Tarasova’s Mink here with a brief recap of the Pairs SP at Cup of China.
Evora & Ladwig sit in fifth place with a score of 51.46 after an error-prone short to “The Mask of Zorro”. Mark stumbled on the SBS triple toe; Amanda may have under rotated hers. Mark was also out of synch on their SBS spins. Despite the errors, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they (or Yankowskas & Coughlin) could take the national title away from Denney & Barrett, especially in light of D/B’s seventh-place finish in the free at NHK Trophy, where they placed fifth overall (behind Y&C).
Fresh off their victory at Canadian Nationals, Pt. 2 (which in some circles is being amusingly referred to as Skate Canada), the Russian team of Iliushechkina & Maisuradze finished fourth with a cleanly performed SP. Although they incurred a time-violation deduction that resulted in a score of 55.85, they skated with speed and precision throughout their elements.
The team of Yankowskas & Coughlin finished third after the SP (57.86), performing to another Piazzolla tango. They completed all their major elements without fail; the only minor quibble was a low landing on their throw triple salchow. Given the pair’s inconsistency in delivering back-to-back clean performances, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to stave off the Russians as well as their compatriots for a spot on the podium.
Unsurprisingly, the Chinese pairs finished 1-2 in the short. The NHK Trophy champions Pang & Tong, have a slight lead of 60.62 over their teammates Sui & Han (the reigning Junior World Champs), who scored 59.58 in their GP senior debut. Sui looks all of eight, while Han appears to be nearing puberty at the tender age of twelve. With their youthful statures, they manage to launch monstrously huge throws with the greatest of ease.
1. Qing PANG / Jian TONG CHN 60.62 30.13 30.49 7.82 7.29 7.61 7.64 7.75 0.00 #8
2. Wenjing SUI / Cong HAN CHN 59.58 35.57 26.01 6.32 6.36 6.61 6.64 6.57 2.00 #6
3. Caitlin YANKOWSKAS / John COUGHLIN USA 57.86 31.20 26.66 6.82 6.21 6.86 6.68 6.75 0.00 #4
4. Lubov ILIUSHECHKINA / Nodari MAISURADZE RUS 55.85 30.53 26.32 6.61 6.25 6.61 6.68 6.75 1.00 #3
5. Amanda EVORA / Mark LADWIG USA 51.46 28.69 22.77 5.82 5.39 5.75 5.86 5.64 0.00 #2
6. Nicole DELLA MONICA / Yannick KOCON ITA 49.81 25.95 23.86 6.14 5.79 6.04 6.04 5.82 0.00 #7
7. Huibo DONG / Yiming WU CHN 46.05 21.74 24.31 6.36 5.89 6.14 6.07 5.93 0.00 #5
8. Kaleigh HOLE / Adam JOHNSON CAN 43.02 23.96 20.06 5.18 4.82 4.89 5.11 5.07 1.00 #1
Chinese Cowboy and Cowgirl, Sui & Han are so adorable! I just about fell off my horse of a desk chair when they went splat toward the end. It's a perfectly gimmicky sp debut for a junior pair, especially their lasso-life spiral. SH all ready have the uncanny ability to inhabit characters on ice. Hopefully, their spunk, reminiscent of G&G, will evolve into mature magick.
ReplyDeleteaddendum, considering Aunt Joyce's meticulous readership: reminiscent of "early" G&G. SH also have a similar excitement quality as Shen and Zhao. Comparisons, comparisons. I get the feeling that falling isn't apocalyptic for the Chinese pair: falls are humorous glitches that they don't dwell on, apparently.
ReplyDeleteChinese Cowboy is unfortunately 5 foot nothing (haha not really, but he's around 5'5" at the most, I'd say, AKA painfully short), so unless Cowgirl isn't going to grow and will remain 11 yrs old forever, I could easily see this pair having major issues. She might just have to find a more normal-sized guy.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy their enthusiasm and expression on the ice though.
"YankCough" sounds like a common doctor's request to a male patient ;-)
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of a growth spurt; late bloomers. If not, a more suitable Chinese partnership can be arranged.
ReplyDelete