2023 NHK Trophy Pairs FS - Mount Wedgie

[skatfan]

Ok I’m out now. Glad to have company watching!

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Btw, talking about American couples with male partners who should represent another country, what happened to Danylo Siianytsia? He is so amazing I even bothered to learn how he spells his name, and it's a full time job for someone who knows for a fact it's "Sianytsa".

 

[Karen-W]

Btw, talking about American couples with male partners who should represent another country, what happened to Danylo Siianytsia? He is so amazing I even bothered to learn how he spells his name, and it's a full time job for someone who knows for a fact it's "Sianytsa".

Partner-less at the moment. There aren't a lot of good female pairs partner options in the US right now - lots of great men but most of the women struggle with the jumps.

 

[skatingguy]

Ghilardi, Rebecca/Ambrosini, Filippo
Coach: Rosanna Murante, Ondrej Hotarek
Music: Bram Stoker's Dracula, Blood for Dracula

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

And yes, we are living in the universe in which Italy is the leading nation in pairs.

I wonder who squished that butterfly.

 

[Bunny Hop]

Ghilardi/Ambrosini - The other vampire program. Issue with SBS jump for her, and bobble on throw landing, but otherwise pretty good.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

I don't think that the battalion of Chinese fans of Ghilardi/Ambrosini are going to see them in Beijing.

Was she always so horrible on the salchow?

They seem happy. I wonder why.

 

[Karen-W]

Is it possible that Ghilardi's salchow technique is actually getting worse with each competition?

Also - two vampire programs at the GPF are two too many for me.

 

[skatingguy]

Ghilardi, Rebecca/Ambrosini, Filippo
Coach: Rosanna Murante, Ondrej Hotarek
Music: Bram Stoker's Dracula, Blood forDracula

3Tw 4
3S< - she put her hands down
2A+2A+1A+SEQ
Reverse Lasso Lift 4
Back Outside Death Sp 3
Choreo Sequence
Throw 3Lz
Throw 3Lo
Hand/Hip Lift 4
Axel Lasso Lift 4
Pair Combo Spin 3

I have a hard time with this team because I just can't get past her jump technique. Solid pairs elements, but the program is lacking something.

123.49 = 1st Place
186.47 = 1st Place

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Well, it is a convincing vampire program, anyway. They definitely sucked.

 

[skatingguy]

Golubeva, Anastasia/Giotopoulos Moore, Hektor
Coach: Galina Pachina, Andrei Pachin
Music: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg by Michel Legrand

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

"Unbrellas" is probably the last thing I associate with the Golubeloupolusas. And her dress is a different kind of crime against humanity

 

[Bunny Hop]

Golubeva/Giotopoulos Moore - I find the vertical frills on her dress a bit odd. Hektor tried to slip on a spreadeagle, error on throw landing by Anastasia and dodgy lift. Hmmmm, I'm not sure that's going to hold for a medal.

 

[skatingguy]

Golubeva, Anastasia/Giotopoulos Moore, Hektor
Coach: Galina Pachina, Andrei Pachin
Music: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg by Michel Legrand

3Tw 2 - poor catch
3T+3T+2T
Throw 3S
3S
Back Outside Death Sp 2
Pair Combo Spin 4
Axel Lasso Lift 4
Throw 3Lo - big step out - low landing
Reverse Lasso Lift 4 (3 after review) - Hektor tripped, but they kept it up
Hand/Hand Press Lift 3
Choreo Sequence

About the same as Skate Canada, just that the errors came in different places - probably going to finish 4th again.

120.78 = 2nd Place
185.39 = 2nd Place

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Anyway, the weird choice of music and her dress aside, G/GM are probably the best young pair right now, and I am wishing them all the best. Not a lot of "pairness" there, but he is a very good partner, and she can jump if thrown strong enough.

Last year already I thought they could win both the Junior and the Senior Prand Prix Final. At the very least, I think they have a 4CC medal in the bag.

 

[Karen-W]

GoluGM - is there some sort of arm or shoulder injury going on with Hektor? I don't remember them struggling with the twist or lifts like this. Solid but that's going to drop them off the podium again.

 

[Lizziebeth]

It is the middle of the night here so I don't need a heart attack watching a lift

This young pair is talented IMHO

 

[skatingguy]

Beccari, Lucrezia/Guarise, Matteo
Coach: Luca Dematte, Rosanna Murante
Music: Cats (soundtrack)

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Beccardi/Guarise.
Oh, gosh, I still remember the days when he has just switched from the roller skates. Time flies
So much time has passed since, it is now relatively work safe to google his photos....

 

[Amy L]

I just can't.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

In the terms of chemistry on the ice, they give me the Kovalevs vibes. I wonder why, they are both quite good, and I don't recall him being so uninterested with Della-Monica

 

[Bunny Hop]

Beccari/Guarise - It was going pretty well, then a bad lift (came down safely enough though) and hand down on the second throw. Mostly solid but not outstanding.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Ok, with all my love for Matteo, this is quite unwatchable. Some good elements, others - they just couldn't have bothered less. And I haven't seen such facial expressions since the happy days of Albena Denkova. WTF is going on?

 

[Karen-W]

BecGuar - do any of these teams want to win? Or at least skate clean? It'll be interesting to see what the tech panel does with Matteo's 3s - looked << to my eye. I think they're still going to medal, but it could make it close for the lead.

 

[Belsornia]

I think if you’re going to skate to Cats you’ve got to really commit to skating to Cats (and probably everyone will cringe a bit if you’re a 35 year old guy) and not just skate while Cats is playing.

 

[skatingguy]

Beccari, Lucrezia/Guarise, Matteo
Coach: Luca Dematte, Rosanna Murante
Music: Cats (soundtrack)

3Tw 4
3T+1A+2A+SEQ
3S< - he put his hand down
Back Inside Death Sp 1
Throw 3Lo
Reverse Lasso Lift 4
Choreo Sequence
Axel Lasso Lift B
Throw 3S - hand down
Hand/Hip Lift 4
Pair Combo Spin 4

Still a work in progress like most new teams.

123.54 = 1st Place
190.31 = 1st Place

 

[skatingguy]

Hase, Minerva Fabienne/Volodin, Nikita
Coach: Dmitri Savin, Knut Schubert,Rico Rex
Music: The Path of Silence, Power of Mind

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

61 PCS and 123 total?
Are hard drugs legal in Japan?

 

[Bunny Hop]

They seem surprised to be in the lead - Lucrezia looked like she was saying "how did that happen?"

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Ok, the sbs jumps aside, this is easily the best pair in the world right now. I mean, yes, these were Ghilardesque 2s, and yes, I saw a horde of elephants running between them on the jumping pass, but the throws are the Volosozhar level of beauty, they are a great match, the pairs elements are fantastic and they bother with choreography.

I'm impressed. Go them.