This is where we discuss figure skating and skating related items. How did you favourite skaters perform, and so on? However we never speculate on the private lives of skaters, like who might be going out with whom, because that is poison and is not tolerated here. A good guideline is that if it's not publicly announced, in the papers etc. then it's probably best to leave it alone. Is it a gray area? Then write to me and ask.
Elizabeth wrote: Thu Aug 17, 2023 11:03 pm
Don't forget to let us know all the details
I will do my best! It's been quite a few years since I've been able to see any skating live and in person. I think the last time was the GP Final for the 2001-2002 season, just prior to the Salt Lake City Olympics. That was a great event.
Ok - first afternoon session is done!! I watched the end of Juvenile Men (they were about 40 minutes behind schedule) and all divisions of the pairs from Juvenile through Senior. What a difference in speed (and danger) as you move through the levels.
I don't know if what follows below is considered a spoiler, and I also don't know how to hide it if it is.....so stop reading if you don't want to know anything!
I was there specifically to watch Trennt & Lea skate, and they did not disappoint! Their SP is skated to "River" by Bishop Briggs, and seems like a more mature vehicle than last year's program. They did not have costumes, so were just in black training gear. The warmup was remarkable. You can really see how Trennt in particular is hyper alert and focused through the whole 6 minute warmup. Lea was as well, and simply their speed and stroking around the rink in the first 15 seconds of the warmup took my breath away. Everything was landed cleanly in the warmup (3Twist, 3T, throw 3 loop, as well as some double axels from both of them, and a 3 salchow from Lea). My impression was that they were not treating this competition like a "slam dunk". It was clear they were focused as if this competition was the pinnacle of the season. No hint of holding back, or still being "in development".
The program itself was well-skated, but seemed a bit more nervy than the warmup. Side by side triple toes, great! 3twist was a bit funky on the catch, and it happened so fast I'm not entirely sure if she pulled out of the triple and it ended up a messy double. Whatever it was, it was high! Step out from Lea on the throw triple loop. Lifts and spins all well done. The death spiral seemed a bit of work for the final rotation.
The scores were clearly in a league of their own, and the reaction of the small audience was crazy wild for them. Looking forward to their long program tomorrow!
It was also fun to be sharing space with some of the old skaters I remember from yesteryear, like Michael Slipchuk, Anabelle Langlois & Cody Hay, and Chris Mabee. Danielle Earl was also sitting rinkside taking photographs.
Tonight is the Senior Men SP. I thought Roman Sadovsky was originally entered in this event, but he is no longer on the list. Wonder what Stephen Gogolev will do?
I found the sound in the area to be quite soft, and in particular it was often very difficult to hear the announcement of the skaters, rankings, and scores. I don't know how to get the new scoring system on my phone
I got home in time to watch the Senior Pairs SPs on the Skate Canada Dailymotion channel. I missed the warm-ups but enjoyed the programs.
Here are the results: Rank Starting Order Warm-Up Group Competitor Club Section Elements Components Adjustments Score
1 1 1 Lia Pereira / Trennt Michaud Milton SC & Trenton FSC ON 34.83 29.28 0.00 64.11
2 3 1 Caidence Derenisky / Raine Eberl Skate Regina SK 31.20 25.79 0.00 56.99
3 2 1 Ashlyn Schmitz / Tristan Taylor Shellbrook SC & Skate Regina SK 27.97 22.87 0.00 50.84
Ok - so different rink tonight for the men.....and it was FREEZING in there!! Bench seating on ice level and I thought I was going to die, but obviously I didn't.
Gogolev skated, and was good to see him go for everything. Didn't quite make the quad toe, but quad sal/double toe and triple axel all fired. Have to say though, he is VERY slow, and really does not appear invested in anything in between the jumps.
Bruce Waddel had beautiful carriage by comparison, and keep your eyes on Alec Guinzbourg. He was a joy to watch, and came just under two points away from Gogolev, with no quads. There is a quality about him.
Kevin wrote: Fri Aug 18, 2023 11:36 pm
Ok - so different rink tonight for the men.....and it was FREEZING in there!! Bench seating on ice level and I thought I was going to die, but obviously I didn't.
Gogolev skated, and was good to see him go for everything. Didn't quite make the quad toe, but quad sal/double toe and triple axel all fired. Have to say though, he is VERY slow, and really does not appear invested in anything in between the jumps.
Bruce Waddel had beautiful carriage by comparison, and keep your eyes on Alec Guinzbourg. He was a joy to watch, and came just under two points away from Gogolev, with no quads. There is a quality about him.
Thanks for the update Kevin! It will be interesting to see who wins the men's Canadian title this year.
"At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis)
I wondered if you were among the hardy few in those benches at ice level, Kevin!
I watched from the comfort of home on DailyMotion. I echo all of your assessments.
The Sr. Men SP results: Rank Starting Order Warm-Up Group Competitor Club Section Elements Components Adjustments Score
1 2 1 Stephen Gogolev Granite Club ON 43.79 35.82 -1.00 78.61
2 5 1 Alec Guinzbourg Granite Club ON 43.16 34.32 -1.00 76.48
3 3 1 Bruce Waddell Granite Club ON 35.82 36.15 0.00 71.97
4 1 1 Jackson Ellis Granite Club ON 22.20 27.81 0.00 50.01
5 4 1 Howard Leung Richmond Training Centre ON 18.69 23.39 -1.00 41.08
Stephen's deduction was a time violation while Alec's was for a fall.
Unfortunately the ice dance and the men's FS will also be in that COLD arena.
It was SOOO COLD!!! And I was a trooper. You can see me sitting wearing black behind Gogolev's quad toe and triple axel, with my arms crossed - not because I'm grumpy but because I thought my fingers were going to fall off.
I noticed Gogolev finished a little after his music, which makes sense, since I don't think he was listening to it AT ALL.
I'm sad they considered Guinzbourg's issue a "fall". He lost his balance in the last 5 seconds of the program on a knee slide, but I wouldn't consider it a fall.
I'm not going to the dance events because I have other commitments this weekend. I think I will skip the pairs free, due to the withdrawal, but will attend the Women's Short tonight, and possibly the Men's Free if there are no withdrawals and I think I can bring enough warm clothes to survive it.
Being a skating fan can sometimes require a lot of stamina! Summertime skate watching requires two separate wardrobes - one for outside and one for inside the arena, for sure, but this sounds extreme!
Enjoy whatever you get to see, Kevin.
Last edited by Elizabeth on Sat Aug 19, 2023 8:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Use this link to access the Kitchener event results: https://lamp.skatecanada.ca/alex/cssWeb ... f80907a4e&
If you do that, on the results for each individual completed event you should see a blue > at the far right for each skater - that takes you directly the video of their skate.
That might help to find "our Kevin" watching (& freezing) during Stephen Gogolev's SP yesterday
Here's the link to the Sr. Men SP results: https://lamp.skatecanada.ca/alex/cssWeb ... f80907a4e&
Thank you Kevin, I really enjoyed your commentary, it was almost like being there, including feeling the cold. Elizabeth comments help to fill in the blanks. Your are a great team.
