Figure Skating: Junior Worlds Pairs FS

Kazantseva/Enbert RUS
Die Fleidermouse
him purple overall, white shirt, her brighter purple dress with purple illusion sleeves and a white sequined stripe down the back. Very nice, tasteful and attractive costumes.

T2L fall her. 3T her fall. bad unison break. S2T iffy catch. SBS 3S her fall. fly camel bad unison break half beill HIS was nicer. nice sbs side spiral, eh forward spiral, nice back half beill spiral good matching positions. overhead lift him scary footwork. her nice positions. a very difficult lift though. T3T LANDED! SBS circle FW pretty good unison. overhead lift aborted. overhead lift one arm nice position, good footwork but slow. weak FI DS. pairs sit ch camel sit-sit

She's young... but has a nice quality I think will age well. She has nice in air positions in her lifts. But as tiny as she is, he seems to have a lot of trouble lifting her. They match pretty well for all that he is a GOOD 14" taller than she is! She looks very sad and almost ashamed in the K&C. It was not a great skate for her. They had a lot of difficulty though.

30.17 + 31.88 = 60.05 T = 99.61

Goreeva/Talan UKR
Chicago
black/grey striped tux. black dress with yellow/gold accents/underskirt
sbs 2T. good speed. s2T eh. T3S her fall. sbs 1A steps 2T. sbs camel twist ch sit catch not so great unison. They sell this program well though. back press lift nice steady footwork. overhead lift, nice speed, good footwork, pretty good position for her. T3T nice. they have nice unison. star lift good speed and position. eh spiral sorta steady COE more eh spirals. really EH back spiral. over head into BO DS, so so position from her. SL FW poor unison not selling it really anymore. bobble. pairs camel ch pairs camel, sit.

She looks dizzy as she finishes. She is tall for him and not the skinny girl we normally see in young pairs. On the other hand, he lifts her really well, with good security (perhaps because the lifts are simple) and speed. I prefer this pair who can DO their lifts to the pairs with more difficulty who are scary. It will be interesting to see how this pair develops.
35.77 + 33.61 = 68.38 T = 104.19 (Personal Best)

An/Wu CHN
black with green. greens fading to black at bottom with mandarin collar
modern music with Chinese sound
sbs 3T her fall. huge S2T. huge T2L. pairs camel, camel-sit, sit-beill. ch camel, poor can-opener spin. overhead lift eh positions decent footwork. spirals side spirals nicer, forward spirals slow and careful. sbs 2A okay. star lift aborted. sbs fly camel bad unison catch knee ch sit sit catch foot side. huge T3S her fall. overhead lift him so so footwork. SL FW fairly decent unison. FI DS with half beill entry variation

They look fairly well matched, though she is quite small. She is not so thin as other CHN pair girls have been... a welcome change if you ask me!

30.49 + 30.84 = 59.33 T = 96.40

Riberio/Chutter CAN
black pants light peach shirt, her light peach with crissy crossy
The Legend
NICE S2T arms over head landing. T3S her 2footed. overhead him decent footwork her nice position. sbs 2A her fall. nice unison. overhead lift him okay FW. T2S. sbs fly camel; pretty good unison camel sit ch camel sit upright sit catch. sbs 2T something weird with his sbs 2T her: funny landing. star lift aborted. SBS SL FW decent speed eh unison. FI Ds with entry variation wobbly. side catch spiral CEO nice, BI spiral eh, pairs came; sit him catch ch pairs sit finish slightly after music.

These two are pretty well matched in height and ability. they have that nice Canadian pairness and decent confidence. She has nice air positions in her lifts--when they happen. they have a lovely S2T, good split.

36.78 + 32.64 = 68.42 T = 106.46

Namiotka/Coughlin USA
black pants and ashes of rose shirt/ ashes of rose dress with straps. she is tall and THIN.
Prince of Egypt
lasso lift to carry nice positions to turning again. very secure footwork. sbs 2A her whippy but good unison. sbs camel sit ch sit NICE unison. good stroking. star lift eh position change star. HUGE T3S. S3?T nice. very big. steps sbs 2F 2T. T2L. good speed circle FW nice unison. overhead lift sos so position NICE FW for him. good ice coverage eh pairs spirals. good matching eh positions. sit-camel sit-sit pair camel pairs site pairs layback. NICE FI DS past and GREAT body position for her on the entry. FANTASTIC

OH MY GOD. An American pair I can get excited about! They were great! They have very nice unison all over, but particularly in spins... and absolutely HUGE throws and twists. Her body position in the FI DS would be the envy of the senior pairs event at the OOOs.

48.95 + 39.89 = 88.84 T = 132.35

Note from a reader:
Apparently, Namiotka has a health problem that is controlled with a special diet which contributes to her being so thin and she is sensitive about people noticing how thin she is and thinking she might be anoretic—understandable. You can read about Namiokta's health in her USFS bio. News like that is always troubling, so here's wishing a complete recovery (or at least good control of her health issues) to this talented young lady. I hope we get to see her and her partner develop in years to come.

Maheu/Cote CAN
black pants and shirt with greek decorations. her deep back green dress
spanish music
small S2T. T3S her pitch forward but landed. lasso overhead to star. eh. sbs 2A both fall. side spiral. eh forward COE spiral VERY EH. poor positions, so so back spiral. overhead lift decent ice coverage okay FW her so so position. T2F okay. 2T her nope 2S. fly camel sit inside upright poor unison. press overhead to star to airplane carry. SL FW slow tentative poor unison big break. shoot the duck (hiding poor entry) to FI DS, nice once she gets into it. pair camel. sit-sit ch camel sit-sit upright.

She's pretty and looks VERY like another familiar skater. Can't place her...
39.48 + 34.82 = 73.30 T = 113.56

Krazilinklova Bezmaternihk RUS
black pants red matador top, her blood red with gold stomacher.
Don Quixote (no, i can't spell it)
steps HUGE S2(3?)T. T3S nice. sbs 3T her fall. fly camel sit ch sit catch. good unison til the end. nice BO DS catch foot spiral entry. lovely star to awful flat butt in the air position nice FW though. sbs 2S her fall out sbs 2T? forward spirals COE okay, back spirals back spirals. lasso good coverage nice FW okay position. T3S nice landing. lasso overhead nice FW good speed and coverage. SL FW pretty good unison. pairs camel uprights ch pairs sit end a bit after music.

This is a very dynamic team. Another pairs team to get excited about. She's tiny and very pinched looking and he's YOUNG, but he lifts her well, has good, clean footwork in lifts and good speed over the ice and NICE coverage.

47.92 + 40.61 = 87.43 T = 132.66 1st place... and it's pretty well deserved.

Demers boutin/Joncas CAN
dark "jeans" black shirt with suspenders. her fuchsia dress
West Side Story
huge S2T no handed catch. sbs 1A. lasso overhead star so so footwork. careful. T3S tilted in air, her fall. overhead star really scary FW. catch spiral to AWFUL UGLY BO DS. music: Maria, sbs 1F turns 2T both messy. forward spirals COE nice. BI spirals nice. eh side spirals back spirals nice. T2L. fly camel sit inside catch ch sit upright ch sit so so unison poor positions. music tonight tonight. circle FW star lift eh good FW and coverage pairs sit ch camels sits uprights

I hate lifts that are too difficult where the man stands STILL while his partner changes position. As Canadian pairs go, they have a LONG way to go.

45.01 + 36.66 = 80.67 T = 121.31 3rd

Vasilieva/Smirnov RUS
dark cornflower purple unitard with lighter blue sleeve. her lighter blue chiffon with darker blue panel.
Somebody's Tune
sbs 3T her fall. steps 2T off sync. nice S2T not high though. sbs 2F her under rotated. spiral SE, T3L nice. axel lasso nice coverage, FW, position. T3S fall. forward COE spirals eh. back ha;f beill nice. careful Sl FW eh unison. but difficult. star lift nice FW, coverage, position. over head shakey start but improved as the lift went on. poor entry to nice FI DS. sbs camel sit ch camel half beill eh upright. pairs camels her half beill ch camels then him sit

These two were tentative and careful... kind of bland, but bland in a pretty way. nothing to get excited about. She's adorable and he has arms (and thighs) for DAYS. WHEW!

40.70 + 40.50 = 79.90 T = 127.31 3rd

Pylkina Hogner SWE
black pants and top her red with black trim
Jalouise Andalouse
nice speed. huge S3T, nice. T3S her hand down. sbs 3S her fall. fly camel sit inside catch upright. nice press lift to good turns. lgiht set down. T2L popped. forward COE spirals NICE positions, back spirals eh. nice side spiral. sbs 2FZ? overhead to star nice coverage FW. SalPel drag the girl variant entry to FI DS nice. SBS SL FW slow good unison. axel lasso overhead one arm nice set down. pairs camel over the head ch upright ch sit-sit

This is a gorilla and flea pairing. he must be 16" taller than she is and BIG compared to her. HUGE compared to her, which explains the security of their lifts. They also have incredible speed and pretty good unison. This will be an interesting pair if they stay together and she doesn't grow too much.

40.85 + 43.49 = 83.34 T = 129.62 3rd

Moyle/Seitz USA
black pants maroon fuchsia shirt with pink leaves. her fuchsia dress with pink leaves
tangos (Jealousy from Addams family)
S2T okay. good speed. sbs 2A steps 2T poor unison. T3L BEAUTIFUL. overhead lasso to one arm nice set down okay FW, sbs 2F. beill FI Ds VERY low, might have touched her shoulder to the ice, with drag the chick exit. slow. T3S fall. lasso overhead to one arm okay FW coverage speed. camels sit upright inside ch sit upright. spirals wobbly COE poor positions back spirals okay, side spirals. star to one hand poor set down. SBS SL FW eh unison good speed. her fall out of TW. pairs camels sits ch paris camels

43.29 + 42.74 = 85.03 personal best T = 133.50 1st place

other teams were better, but this one landed jumps and probably had done well in the short.

Vlassov/Meekins USA
not quite matching blue/purple outifts with illusions sleeves and white sequins
dynamic music
sbs 2A her popped 1A. overhead one arm nice set down good coverage and FW. T3L nice. lasso overhead one arm. S2T okay with variant entry. sbs 2Z 2F. sbs camel; sit inside forward spirals COE back half beill nice matching. side spirals. T3S. nice. pairs sit, ch pairs camel sit-camel ch uprights slowing. star lift to carry to change rotation eh. sbs Serp FW gaining speed. nice transitions catch foot entry to BO DS bas drag the girl exit.

This team is not soup. They have a lot of interesting transitions, but nothing is done really well. For a team that has been skating in US seniors for a year, they seem awfully juniorish. They do have difficult entries into everything though.

CORRECTION: Vlassova and Meekins have not skated US Srs yet. I must have mixed them up with another pair, probably one of the Vise sisters. My other comments hold though.

48.43 + 44.18 = 92.61 T = 138.05 1st place

Okay, color me clueless and unimpressed. I didn't see what was all so great about this team. They were slow, had poor unison and positions... the ONLY thing they had was a program designed for CoP and nothing else, really. They were NOT all that good, and yet they won because of the construction of their program. Of all the teams in the top 6, this was probably the weakest. Almost all the teams made mistakes, and while V&M didn't make really bad mistakes, they were lackluster and slow.

Just color me clueless. This isn't pairs, it's a freaking mathematics competition.

Freaking Math.