Worlds 2012: Pairs SP recap

The performance of the night, courtesy of Japan

If someone yesterday predicted to me that, after the pairs short program at the 2012 World Championships:

-Volosozhar/Trankov are in eighth place, out of the final group, and in a virtual tie with Berton/Hotarek
-Takahashi/Tran are in the top three
-Kavaguti/Smirov are out of the final 2 groups
-Bazarova/Larionov are the leading Russians

.....I would've laughed in their face.

Yet such has become reality. Insert platitude about ice being slippery here, etc.

2012 European Figure Skating Championships: Men and Pairs

If the 2011 European Figure Skating Championships were characterized by the spate of warm and fuzzy feelings inflicted upon the audience, its 2012 counterpart can be said to be characterized by the domination of the Russian Federation in the sphere of European figure skating. Indeed, Mother Russia went from having won three of the possible twelve medals last year to the grand total of seven this year, including a clean sweep in pairs. Not bad. Even if such domination is unlikely to hold at the upcoming World Championships in Nice, progress has been made on the road to Sochi.


The biggest news story that pervaded this year's Europeans was undoubtedly the return of Evgeni Plushenko into the international eligible ranks after his eventful hiatus in the wake of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. After his coronation by his domestic judges at the 2011-2 Russian National Championships, Mr. Plushenko blithely proceeded to receive the somewhat of the same treatment by the international panel at Europeans, winning the gold medal by approximately 15 points. Well, one can one say about Mr. Plushenko at this point? Yes, Mr. Plushenko continues to single-handedly prove that reputation scoring survives alive and well under CoP despite many varied entreaties in the contrary, but at this competition, he was really the only one of the top group to really produce and, for the lack of a better word, bring it. Did he deserve all those rather generous PCS and GOEs? No. But did he deserve to win? Yes. Maybe this is an unintended side effect of watching Patrick Chan continually splat and win, but there's something relieving about seeing a skater who wins skating with confidence and no major errors. The fact that Mr. Plushenko managed to do so despite his geriatric status and his knees hanging by a thread is just astounding. Now, if only Mr. Plushenko could tone down the seizure impressions in the short program, ditch Edvin Marton, add some complexity to his programs....

Twenty questions about Trophée Eric Bompard 2011

Let's (sort of) play twenty questions!

1) Why were there pigeons in the arena?
2) Where on earth did Nan Song come from? I know he's Chinese
3) Am I the only one appalled by the fact that Carolina Kostner won the silver in a Grand Prix event in 2011 with a single triple loop as her most difficult jump, along with about 819487829 double toes in her long program?
4) Are Volosozhar/Trankov's transitions really worthy of 8s?
5) Where did Michal Brezina's increasingly mythical quad jumps disappear off to?
6) Does Alissa Czisny need to think about angels and clouds and being free when she skates?
7) How badly does Patrick Chan have to skate in order for him to lose a competition?
8) What were the judges smoking when they awarded Duhamel/Radford 115.56 with that truly dreadful 3-fall long program?
9) With such a disappointing Grand Prix season, will Didier Gailhaguet and the French Federation soon tear Florent Amodio away from the arms of Nikolai Morozov?
10) When was the last time Vera Bazarova ate something?