Ice Dancing Short Program
Today's competition begins with the Chinese pair, performing in their second Olympics. They came in 19th in their event in Vancouver, but hope that the team competition at this Olympics will allow them to join their countrymen in a Chinese victory in Sochi. Their lively program is entertaining with a ballroom feel, but some of their timing is off, as well as technical elements lacking in perfection. They were awarded with a 47.88 score.The Ukrainian team, who trains in Hackensack, New Jersey, lacks both speed and unison as they struggle to create a seamless program. Their music selection has a roaring 20's feel as they spin to the jazzy trumpets in the background, but they just don't appear to be quite as in-sync as other teams. They received a score of 49.19.
Japanese skaters, brother and sister Cathy and Chris Reed, are the 6-time Japanese National Champions. They hope to continue to raise Japan in the team standings following Yuzuru Hanyu's impressive performance in the Men's Short Program. The speed and energy of their dance is infectious, even though this is one of the least-performed dances in this competition. Brother and sister seem to know that their performance has been a success as they share a joyful hug on the ice. Their score is the highest yet, a 52.00.
The German team is welcomed on to the ice with the traditional cowbell. Their dance is based on a story, something that this couple is known for. His costume is every bit the nerdy professor, complete with elbow patches, a sweater vest, a bow tie, and round glasses. She is dressed in a costume that brings to mind a burlesque style as she plays with his heart throughout their dance before he falls head-over-heels for her. The judges reward their story with s 58.04, as the cowbell clangs out its congratulations.
European Championships Bronze medal pair from Great Britain has a distinct height difference, where she stands at 5'1" and he is 6'. This leads to some issues in hold elements of the dance, but allows them to perform some impressive flips that would be much difficult if they were closer in height. Their enjoyment for the sport shows in the performance as they skate off the ice to wait for their scores with the rest of the British team. They come in second in this short program with a 52.93, which seems to be something of a disappointment to the pair.
In the second group of the competition, Team USA gold medal favorites Meryl Davis and Charlie White are matched against their Canadian competitors Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.
However, the 3-time European Championship French team is first to compete as they dance to the music of Chicago. Their energy, synchronicity, and technical skill put their dance a cut above those in the first group. Having broken 70 in their scores earlier in the season, a score of 69.15 seems to be a disappointment as the dance pair is comforted by the rest of their French teammates.
Italian pair Cappellini and Lanotte bring a high level of drama to the ice. Before becoming skating partners, the two dated for a while. Even after breaking up, their former intimacy seems to have brought an astonishing level of passion to their ice dance. Their broad motions give their dance a larger-than-life quality as they perform brilliant flips to end their program. A 64.92 score places them below the French team as the rest of the Italian skaters comfort them before turning to watch the Russian pair.
The "Rus-si-a" chant echoes through the Ice Palace as the Russians begin their dance to Moulin Rouge. A lack of postural perfection and a greater-than-usual distance between the partners is worrisome in the completion of some required elements of the program, but the cheers and applause of the crowd indicates that their home-team popularity transcends any mistakes they might make. As their score of 70.27 is announced, thunderous applause nearly brings down the house.
Canadian defending Gold Medal Champions Virtue and Moir dance to "Dream a Little Dream" with an elegance and level of unison yet to be surpassed at these Olympics. Virtue makes a slight error in the side-by-side twizzle element of the dance, a mistake which could place them firmly behind their rivals, Davis and White. Their score of 72.98 is low for this team, but places them at the top of the current standings.
Two-season undefeated USA team Meryl Davis and Charlie White perform to "I could have Danced all Night" from My Fair Lady. Their ballroom-style costumes match perfectly with the sophisticated elegance of music and of their dancing. White's coattails flutter in time with Davis's pale pink skirts as they glide across the ice in clear enjoyment of their art. Their beautiful lines and clear synchronicity show that they, like Eliza Dolittle, could truly have danced all night. 75.98 places them definitively ahead of all other competitors, which puts the United States in third place in the team skating competition.
After their performance and before the Ladies' short program, NBC interviewed Davis and White.
"Now that we're done with that, it's nice to see the US back up on the board," Davis said. USA team captain White added, "The beautiful thing about all of our team is that they know what they need to do and we're all really just here to support them."
Ladies' Short Program
Canadian skater Katelyn Osmond will lead off the short programs. A foot injury and torn hamstring have left questions about her abilitiy to compete successfully in this competition. Her initial triple toe, triple toe combination was executed quite well and her modern music selection allowed her to connect the choreography with her music nicely. Her late-program double axel was also strong and it is clear that Osmond enjoyed her skate. She scored a 62.54.
The Chinese National Champion skated to a classical version of the Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black" and opened her program with the same triple-triple combination that Osmond performed. Her choreography seemed somewhat out of sync with the musical arrangement, but the technical aspects of the program were quite solid. A 54.58 represented her technical strength, but was lowered by her lack of connection with the choreography.
Eleven-time British National Champion Jenna McCorkell opened the program with a triple flip, double toe combination, followed by another triple toe. Her vibrant classical selection had some Scottish overtones befitting her country, which matched the elegance of her clean program. She received a 50.09, representing the low difficulty of many of her technical elements.
Ukranian skater Natalia Popova entered with shouts of encouragement from the large Ukranian audience as she executed her triple flip combination. Her double axel was also met with applause as the tempo of her music increased and she spun into the finale of her performance. Surrounded by an enthusiastic Ukranian team, Popova cheered as she received a 53.44.
Nathalie Weinzierl of Germany was greeted with the now familiar German cowbell as her program got off to a sultry style. A slight under rotation on her triple toe loop combination caused some issues, and she fell completely on her late program double axel. She landed her triple lutz, but like the other elements, it lacked solidity. A 52.16 put her in fourth place and ended the first group of skaters in the Ladies' short program.
Starting off the second group is French skater Mae Berenice Meite. Her musical selection by Prince showcases her speed and her powerful triple toe, triple toe combination, followed by a triple loop. She managed to work well with her unusual music and pulled off an impressively unique program for a score of 55.45.
USA skater Ashley Wagner seems nervous as she takes the ice for her short program, which has a rock and roll feel as she goes into her triple triple combination. Her late program triple loop is solid, as is her double axel. The American team gave her a huge round of applause as she finished with the highest score yet, 63.10, but far from her personal best. After the final scores were recorded, Wagner said, "The entire performance was redemption for me."
Fifteen year old Russian skater, Yulia Lipnitskaya, begins with a huge reception from the Russian audience as she enters with an understated elegance. Her triple lutz, triple toe combination is beautiful and among the most difficult performed thus far. A clean triple flip and amazingly flexible positions bring her into the end of her program as she spends incredibly quickly and ends in the same demure position on the ice as she began. The youngest skater in this competition received a 72.90, placing her firmly above everyone else.
Mao Asada of Japan followed Lipnitskaya with a Chopin piece, but an under rotation on her triple axel caused her to fall to the ice. Her next jumps were clean, but the deductions for the missed axel are difficult to come back from. Despite the triple axel issue, her sophisticated program fully demonstrated what a beautiful skater she truly is, with choreography that showed off her talent and grace. Even with her fall, she scored a 64.07, putting Japan in the top four for the Team Skating event and ensuring her country a place in the free skate.
Italian skater Carolina Kostner skated to Ave Maria by Schubert, music especially fitting to her long lines and well-known elegance. She landed her triple-triple combination well and was cheered on loudly from the enthusiastic Italian contingent. While somewhat slower in her spins than previous performers, Kostner still managed to land all of her jumps and perform an artistic program very fitting for her Italian homeland. Her 70.84 score put her in second place and allowed Italy to gain 5th place and advance to the free skate.
Russia, Canada, the United States, Japan, and Italy have made it to the finals of the Team Figure Skating Competition, where all of their skaters will compete in the free skate programs to try and reach the podium.
Pairs Free Skate
For the Free Skate part of the Pairs Team Competition, the United States and Russia have both chosen to use one of their two substitutions and will be using different pairs in the free skate than they did in the short program.
The Japanese team starts off the pairs free skate with a side-by-side triple combination, but she two-footed the landing. A later side-by-side triple salchow is performed nearly in unison and the theme from Les Miserable floats through the Ice Skating Palace. On a throw later in the program, she stumbles a bit on the landing, which shows the relatively short amount of time that the pair has been skating together. An 86.33 puts Japan in a difficult situation for the team competition, as this is nowhere near the pair's personal best.
Team USA performs to a trendy "Skyfall" program. A triple twist throw started off the spy theme well, as did the side-by-side triple toe loops. An impressive throw quadruple salchow had an unfortunate landing, but the technique of the initial throw was likely to bring in sufficient points to save the move. A later throw triple salchow and throw triple twist gave a nice recovery as the two skated very much in unison. Peanut Gallery, "Maybe they shouldn't have have picked something with the word 'fall' in it." The pair received a score of 177.94.
The Italian pair performs to the soundtrack of Dracula, a composition that matches their vampy red and black costume choices. A triple twist throw had a questionable landing, and she fell during what should have been one of the easier elements of the performance. Her fall left the pair out of sync with one another, causing further difficulties. Their throw triple salchow was solid, as were several later lifts in the program. A score of 128.2 puts them in the lead, but her fall seems to have led to an injury, as she was seen icing her hip as they announced the score.
The Canadian skaters performed a classical program with impressive lifts and perfectly synchronized spins. Their throw triple salchow was clean, and the lifts throughout the program showcased the strength of the male skater. However, their later triple salchow left something to be desired with a two-handed landing on her part. Although not a favorite for an individual medal, their performance has helped Canada remain strong in the team competition with a score of 129.74.
Russia's substitution pair is a somewhat risky move because of the immense talent of the pair that performed in the short program. However, Russia's comfortable seat in the team standings, combined with the close timing of the pairs short program in the individual competition, provides a good reason for their decision.
The pair will skate to music from the Addams Family and, in now-familiar Russian style, is hailed with a massive welcome in their home country. Their initial throw triple flip is flawless, but their side by side double toe loops are barely saved from potential disaster as she fails to complete a rotation. "They're so good and so cheesy at the same time." Huge lifts and impressive death spins are incorporated into their program along with choreography that demonstrates the amazing flexibility of both skaters. A throw triple salchow ends their program and it is clear from the reactions of the skaters and the audience that Russia's top place in the team standings has been confirmed. A score of 135.09 is hailed with hugs, tears, and massive celebrations from the Russan team.
Russia now has a six point lead in the standings, which will make it extremely difficult for any other countries to best them in the later competitions.
Team USA performs to a trendy "Skyfall" program. A triple twist throw started off the spy theme well, as did the side-by-side triple toe loops. An impressive throw quadruple salchow had an unfortunate landing, but the technique of the initial throw was likely to bring in sufficient points to save the move. A later throw triple salchow and throw triple twist gave a nice recovery as the two skated very much in unison. Peanut Gallery, "Maybe they shouldn't have have picked something with the word 'fall' in it." The pair received a score of 177.94.
The Italian pair performs to the soundtrack of Dracula, a composition that matches their vampy red and black costume choices. A triple twist throw had a questionable landing, and she fell during what should have been one of the easier elements of the performance. Her fall left the pair out of sync with one another, causing further difficulties. Their throw triple salchow was solid, as were several later lifts in the program. A score of 128.2 puts them in the lead, but her fall seems to have led to an injury, as she was seen icing her hip as they announced the score.
The Canadian skaters performed a classical program with impressive lifts and perfectly synchronized spins. Their throw triple salchow was clean, and the lifts throughout the program showcased the strength of the male skater. However, their later triple salchow left something to be desired with a two-handed landing on her part. Although not a favorite for an individual medal, their performance has helped Canada remain strong in the team competition with a score of 129.74.
Russia's substitution pair is a somewhat risky move because of the immense talent of the pair that performed in the short program. However, Russia's comfortable seat in the team standings, combined with the close timing of the pairs short program in the individual competition, provides a good reason for their decision.
The pair will skate to music from the Addams Family and, in now-familiar Russian style, is hailed with a massive welcome in their home country. Their initial throw triple flip is flawless, but their side by side double toe loops are barely saved from potential disaster as she fails to complete a rotation. "They're so good and so cheesy at the same time." Huge lifts and impressive death spins are incorporated into their program along with choreography that demonstrates the amazing flexibility of both skaters. A throw triple salchow ends their program and it is clear from the reactions of the skaters and the audience that Russia's top place in the team standings has been confirmed. A score of 135.09 is hailed with hugs, tears, and massive celebrations from the Russan team.
Russia now has a six point lead in the standings, which will make it extremely difficult for any other countries to best them in the later competitions.
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