2023 Skate America Pairs FS - The Fellow Throws of Texas

[~tapdancer~]

Perreira & Michaud have a GOE problem. I don't know how high their ceiling is score wise, but their twist and lifts are going to keep holding them back, even if they land their jumps.

She is new to pairs. I think they are wonderful with some awesome potential for greatness.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Are we going to have to get used to this song in figure skating?

this is their second year in a row doing this exact music and program

 

[Sylvia]

Pairs
Result
FPl. Name Nation Points SP FS
1 Annika HOCKE / Robert KUNKEL GER 184.23 1 1
2 Lia PEREIRA / Trennt MICHAUD CAN 182.59 2 2
3 Chelsea LIU / Balazs NAGY USA 177.66 3 3
4 Valentina PLAZAS / Maximiliano FERNANDEZ USA 157.08 7 4
5 Isabelle MARTINS / Ryan BEDARD USA 154.66 4 5
6 Irma CALDARA / Riccardo MAGLIO ITA 138.18 5 6
7 Anastasia VAIPAN-LAW / Luke DIGBY GBR 133.84 6 7

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	CO	PR	SK	Ded. -	StN.
1​	Annika HOCKE / Robert KUNKEL	GER	120.64​	62.45​		59.19​	7.32​	7.46​	7.39​	1.00​	#7​
2​	Lia PEREIRA / Trennt MICHAUD	CAN	119.37​	61.26​		59.11​	7.46​	7.36​	7.32​	1.00​	#6​
3​	Chelsea LIU / Balazs NAGY	USA	116.43​	60.43​		57.00​	7.18​	6.96​	7.21​	1.00​	#5​
4​	Valentina PLAZAS / Maximiliano FERNANDEZ	USA	107.57​	55.61​		51.96​	6.50​	6.39​	6.57​	0.00​	#1​
5​	Isabelle MARTINS / Ryan BEDARD	USA	102.07​	50.97​		51.10​	6.46​	6.32​	6.36​	0.00​	#4​
6​	Irma CALDARA / Riccardo MAGLIO	ITA	85.96​	40.17​		47.79​	6.04​	5.75​	6.11​	2.00​	#3​
7​	Anastasia VAIPAN-LAW / Luke DIGBY	GBR	83.24​	36.07​		48.17​	6.04​	5.82​	6.18​	1.00​	#2​

FS protocols: http://www.isuresults.com/results/s...------FNL-000100--_JudgesDetailsperSkater.pdf

 

[peibeck]

Liu/Nagy were the most quality pair, but tech. Issues cost them. With Liu, this may always be the case but I’m gonna be irrational and still invest in this team and believe she can somehow figure out how to be more stable with her jumps overall. Sorry to repeat myself but I truly believe the issue with her jumps isn’t to do with mental issues as they usually are. There’s something about the way she messes up on them that make me think there’s a more practical fix. But I have no idea what I’m talking about, so don’t take me seriously.

How often I also felt this way about Marissa Castelli. Alas....

 

[Karen-W]

Well, good for HocKun for pulling out the win and getting more funding money they desperately need.

 

[Matryeshka]

Exactly. Moskvina's teams are a perfect example. She still emphasizes those classic qualities and it shows. Good quality pair skating will always be my favorite figure skating. Details to lift positions, synchronicity, run out on the throw jumps...

OMG, Totmianina's run out...that was just ART. I know she wasn't coached by Moskvina, but Moskvina was instrumental in getting them to the right coach, so it still counts.

 

[VGThuy]

Is there anyway we can decrease the requirements for level 3/4 lifts while still presenting an observable challenge and thus rewarding the top teams who can achieve those levels? I know GOEs is where we’re supposed to differentiate the top teams from the others but I remember people thinking the “dumbing down” of level 4 lifts in ice dance has resulted in lifts becoming way too simple vs. when they looked like a marathon.

I just want lifts to be held with beautiful lines and body positions again.

 

[rfisher]

This is why classic Russian style (Moscow technique and execution of elements with the personality and vision of St. Petersburg) will always be my favorite and I really really really have trouble letting go of that.

Today was Kostornaia and hubby's first competition. Their SBS triple flip was excellent, her lift positions are great because she's always had superb posture. She's landing the throws very well. Their weakness is the twist, but that's a really difficult element to master, but the other elements really are classic Russian pair skating which is really impressive given how new to pair skating she is. Other countries could do this with pair skating, but I just don't think it's been a priority where singles dominates.

 

[rfisher]

Is there anyway we can decrease the requirements for level 3/4 lifts while still presenting an observable challenge and thus rewarding the top teams who can achieve those levels? I know GOEs is where we’re supposed to differentiate the top teams from the others but I remember people thinking the “dumbing down” of level 4 lifts in ice dance has resulted in lifts becoming way too simple vs. when they looked like a marathon.

I just want lifts to be held with beautiful lines and body positions again.

They can. It depends on what the coach emphasizes. Holding tension in the lift and not flopping around like a dead starfish for one thing, or wobbling like a helicopter blade about to break.

 

[VGThuy]

Today was Kostornaia and hubby's first competition. Their SBS triple flip was excellent, her lift positions are great because she's always had superb posture. She's landing the throws very well. Their weakness is the twist, but that's a really difficult element to master, but the other elements really are classic Russian pair skating which is really impressive given how new to pair skating she is. Other countries could do this with pair skating, but I just don't think it's been a priority where singles dominates.

I think the issue with figure skating is that it really is a sport that requires full time dedication to get to the “ideal” level at a very young age where everything is done with such gusto but also attention to detail and posture/line, and it requires cultural/community support to provide centers and a pool of participants to fill those centers with, and better accessibility financially and time-wise so those with potential can be exposed to it and continue to participate in it.

Also, in 2023, we’re also very aware now of where things can go wrong in terms of health and safety for participants who are so young and don’t have full capacity and autonomy to make decisions on their own and when those who should be their guardians fail to safeguard them from those dangers. So that complicated matters too. Sigh.

 

[Sylvia]

Press conference is underway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8FQvLy4J-0

 

[~tapdancer~]

Happy for Lia and Trennt getting silver although they made the case for gold as well.

 

[skatingguy]

Exactly. Moskvina's teams are a perfect example. She still emphasizes those classic qualities and it shows. Good quality pair skating will always be my favorite figure skating. Details to lift positions, synchronicity, run out on the throw jumps...

But even Moskvina got caught up in the more is more style that the judging system can be. Go back, and watch programs from 2006/07 with Obertas/Slavnov, or Kavaguti/Smirnov to see examples. It seems like everyone experiments with the more is more style, and then they finally figure out they can score more points with simplified elements.

 

[Sylvia]

No, it already (should have) started. Peacock just won't go live until someone clicks the button, regardless of when the tile says it will start.

15:39:00 - 15:46:00 Warm-Up Group 1
15:46:30 - 15:54:10 1 Valentina PLAZAS / Maximiliano FERNANDEZ USA 7 49.51

@peibeck and anyone else who wants to watch Plazas/Fernandez's FS to the Top Gun Maverick OST: https://twitter.com/skatingarchive/status/1715835847507935582

 

[Lizziebeth]

@peibeck and anyone else who wants to watch Plazas/Fernandez's FS to the Top Gun Maverick OST: https://twitter.com/skatingarchive/status/1715835847507935582

Thank you for this! This program was pretty good and it explains why they moved up in the standings. Hope they can clean up the throw jumps, that would really help the scores.

Jumps too, but that seems to be an issue for just about all teams.

 

[BrightSkates]

Wrong thread

 

[victorskid]

That Figure Skating Show from CBC Sports with Asher Hill, Brenda Irving, and, everyone's favourite, Meagan Duhamel with the Pairs FS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSVz-_1_xzU&list=PLDsQU3UFA4hXMPS-ZioeBFuuxHMm98S0H&index=1

 

[Sylvia]

^^^ "This video is not available" - geoblocked for me

I've watched TFSS episodes on YouTube before so hopefully it eventually will be made available outside of Canada.

 

[Colonel Green]

Heh, the silver and bronze medalists cross onto the top spot on the podium to hug before Hocke/Kunkel come out.

 

[Colonel Green]

Good God, those medals are hideously tacky.

 

[Vagabond]

Good God, those medals are hideously tacky.

And the electronic German flag was backwards.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Good God, those medals are hideously tacky.

oh dear really? Any worse than the ones last year that had an anchor on them?

 

[Colonel Green]

oh dear really? Any worse than the ones last year that had an anchor on them?

They look like something you’d get in an Alamo-adjacent souvenir shop.

 

[Karen-W]

They look like something you’d get in an Alamo-adjacent souvenir shop.

And the anchor ones last year looked like something you'd get at a souvenir shop in any New England port.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

They look like something you’d get in an Alamo-adjacent souvenir shop.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

If they are not gonna put any effort into that, (or taking the wrinkles out of that banner, that’s being broadcast behind the athletes in the kiss and cry,) I just as much rather have a Starbucks card
Lol

can I get an amen

 

[tony]

If they are not gonna put any effort into that, (or taking the wrinkles out of that banner, that’s being broadcast behind the athletes in the kiss and cry,) I just as much rather have a Starbucks card
Lol

It's seemingly getting more and more low budget with USFS

can I get an amen

Where my people at

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

I mean, if they’re going to have a medal ceremony why not have proper medals. Even the medals I got in Boy Scouts were better. Oh wait those were patches. Yes those patches are even better.

and nothing see-through or clear, those are hideous

 

[Rukia]

For the record the digital flags appeared to be controlled by the ISU with all their other graphics, so I don't think that's on usfs or the local organizers. The ISU guy has like 5 laptops, 3 screens, and a tablet that he's messing with, so idk if he'd even notice the flag is backwards.

 

[Bunny Hop]

Well, that was the scariest pairs event I've watched in a while!