in which Susan Humphreys and Angela Derochie were able to win the title. Joannie Rochette has all the basic skills and great programs (especially her David Wilson-choreographed LP to music from the Don Juan musical), but as far as the mental aspect of the sport goes, she's on her way to being the next Josée Chouinard. RICK JAMES Mira Leung is the direct opposite; the girl has nerves of steel and can land jumps under pressure on a consistent basis, but dear God, her basic skating sucks. I'd seriously rather watch comeback kid Cynthia Phaneuf do nothing but a triple toe and triple salchow than watch Mira land six triples. Speaking of Phaneuf, her program (another David Wilson creation - he choreographed three out of the top four LPs in this ladiezzz comp) to Clair de Lune was beautiful and I was glad to see her back on the ice and smiling. It would've been a nice story if Lesley Hawker had finally made the world team at the age of 25, but with a lot of doubled jumps and general sloppiness, no dice. Overall, our ladiezzz program is such that if I were on the SC selection committee, I'd seriously consider sending no one but Joannie to Worlds, because she's the only world-class skater we've got. The girl who won the junior title today won with only a 3T and 3S, too, which does not bode well.
I didn't watch all the Pairs' SPs, but am very happy that Dubé & Davison are in the lead. I'm greatly looking forward to seeing the debut of their LP to The Blower's Daughter (yet another David Wilson creation!!) and wouldn't it be something else if they could pull off a win after being sidelined by injury for the entire fall season?? That being said, though, I think Marcoux & Buntin, who are less than a point behind D&D, will probably pull off the win, adding a fourth title to their string. Come to think of it, that's pretty sad right there - Val & Craig have improved greatly and are definitely worthy of international competition, but they are never going to be true world contenders unless they benefit from other people sucking on a particularly bad night (à la Eltsova & Bushkov or something, heh!). Poor Putnam & Wirtz had a disaster of an SP with a lift that didn't go up and missed jumps, and are buried in ninth; I fear that unless they make a big move upwards in the LP, they might be kaput come next season. Wah. :(
The men... DLSFJDLFSLDSKFJ, WHY? WHY, I ASK YOU? WHY IS IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO DISOWN EMANUEL SANDHU? My life would be so much easier if I could! WTF, Eman! After falling on his ass on the quad and managing NO COMBO (not even pre-novice level!), he's lucky to be in third. CTV were being total haterz and so was the crowd, which means that pretty much everyone is now a hater because Skate Canada have been hating on him since they realized that Jeff Buttle was money in the bank. Jeffy is so easy to love! Such a good boy. Such a cute boy! It would be so much easier to just disown Eman and turn all my energy to Jeffy instead of splitting it in half, but I can't do it. Siiiigh. Jeffy's program is a beauty - good work, David Wilson (yes, AGAIN... Wilson is raking in the wads hardcore this season!), even if the music is overused. And Chris Mabee! Yaaay, Chris! I've been wanting him to be on the podium at Canadians for ages and ages; I remember watching him as a teeny, tiny 13-year-old junior at 1999 Canadians in Hobottawa and being totally charmed. Also, all the stuff in the press about Jeffy and Chris being BFF 4EVER!!1one! is making me want to write angsty Emeffy in which Eman is jeluss of Chris. HAHAHA. I cannot write it now because I have too many other things to do, namely write my script and finish Semester 1 marking so I can write report cards, but I will write the Emeffy eventually!! Don't worry, foodsthatcan!
Finally, CTV got their act together and added and extra hour of coverage this year in order to show some ODs, which was awesome because they showed us the top six, which is more than we've gotten in ages. Weaver & Poje are very impressive for a team that has only been together for five months, but their program was rather simplistic and I felt they were gifted for the New Team! Impressive! factor a bit. I really like Karam & McGrath's program, but as much as I love Siobhan and Josh, tango isn't really their forté; Tracy was right when she said they needed more attack and aggression in their skating. They do better with edgework and softer, waltz-ish dances. I laffed evilley when Senft & Gislason skated and Eville Lauren screwed up on her twizzles. That's what happens when you're Eville! That being said, though, I would rather send anyone to Worlds than Lefebvre & Markov, so if it has to be Eville Lauren, spawn of GRATE JEAN SENFT, so be it. I was très amused that L&M were obviously getting dumped by the judges and hope it continues in the FD. As for our top two teams, Dubreuil & Lauzon's new OD is 3094843 times better than their FAKE TANGO from Skate Canada earlier in the season, but they skated like they were still thinking through parts of it. My heart, of course, belongs to Virtue & Moir, who continue to astound me every time I see them skate. Tracy Wilson has seriously gone crazy if she honestly believes they could be in the top five in the world, though. I mean, come on, Tracy. We all know those five spots are going to be some sort of mix of DenStavs, Tanith & Ben, DomShabs, DenSchoes and Marie-France & Patrice. Tessa & Scott will be lucky to crack the top ten on their first try at Senior Worlds. Oh, and as a side note, I really, really wish Tessa would go back to her natural hair colour.
Okay, a few hours have passed and now I am writing after the Pairs' and Men's LPs!
AHHHHH, Dubé & Davison WON!!!! No, they didn't skate clean - they had a few minor errors - but their LP to The Blower's Daughter is exquisite and might be my favourite program of the season (along with S&Z's Meditation). They are so CUTE! I heart this team and feel that they and Tessa & Scott have fulfilled my dose of cute Canadians to love for the next Olympic cycle. Also, total kudos to them for looking this good after injuries and surgery and being off the ice for most of the early season. Jess Dubé also shocked me with a very decent skate in the Senior Ladiezzz SP - she landed a 3F-2T combo and a beautiful 2A; sure, she fell on her 3S, but the actual skating and the program itself were extremely well-trained and very impressive.
Marcoux & Buntin had a bit of a meltdown, or rather, Val did, mostly; they looked off throughout the competition and I wonder how much their off-ice breakup has affected their training this season and their relationship in general. They just seem to have lost the spunk that made me like them in spite of myself. I am beyond annoyed that Langlois & Hay are going to Worlds; Eville Annabel deserves to lose everything, always, and I feel particularly bad for Wakamatsu & Fecteau - it would've been a storybook ending to their careers for Utako to compete at Worlds in her home country. Liz & Sean were fifth in the freeskate and finished sixth overall; with W&F planning to retire, that lets them keep a place on the National Team. I wonder about funding, though. They aren't officially part of the team anymore and if that means decreased funding, that might make the difference between them keeping going for another season or deciding to pack it in.
As for the men, OMG, Jeffy! His program is brilliant - no other male skater currently competing would be able to make that music work. I'm not sure about the costume, but s'okay. Ahhh, I want to squish him. *squishes Jeffy!* Eman managed to pull things together and land both his quad-triple (slightly wonky) and his first 3A (also a bit wonky), along with four other triples, and at least he rotated his second 3A fully before hitting the ice, but gaaaaaaaah. His choreography has been getting progressively stranger and lamer as seasons go by and with Jeffy around flaunting gorgeous David Wilson programs and other guys starting to grow into Wilson choreo, too, he can't afford that anymore! Seriously, it is a SHAME that Eman will never skate a David Wilson program, because I think the result could be absolutely amazing. But like... get Toller to do choreo! Get Sarah Kawahara! Just get... someone good! Chris looked totally ecstatic at his result and I barely even begrudge him the silver, since it's Eman's own stupid fault that he dug such a huge hole for himself in the SP. Finally, with kids like Patrick Chan (who climbed from eleventh after the SP to fifth overall - his basic skating is just stellar for such a young kid), who is only sixteen, Kevin Reynolds (who barely two-footed both a quad toe and a quad sal in his LP tonight!) and Joey Russell in our ranks, the Canadian men's program is looking pretty damn good these days.
Okay, I'm going to go watch D&D's LP again now, and then I'll get back to script-writing.