2023 Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships & International, July 31-Aug. 2

[Wyliefan]

Wolf/Tsar's program looked stronger than Flor/Des's to me, and I think that's helping them. Bella and Ivan's program looked a little empty.

Neset/Markelov are looking strong!

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Some of the music felt too fast for the choreo - W/T’s Love is a Battlefield, F/D’s Pour Some Sugar on Me and the Browns’ first section. I wasn’t sure if it was the audio. Pour Some Sugar on Me sounded faster than the original song.

 

[Karen-W]

Okay, I'm up earlier than I have to be since it's a WFH week, but... Senior Int'l RD thoughts (as many teams as I can watch before I have log onto the work computer) -

Browns - they are looking VERY strong for so early in the season. The collaboration with IAM is already making a difference with them - speed and power are looking much improved.
DavSmo - they both look so happy to be back in international competitions! Or maybe just happy in general. Nicely matched on the twizzles and their lift had fabulous speed. The battle between them and KazRev for Georgia's lone Worlds spot is going to be our this season, replacing the Japanese battle between KanaDai and KoKo and I'm here for it!
Pate/Bye - they do a surprisingly good job with late '80s rap, though I think the music edit for the end needs some tweaking. It just sort of ends without much of a build-up.
McNSpir - LOVE LOVE LOVE their costumes! Her dress is one of those colorful floral/abstract prints like we all loved during the '80s and he's in a black suit that has a deep purple lace overlay on the jacket and on the sides of the pants, and a sheer black shirt underneath - feels very '80s-ish but with a current twist. Bit of an issue with the exit on their lift at the end probably cost them a few points.
Tkachenko/Kiliakov - Wow - I can't even describe their costumes except to say "the '80s called and they want their clothes back" - I think it's the judicious use of the checkerboard print along with the neon pink, mint green and butter yellow. Interesting program and while they may very well shoot up to Israeli #1 on the senior level, I'm still questioning the wisdom of moving up now just so they can finish in the high teens/low twenties at Worlds when they could be making the JGPF and medaling a Jr Worlds.
NosoSibs - great music edit, but nothing else about this program says '80s at all - costumes and choreo are generic ice dance.
Robinson/Portz - Flashdance! They're both very smiley. And they look like they're still thinking through their choreo. Not terrible, just not feeling much to get excited about with this team.
LanRaz - Now, Molly clearly got the memo about the '80s big, permed hair, complete with a huge scrunchie holding the half ponytail up! Footloose! Using "Let's Hear it for the Boy", "Almost Paradise" and "Footloose" - first third is strong, but they desperately need more speed to finish with. Also - who of us didn't own a similar denim mini-dress or pantsuit to what Molly's costume?

Okay, work is calling, I'll try to review the other 9 teams later.

 

[her grace]

Better score for Ilin/Cain than in Dallas, breaking the 125+ total mark.

Still 10 points behind the top 6-7 cluster of teams from scores put up so far this season.

I hope USFS thinks about sending them somewhere internationally even if it’s only a Jr B. I’d hate for them to get the Gropman/Somerville treatment from the USOC, where USFS nominates them to the Youth Olympics and the USOC decides they’re not elite enough and leaves them home.

 

[Karen-W]

143.03 for Pedersen/Chen! Huge score for such a new team. Sticking with my prediction from last night, after watching the RDs, that they're going to be rewarded with the JGP Istanbul spot that's up for grabs.

 

[her grace]

Really nice score for Pedersen/Chen! Get them to JGP.

Impressive silver finish for Cui/Eckert.

 

[Frau Muller]

Wolf/Tsar and Flores/Des are in Lake Placid? Didn’t see them in either the Jr or Sr Intl fields.
Oh, ok - Sr Combined Dance…not international!

 

[Karen-W]

Break time - can I get three more teams in during these next 12 minutes?

Ling/Wein - hmmm... I'm sure some slightly older FSUers will correct me, but this RD has more of a '70s disco feel. They're also moderately slow on their twizzles. Okay, and they'll probably stand out with the music choice, but, I'm not really feeling it.
Dozzi/Papetti - nice lift, but beyond that, they're like the NosoSibs - generic program and costumes that do not feel like the '80s at all. Still, they'll probably be Italy #3 at Euros since Portesi Peroni/Chrastecky broke up.
BashBeau - well, Carol Lane's group certainly got the big hair memo! Shame about him going down on the footwork - looks like he just hit a rut. Not sure how I feel about the program - the last 1/3 was stronger than the first 2/3, but the music I'm not too impressed with.

 

[Wyliefan]

The junior international free dance is starting, and it looks like live scoring is working today. First group is on the ice.

2023 Lake Placid Ice Dance International - Junior Ice Dance - Free Dance

ijs.usfigureskating.org

 

[Rukia]

Break time - can I get three more teams in during these next 12 minutes?

Ling/Wein - hmmm... I'm sure some slightly older FSUers will correct me, but this RD has more of a '70s disco feel. They're also moderately slow on their twizzles. Okay, and they'll probably stand out with the music choice, but, I'm not really feeling it.

I haven't had time to watch anything but early 80s still has a lot of disco overlap which is why this whole concept is nonsense like there wasn't one type of music in the 80's. If they wanted to specify 80's pop or something it would have made more sense. Or they should just call out choreographers and say Billboard top 100 songs only hahaha.

 

[Wyliefan]

Well, at least it gives them a lot of room to play around.

If I were an ice dancer, I'd probably have gone with Dolly Parton's "9 to 5."

 

[PRlady]

It’s a shame Springsteen isn’t ice dance material, although Hungry Heart could be.

I wish somebody picks Circle in the Sand but it’s probably not well-known enough.

 

[Wyliefan]

I wish somebody picks Circle in the Sand but it’s probably not well-known enough.

I remember that song, and I was about as far removed from pop music back then as it's possible to be, so it must be at least somewhat well known!

 

[Karen-W]

77.70 in the FD for Bland/Sperry, but their total score is 123.28 and I can't see them getting a JGP assignment based on that score when we have a lot of other teams that have outscored them already this season.

 

[Wyliefan]

After the first group, Goodstadt/Bennett lead with 126.01.

 

[her grace]

77.70 in the FD for Bland/Sperry, but their total score is 123.28 and I can't see them getting a JGP assignment based on that score when we have a lot of other teams that have outscored them already this season.

Yeah, they should be at the mercy of how the teams perform in their first JGPs. Bland/Sperry were 6th-best at nationals last year and Pedersen/Chen, Lavrova/Rogers [Rogers J5 with previous partner] and the Mullens, along with J1-J4 have outscored them by a lot this season.

If teams don’t earn a second JGP, then Ilin/Cain, Bland/Sperry and maybe Cui/Eckert (age-eligible?) could be considered.

 

[her grace]

Mullens beat Carhart/Horovyi!

 

[Karen-W]

Peals with a solid 2nd in the FD and overall.

It will be really interesting to see what the USFS does with its 2 dance spots for Istanbul. Carhart/Horovyi would seem like an obvious choice, and then either Pedersen/Chen or Lavrova/Rogers for the 2nd spot.

 

[Karen-W]

Pretty sure I won't get through the last 6 Sr Int'l RDs during the rest of my lunch break...

Hensen/Lickers - I don't know what I was expecting with these costumes but it certainly didn't include a mashup of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "It Takes Two". What in the ever-loving-eff?! My god... then we get a rap song and I think there's a bit of David Bowie and it ends with "Take On Me" - so is this a journey through the '80s? Wow. That's much. And not in a good way because your standard, vanilla Ontario Canadian team is just not weird, Euro-trashy enough to pull this level of WTFery off.
Larson/Kapran - I liked it! I'm not sure what went wrong for them, but I thought they had good speed and energy throughout and their music choices were... Well, "I'm So Excited" then a song I didn't recognize and finishing up with "It's Raining Men" was just the right level of WTFery to work for a half-Euro team.
Gauthier/Thieren - yessssss! This is perfect '80s nostalgia! "I Love Rock & Roll" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" - their costumes are perfect '80s rock! Hmmm... Two more songs in this mashup is maybe two too many.
Carhart/Kolosovskyi - the Carhart sisters are working the unitards for the RD this year and... Nahhhh, not feeling it. His '80s bomber jacket is not enough. They're pleasant enough, like Koncius/Shchepetov are pleasant enough, but nothing remarkable or particularly interesting about this program.

 

[Wyliefan]

Senior domestic dance is underway. Live scoring:

NQS And SDS - 2023 Lake Placid Ice Dance Champions

Event Results for NQS And SDS - 2023 Lake Placid Ice Dance Champions

ijs.usfigureskating.org

 

[Wyliefan]

Wolf/Tsar into the lead with 108.89 FD, 178.93 total.

 

[Wyliefan]

Flores/Desyatov into 2nd with 107.62 FD, 176.33 total.

 

[Wyliefan]

And now for senior dance int'l: https://ijs.usfigureskating.org/leaderboard/results/2023/32142/SEG002.htm

 

[Karen-W]

Carhart/Kolosovskyi must have had a really rough FD - 2 deductions! And, they lost the FD and overall to their Azeri competitors, Ritter/Brykalov.

 

[Wyliefan]

Redemption skate for Nadiia and Peter, with a new FD personal best of 104.84!

 

[Karen-W]

Last break of the day and time to watch the last two Sr Int'l RDs!

Ritter/Brykalov - they have really good twizzles; program was bland and I was distracted by the mismatched reds of their costumes - he was in a red & black shirt while her leather pants were burgundy & black. I do give her major points for the very crimped, big hair.
Shilling/Baeten - "Walk Like an Egyptian" complete with the faux Egyptian choreo from the '80s - good, Lord, Igor, do better than this schlock for Zingas/Kolesnik, please. Oh, man... this transitions into "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" - someone's living their best late '80s life here. Shame about the fall, though I'm not sure this program can be saved even without a fall.

 

[PRlady]

Flores/Desyatov into 2nd with 107.62 FD, 176.33 total.

Nosy minds want to know how Flores feels losing to former partner given strange circumstances of breakup.

 

[Wyliefan]

B/B hold their lead! Robinson/Portz into 2nd.

 

[Wyliefan]

Lan/Raz are 2nd in the free but 1st overall.

 

[Wyliefan]

Holy COW, 5 deductions for Ling/Wein!