Boot and Blade

I hope Canadian skating fans enjoyed nationals as much as I did! I was a bit hesitant to write predictions, but I did quite well if I do say so myself.

• Patrick Chan was indeed up for the task and, as Kurt Browning remarked, “attacked” both programs confidently. This is a great showing for a pre-Olympic year.
• Kevin Reynolds simply isn’t ready. His lack of speed and artistry is too problematic, even with quads. These are the same problems that Mira Leung has not been able to overcome. It makes me wonder about the training philosophy over at Eight Rinks.
• Joannie Rochette certainly wasn’t flawless, but now hopefully has the short program jitters out of her system.
• I was so pleased to see Cynthia Phaneuf get a spot on the World team. What can I say, I love the comeback kids.
• Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison make me nervous. Their performances often seem tentative and shaky, even a remarkable free skate like the one they pulled off at Canadians. Check back on some earlier posts to see how I felt about “Carmen” for their free skate.
• Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir surprised me the most. I thought their free dance was especially risky, but a good choice. International judges don’t seem to reward modern music and choreography as often as they do classical programs. It will be very interesting to see how this innovative and complex program is rewarded at Worlds.

My favourite moments from last week’s competition were Patrick Chan and Vaughn Chipeur’s short programs, Joannie Rochette’s free program and seeing Cythia Phaneuf happy with her performance at last. What were your highlights?

Posted on January 22nd, 2009 under Events, Skaters. Tags: Bryce Davison, Cynthia Phaneuf, Jessica Dube, joannie rochette, Patrick Chan, Scott Moir, Tessa Virtue, Vaughn Chipeur. RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback.