2023 Nebelhorn Trophy - Pairs SP & FS

[swissskate]

Cats Musical

 

[Amy L]

My freshman year roommate was an ALW fangirl and I'm still traumatized. This music should be an automatic -5.

 

[marbri]

Seems like yesterday there was much despair about the state of pairs. Nice competition.

 

[Hedwig]

Lucrezia is a firecracker and really coming into her own!

 

[Wyliefan]

Was it me, @Amy L? Because I subjected my freshman roommate to a LOT of Phantom.

 

[airgelaal]

The pairs tournament turned out to be very strong here.

 

[Amy L]

191.71 2nd

 

[Sylvia]

125 in FS, 191.71 2nd for "Kitty" Beccari/Guarise

ETA top 4:

Hase/Volodin 194.96 (132.11 FS)
Beccari/Guarise 191.71
Hocke/Kunkel 189.01
Pereira/Michaud 188.94

 

[Hedwig]

Ah, I am surprised, I could only watch with half concentration (therefore no pbp, sorry); but I thought they were stronger than H/V.

 

[marbri]

Ah, I am surprised, I could only watch with half concentration (therefore no pbp, sorry); but I thought they were stronger than H/V.

Really curious to see the protocols.

 

[Karen-W]

Hase/Volodin GER 194.96
Beccari/Guarise ITA 191.72
Hocke/Kunkel GER 189.01
Pereira/Michaud CAN 188.94
Pavlova/Sviatchenko HUN 182.60
Laurin/Ethier CAN 175.73
Plazas/Fernandez USA 169.37
Holichenko/Darenskyi UKR 156.48
Valesi/Piazza ITA 150.12
Caldara/Maglio ITA 139.15
Roscher/Schuster GER 138.40
Crafoord/Crafoord SWE 131.46
Mokhova/Mokhov USA 127.05
Smart/Mattick GBR 113.66
Mauder/Wilkinson RSA 109.71
Vouillamoz/Giniaux FRA 46.72 wd

 

[Hedwig]

I am super annoyed at the slow wedgie and that the live stream has no possibility to rewind

 

[Amy L]

I hope Day 2 shows up quickly so I can watch the dance & men from earlier. I had a lazy morning today and missed everything

 

[Hedwig]

I hope Day 2 shows up quickly so I can watch the dance & men from earlier. I had a lazy morning today and missed everything

I want to see men too and did everything to stayed unspoiled and now saw the result from the men on screen while waiting for the detailed scores for pairs that ARE STILL NOT THERE.
I am mad at the German skating association.

 

[Karen-W]

I want to see men too and did everything to stayed unspoiled and now saw the result from the men on screen while waiting for the detailed scores for pairs that ARE STILL NOT THERE.
I am mad at the German skating association.

We all are. They've been better than this in the past with Nebelhorn results.

 

[Sylvia]

FS protocols: http://www.deu-event.de/results/Neb...------FNL-000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

 

[Sylvia]

FS result details: http://www.deu-event.de/results/Nebelhorn_2023/CSGER2023/SEG006.htm

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	CO	PR	SK	Ded. -	StN.
1​	Minerva Fabienne HASE / Nikita VOLODIN	GER	132.11​	68.29​		63.82​	8.00​	7.95​	7.95​	0.00​	#15​
2​	Lia PEREIRA / Trennt MICHAUD	CAN	126.56​	66.89​		59.67​	7.45​	7.45​	7.45​	0.00​	#13​
3​	Lucrezia BECCARI / Matteo GUARISE	ITA	125.35​	63.94​		61.41​	7.70​	7.55​	7.75​	0.00​	#16​
4​	Annika HOCKE / Robert KUNKEL	GER	123.46​	63.38​		60.08​	7.50​	7.40​	7.60​	0.00​	#14​
5​	Maria PAVLOVA / Alexei SVIATCHENKO	HUN	121.26​	67.93​		54.33​	6.75​	6.60​	7.00​	1.00​	#9​
6​	Kelly Ann LAURIN / Loucas ETHIER	CAN	116.14​	61.00​		55.14​	6.95​	6.90​	6.80​	0.00​	#11​
7​	Valentina PLAZAS / Maximiliano FERNANDEZ	USA	114.44​	58.77​		55.67​	6.90​	6.95​	7.00​	0.00​	#12​
8​	Sofiia HOLICHENKO / Artem DARENSKYI	UKR	105.77​	55.70​		50.07​	6.25​	6.00​	6.50​	0.00​	#10​
9​	Anna VALESI / Manuel PIAZZA	ITA	102.65​	56.59​		46.06​	5.80​	5.75​	5.70​	0.00​	#5​
10​	Greta CRAFOORD / John CRAFOORD	SWE	92.09​	48.30​		43.79​	5.65​	5.40​	5.35​	0.00​	#3​
11​	Letizia ROSCHER / Luis SCHUSTER	GER	91.44​	46.44​		45.00​	5.65​	5.55​	5.65​	0.00​	#7​
12​	Irma CALDARA / Riccardo MAGLIO	ITA	91.37​	48.10​		45.27​	5.80​	5.50​	5.65​	2.00​	#8​
13​	Maria MOKHOVA / Ivan MOKHOV	USA	86.47​	42.48​		44.99​	5.70​	5.45​	5.70​	1.00​	#4​
14​	Julia MAUDER / Johannes WILKINSON	RSA	71.39​	37.68​		34.71​	4.55​	4.25​	4.20​	1.00​	#2​
15​	Lydia SMART / Harry MATTICK	GBR	66.98​	29.93​		38.05​	4.85​	4.55​	4.85​	1.00​	#1​
WD​	Oxana VOUILLAMOZ / Flavien GINIAUX	FRA	​	​		​	​	​	​	​	#6​

Pairs
Result
FPl. Name Nation Points SP FS

1 Minerva Fabienne HASE / Nikita VOLODIN GER 194.96 3 1
2 Lucrezia BECCARI / Matteo GUARISE ITA 191.71 1 3
3 Annika HOCKE / Robert KUNKEL GER 189.01 2 4
4 Lia PEREIRA / Trennt MICHAUD CAN 188.94 4 2
5 Maria PAVLOVA / Alexei SVIATCHENKO HUN 182.60 5 5
6 Kelly Ann LAURIN / Loucas ETHIER CAN 175.73 6 6
7 Valentina PLAZAS / Maximiliano FERNANDEZ USA 169.37 7 7
8 Sofiia HOLICHENKO / Artem DARENSKYI UKR 156.48 8 8
9 Anna VALESI / Manuel PIAZZA ITA 150.12 10 9
10 Irma CALDARA / Riccardo MAGLIO ITA 139.15 9 12
11 Letizia ROSCHER / Luis SCHUSTER GER 138.40 11 11
12 Greta CRAFOORD / John CRAFOORD SWE 131.46 15 10
13 Maria MOKHOVA / Ivan MOKHOV USA 127.05 14 13
14 Lydia SMART / Harry MATTICK GBR 113.66 13 15
15 Julia MAUDER / Johannes WILKINSON RSA 109.71 16 14
WD Oxana VOUILLAMOZ / Flavien GINIAUX FRA 46.72 12 (SP)
WD Nika OSIPOVA / Dmitry EPSTEIN NED

 

[honey]

I’m pretty impressed with the detail in Pereira/Michaud’s free skate. Their short left me wanting more from them, but I think this free skate is a good vehicle. Nice transitions throughout, but also accessible music that isn’t too much for them to handle. Of course it could be more sophisticated, more polished, more speed. But it’s a great start.

 

[Frau Muller]

I’m pretty impressed with the detail in Pereira/Michaud’s free skate.

I liked the soft & easy touch. I also liked that they didn’t dress or cavort as Pirates of the Caribbean, which I was fearing when I read that it was their music (old music?). Just used it as background music. (Some of it sounds like the soft Gladiator tune but the ISU bio cites Pirates.)

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[airgelaal]

I liked the soft & easy touch. I also liked that they didn’t dress or cavort as Pirates of the Caribbean, which I was fearing when I read that it was their music (old music?). Just used it as background music. (Some of it sounds like the soft Gladiator tune but the ISU bio cites Pirates.)

- YouTube

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It's definitely Gladiator

 

[Frau Muller]

Just caught up to all Pairs. Wow - what a thrill to have Minerva F Hase back, with new partner! I was so sad thinking that we’d never see her back after the Beijing Olympics. (Didn’t pay attention to Lombardia.)

 

[Karen-W]

Finally have time to watch the Pairs competition which I was forced to miss because of my employer's stupid hybrid every other week in the office work schedule (yes, it's stupid - I can easily do my job from home, otherwise you wouldn't have the hybrid schedule at all). Thoughts after watching the short programs (free skates to come later this afternoon)...

The Crafoords look SERIOUSLY undertrained. Like to the point of "is this a brand new team?" They were noticeably slower than pretty much every other team in the competition, including the South Africans. They looked lost at various points in the program, reaching for each other and just... They honestly looked better 11 months ago at Skate America when they were 6 weeks back from Greta having her last knee surgery.

Speaking of the South Africans - massive improvement from the one time I remember seeing them last year (Warsaw Cup?). They look like a pairs team and their elements were solid for what they were attempting. I do hope they'll continue improving - it would be so neat if they can qualify for 4CCs this season (they're 5 points away from the TES mins in both the SP & FS, so that might be a stretch, but who knows? Perhaps they'll show up at Trophee Metropole Nice Cote d'Azur and get those mins like GamKor did last year, lol).

RoSchu - relegated to German #3 again this season - they lack any oomph or excitement to their skating. I'm sure they'll enjoy their trip to Kaunas in January, but they'll certainly not being flying to Montreal for Worlds unless something terrible happens to either HaseVol or HocKun.

Speaking of those two other German teams - they're fine, decent, middle-of-the-pack top 10 teams, but there's nothing exciting or special about either of them. But, they're certainly the only bright spot in German skating right now and the German fans around here can have fun getting into fan wars over which one is better, lol.

Same can be said for the Russo-Hungarians, except no fan wars to debate which is the better team since the Russian fed apparently wasn't willing to release any of their other pairs to utilize that 2nd spot at Euros and Worlds that Hungary has.

Speaking of 2nd spots up for grabs at Euros (but not Worlds)... VouGin shouldn't take that French 2nd spot for granted. Piegad/Strekalin have the TES mins and looked better at Lombardia, plus who knows what Matte/Pierre look like with their new partnership. Regardless, does anyone know if Bruno has a basic stroking class for his teams in Caen? Both the Crafoords and VouGin look like they could use it. A lot.

2nd spots at Euros/but not Worlds part 2... I really wonder how SmaMatt or VouGin ever managed to get the Worlds TES mins last year. They'll be able to join RoSchu at the bar in Kaunas to toast to their Euros adventure.

And part 3 of the 2nd spots at Euros/but not Worlds discussion... Holichenko/Darenskyi looked really good in their return to competition. No idea where their next competition will be, but they blew past the Worlds FS TES min by a wide margin, so I expect, as they continue to shake loose the competition cobwebs that they'll easily earn the SP min this fall or at Euros. Based on what I saw from them and SierKhob in Budapest this week, I think that Ukraine's Worlds spot is HolDar's to lose.

Onto the Italians... The gap between their top 3 and their 4-5 teams is WIDE. But, let me tell you, I wouldn't want to meet Irma Caldara in a dark alley. Girl is FIERCE. BecGuar's costumes are growing on me. I don't love them but I'm not as put off by them as I was at Lombardia. ValPia are forgettable.

Now for the Canadians... The top two are obvious - SDDes and PerMich. Having said that, LaurEth are closing the gap with PerMich and have so much more confidence to their skating than they had last season. I don't think they're on quite as fast a track as ConMac were last season, but it would not surprise me to see them as Canada's #3 by the end of this season - could they compete at a home Worlds in their hometown? Anything is possible.

Lastly, the Amercians... Well, I'm still of the opinion that Ivan is too small for Maria, so their throws are always going to be tiny and questionable. But, girl also needs to land her solo triples. They'll be lucky to finish 8th at US Nats, IMO. PlaFern... Well, they might get on the podium, but they might not. If she can land her SBS triples, their skating is beautiful, but yeah... We know how this story is likely to end.

 

[Karen-W]

Okay - Pairs FS thoughts -

SmaMatt - it's hard to want to get behind a team that skates to "Leave the Light On" - and my comments after the SP stand, but dammit if her reaction in the KnC doesn't make me feel badly for them.

South Africans - yeah, I still think they have the potential to eventually earn the 4CCs TES mins. We'll see where they pop up next to compete.

Crafoords - well, keeping their FS from last season was a wise choice because it looked far more trained than their SP. I think she needs to work on her core - she looked pretty floppy and unstable in the air on their lifts. I'll give Bruno this season to prove he's a better coach than Aljona, but, so far, I'm dubious.

Mokhovs - better than the SP, and I actually really like this program for them. To all the haterz during the live pbp who were snarking on their costumes - tell me exactly what you think they should have worn with this music? There would have been absolutely no winning with "My Fair Lady" and I have zero issue with them going for a literal movie-inspired look. I think my only question was who is Ivan supposed to be portraying? And, really, I don't want an answer to that question because they're siblings and either answer is squicky, lol.

ValPia - that exit with her legs around his neck on their 2nd lift gave her a massive wedgie. And that's the most memorable thing about this team.

RoSchu - Robin & Aljona have their work cut out for them with this pair. And their FS only made me wonder how amazing a Savchenko/Szolkowy "Game of Thrones" program would have been.

CalMag - their program goes absolutely nowhere. And SBS 1a+1a+1a. 'nuff said.

PavSvia - perfectly competent, and they'll be there, ready to step onto the podium at any event where other, more interesting teams falter. For all the moaning from the Russian sob sisters about how Russian pairs is still soooooo much superior to the rest of the world, I give you PavSvia. If they had a flag after their names, they'd be getting a lot higher PCS and we'd be rolling our eyes at it. Russian pairs are not the end-all, be-all of the discipline (though I'll concede their very top teams are usually remarkable).

HolDar - if anyone needs a reminder about just what the Ukrainian athletes are going through, especially those who have chosen to remain in Ukraine to train, just listen to the lyrics of their FS. Haunting, sad, and true. I hope they get the Worlds SP TES min so that they can represent Ukraine in Montreal. We need these reminders and we'll need them in 6 months even more.

LaurEth - there's irony and then there's next level irony in pairs skating. They achieved L4 today with her in a crotch-baring lift to the lyrics "don't put me on display," But, I still like them and they're gonna be the plucky, li'l Canadian team that I root for.

PlaFern - Oh, I like this program for them. She really is a star in the lifts, and he's no slouch either. Really, she might be my favorite US pairs lady in the air with the way she presents herself so confidently on those lifts. Okay, well, no, Alexa is my fave, but Vale could rival Alexa eventually.

PerMich - program is fine, but I had a hard time focusing on anything but his shirt. Surely there's got to be something, somewhere in the middle of what Aymoz wore last year and what Trennt's got on this year when it comes to a man's costume for a Gladiator program.

HocKun - she is WAY too smiley for this music. Like, I'm talking Canadian levels of perk here. Anyway, they'll be battling for the Euros podium, for sure. Top 10 at Worlds again might be a stretch with 2 Italian teams, HaseVol, the Aussies, 2 or 3 decent US teams, MiuKih, SDDes and PerMich in the mix - and that's without a Russian team if they're allowed back by then.

HaseVol - that was perfectly bland. Well executed, blah blah blah, but BO-RING. All my comments about PavSvia could apply to HaseVol, except HaseVol get better PCS because they're skating for Germany and they're able to fall back on/rely upon the decent pairs tradition & reputation that Germany has built up over the decades.

BecGuar - so many thoughts. First... Cats. Seriously? You're senior level skaters with all the talent and skill to be top 10 in the world. Do better. Please. Second, while I was trying to find anything to focus on aside from the terrible music choice, I studied Matteo's costume closely. It is NOT a onesie. I repeat - it is NOT a onesie. You can clearly see where the pants and shirt aren't matching up at his waist on the side with the brown & gold glitter. Third - I'd have probably given them the win, but, like last week... home fed advantage and all that bull-puckey. As it is, they better be the first team given a 2nd GP assignment should any more openings occur - I'm lookin' at you, USFS, if Osipova/Epstein WD like they have from Lombardia & Nebelhorn already, or you, FFSG, if VouGin WD because you really don't have a 4th decent pairs team that we've seen skate yet and you've still got a TBD spot to fill that should go to Piegad/Strekalin.

 

[Wyliefan]

Re: My Fair Lady costumes, they've been a mixed bag over the years. There are so many gorgeous costumes in that film, it should be easy to come up with something good, but it seems it isn't always, especially for women. Meryl's never looked right to me -- too much going on in it. Federica Faiella, like Maria Mokhova, tried to copy the Ascot costume, and it nearly swallowed her alive. The best ones, to my knowledge, have been Tara Lipinski's and Sasha Cohen's (the latter complete with costume change and tiara!). And even with those, I probably would have reduced the size of the necklaces. They're clearly meant to copy the jewelry from the ball scene, but a necklace that looks good on a tall woman like Audrey Hepburn can be entirely too much for a petite teenager.

 

[Karen-W]

Re: My Fair Lady costumes, they've been a mixed bag over the years. There are so many gorgeous costumes in that film, it should be easy to come up with something good, but it seems it isn't always, especially for women. Meryl's never looked right to me -- too much going on in it. Federica Faiella, like Maria Mokhova, tried to copy the Ascot costume, and it nearly swallowed her alive. The best ones, to my knowledge, have been Tara Lipinski's and Sasha Cohen's (the latter complete with costume change and tiara!). And even with those, I probably would have reduced the size of the necklaces. They're clearly meant to copy the jewelry from the ball scene, but a necklace that looks good on a tall woman like Audrey Hepburn can be entirely too much for a petite teenager.

Of those you linked, I'd say I like Sasha's white dress that is reminiscent of Eliza's ball gown, best. But I don't think that would have worked on Maria at all. And, really, I puzzle as to what look anyone should aim for with a sibling team. I think Ivan is supposed to be portraying Freddy, which is probably the least offensive option since no one would understand a Colonel Pickering look and Freddy is just a nice, inoffensive boy who Eliza doesn't wind up with in the end. I mean, what's the other option for him? Henry Higgins? That's just a straight up, cringe-inducing nope from me.

 

[Wyliefan]

He could always dress as Alfie Doolittle.

 

[Karen-W]

He could always dress as Alfie Doolittle.

Really, now, can you see Ivan Mokhov with the personality and pluckiness to ham it up to "Get Me to the Church on Time"? There is only one male pairs skater out there today with the verve required to fill that role - and he's already got an Elvis SP program lined up for us with that girl he skates with in Boston.

 

[Rukia]

Really, now, can you see Ivan Mokhov with the personality and pluckiness to ham it up to "Get Me to the Church on Time"? There is only one male pairs skater out there today with the verve required to fill that role - and he's already got an Elvis SP program lined up for us with that girl he skates with in Boston.

idk if My Fair Lady is sexy enough for him anyway like maybe they could do the sadly short-lived sitcom Selfie version of the story because at least then he'd be playing a super hot guy

 

[~tapdancer~]

Only able to watch 2 pairs on youtube today, H/V(GER) were lovely imo in the FS. I liked it. For a new pair, they look very good. Also had to watch my fav Canadians, Per/Mich, loved that program! Feels a step up from last year and with more time working on speed and confidence in the program, this will be excellent. I just really like that team. I liked the ending pose.